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Peeler-Hampton Visual and Performing Arts Elementary School (Peeler-Hampton VPA) officially opens to students for the first day of school on Monday, Aug. 25. Walking the halls during the ribbon cutting ceremony in mid-August, new students were smiling and their eyes were filled with awe seeing their brand new school for the first time.
Just a few years before, the halls of this building were nonexistent. Instead there was just the land that held the remnants of the school that used to exist there.
In spring 2018, a tornado touched down in Greensboro and damaged a portion of the northeastern part of the city. Several schools, including former Peeler and Hampton elementary schools, sustained significant damage. Subsequently, both schools were demolished. But thanks to a school bond passed by the voters in Guilford County, a new school now sits at the same site as the former Peeler Open Elementary School: Peeler-Hampton VPA.
Hundreds of people attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new school on Tuesday, Aug. 19. There was excitement in the air but also mournfulness as the group took a moment to reflect on the storm that caused the demolition of the original Peeler Open Elementary School.
Principal Dr. Shannon Peeples encouraged the community to both celebrate the new school and pay homage to what existed before them.
“We lost more than buildings that day. We lost familiar hallways, cherished classrooms, and anchors of learning, but in that loss, something powerful rose — resilience,” Peeples said. “Our community came together, not just to rebuild what was but to create new opportunities for students and staff and the community.”
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Peeler-Hampton VPA is a county-wide magnet school. This year, the school will enroll up to 410 students through a choice application process. The school was built to honor the arts that “previously existed in the area… and to be a school of the community,” according to Guilford County Schools.
The programming at Peeler-Hampton VPA is arts integrated and inclusive of multiple art forms. Peeples worked with the district to spearhead the development of the arts integrated focus for the school.
Peeler-Hampton VPA was named after two Black leaders in Greensboro history. The first, Dr. William Hampton, was a doctor from New Jersey who came to North Carolina in the 1930s. He became Greensboro’s first Black city councilman in 1951. The school’s other namesake is Rev. Silas Peeler, who served as the president of Bennett Seminary, now Bennett College, from 1905 to 1913.
“It is with deep respect that we honor the legacy of Rev. Silas Peeler… whose commitment to faith, education, and community, uplifted and left a lasting impact,” Peeples said. “We also pay tribute to Dr. William Hampton… a trailblazer whose service and neighborhood leadership helped pave the way for future generations.”
After a moment of reflection on the past, several local education leaders gave remarks. Dr. Whitney Oakley, superintendent of Guilford County Schools, expressed gratitude to the many people involved in the building of the school, including the residents of Guilford County who voted for the school bond that made the new school possible.
“The voters of Guilford County chose to invest in students and staff, passing a $300 million bond that raised the funds for the building in which we now stand and sit,” Oakley said.
Smiles spread across attendees faces as the next speaker was introduced. Rising third grader Teagan Frisby shared her excitement and hopes for her new school.
“What I’m most excited about is that this school is all about our talents. It doesn’t matter how young, how tall, or how small, we all have skills, gifts, or talents to share, and here we get to grow them, improve them, and shine like never before… Go dragons!” she said.
Teagan’s mother, Toneysha Frisby, followed with remarks of her own. Frisby is a proud Guilford County Schools alumna, which added to her excitement for her daughter. Even before the new school was built, Frisby imagined the possibilities for Teagan.
“Although my daughter has experienced school success before the opening of Peeler-Hampton, VPA represents something far greater for me. It represents my hope for my sweet ‘T’, not only to succeed, but to try, to grow, to evolve, to dream without limits,” she said.
Frisby shared her hopes for her daughter to become a lifelong learner, creator, and inventor, but most importantly, who she’s meant to be. Additionally, she shared her hope for all Peeler-Hampton VPA students.
“My hope for her is the same hope I carry for every child who will walk through those doors,” Frisby said. “That here they will discover not just what they can do, but who they are destined to become.”
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