A look inside the new $106M West Charlotte High School

What’s happening: West Charlotte will kick off the school year in a brand new building for the first time in nearly 70 years. The first day of school is this Monday, Aug. 29.

Why it matters: DubC, as the school is affectionately known, is a Charlotte institution. As a historically Black high school, it was a beacon during segregation, and it later became a model of successful integration when students were bused in from other parts of town. Today, the school’s student body is primarily Black.

By the numbers: The 100-classroom, three-story building cost $105,977,166, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. The school has around 1,550 students.

What they’re saying: Jonathan Dorest’s classroom exudes Lion pride. A member of West Charlotte’s class of 2010, he’s now a 9th and 10th grade English teacher, assistant football coach (he also played football at West Charlotte) and track and field coach.

• Dorest told me coming to school felt like a safe haven growing up, and everyone there felt like family. He wanted to create the same type of experience he had for current students.
• He’s also a North Carolina Central University graduate, and he’s looking forward to the Aggie-Eagle Classic on Sept. 3 at Bank of America stadium between his alma mater and rival HBCU North Carolina A&T University meet in the Duke’s Mayo Classic.
• He’s also taking more than a dozen football players to the game so they can experience the HBCU rivalry.

Dorest said he tries to help his students understand the history and the culture they come from, including learning about the school’s history.

The list of notable alumni from West Charlotte is a long one and includes individuals such as Thereasea Clark Elder (Mecklenburg County’s first Black public health nurse), Carolina Panthers assistant coach Steve Wilks, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation and Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx and councilman-elect James “Smuggie” Mitchell.

• “When [students] represent West Charlotte, they’re putting on for a lot of people that came before them, and also to come after them,” Dorest said.

Context: West Charlotte opened in 1938 on 1415 Beatties Ford Road, which is now Northwest School of the Arts.

• West Charlotte moved to 2219 Senior Drive in 1954, undergoing renovations during its time there.
• Of note: The school’s address will remain the same. It just sits slightly farther back on the property.

Details: The future entrance of the school, which is on the second floor, includes a wall of history, honoring students across all generations.

•  Sherril Green, West Charlotte technology facilitator and graduate of the class of 1982 stood in front of the wall with tears of joy Thursday. She touched a photo near the center of the wall and told me with a smile, “These were my friends.” Her mother, Joann Green, taught cosmetology at West Charlotte.

The scoreboard donated by the class of 1986 hangs in the auxiliary gym. A bench in memory of student Alex Orange, who was shot and killed at a party in 1989, sits in the hallway. Orange inspired Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE).

• A stained glass window from the previous school hangs in a room that will host special events.
• A plaque dedicated to Clinton L. Blake, the school’s first principal, hangs across from the wall of history.
• These are a few examples of what West Charlotte staff and alumni call “Lion pride.”

What’s next: The former school building is undergoing demolition. The site will eventually become athletic athletic fields and parking, which are expected to be complete by fall 2023. 

• Given parking constraints, football will take place at E.E. Waddell Language Academy this season. The hope is to have homecoming and senior night on West Charlotte’s campus, however.

Here’s a look at the new school: