With school doors set to open to students in the coming weeks for the start of the 2012-13 school year, many schools in the area will be having open houses for students and parents. But one local school will have a different type of open house.
Brewton Middle School will be hosting a special viewing Sunday for the public to come see the new school.
Brewton City School board president Stephanie Walked said she is excited for the event Sunday.
“We’re excited because we’re having a different kind of open house at the new,” she said. “The open house for the new school, which is located at 1384 Old Castleberry Road, isn’t the typical ‘back to school’ for parents and middle school students. This is a tour for everyone who’s interested in seeing what the new school encompasses. The building of a new middle school was a topic of conversation for so many years and on some days it seemed as though it might never actually happen.  Since it’s not immediately visible from the road, many people may have even forgotten it’s there.”
At first, Walker said the landscape of the property the school is built on posed a threat.
“The property originally had dramatic elevation changes so it was difficult to envision how a school might be built there,” she said. “The land has been carefully sculpted so now it is not only a beautiful piece of property but also an ideal location. I am grateful to Representative Alan Baker for his assistance in getting a stoplight at that location. I also want to say a special thank you to Terrill Neal and Lynn Smith for working so diligently over the last three years to make sure every detail was completed to our specifications.  It is a spectacular facility for educating our students and we are looking forward to seeing everyone on Sunday.”
Brewton Middle School principal Carrie Brown echoed Walker’s praise about the school.
“We will have our student ambassadors here escorting people around,” she said. “Our local board will be here also as well as the governing agencies. We have sent out invitations to area churches and others inviting them. We are just having this so people can come out and see the school. They can come out and take pictures and view our beautiful school because it is a very nice building. We will have no presentations or anything and people can just come out during that time and walk around and see our beautiful school.”
Along with the public viewing of the school Sunday from 2 to 3:30 p.m., Brewton Middle school will open their doors to the new fifth graders as they will have an orientation Sunday, Aug. 19 at 2 p.m.
Other schools in the area are planning open houses as well.
W.S. Neal Elementary School will have an open house on Friday, Aug. 17 from 2 to 4 p.m. Students are welcome to bring school supplies at this time.
Brewton Elementary School will not hold an open house but will have registration on the first day of school, Monday, Aug. 20. Students in third grade will have registration at 8 p.m. followed by fourth grade at 9 a.m., second grade at 10 a.m., first grade at 11 a.m. and kindergarten at 1 p.m. The first full day of school will be Tuesday, Aug. 21.
T.R. Miller will have freshmen orientation on Friday, Aug. 17 from 1 to 3 p.m. Other students in grades 10-12 can get their schedules from 9 a.m. to noon.
W.S. Neal High School will have open house Friday, Aug. 17 from 1 to 3 p.m. Schedules can be picked up during this time.
W.S. Neal Middle School will have their open house on Friday, Aug.17 from 3 to 5 p.m. Students can bring supplies at this time and get their lockers.
Directions to the new Brewton Middle School for Sunday’s viewing is: take Highway 31 through town past Walmart. Turn right at the next traffic light onto Old Castleberry Road. The entrance to Brewton Middle School is on the right.