By Nicole Bowman-Layton

EDENTON — After three years scattered across four different campus sites, John A. Holmes High School students and staff will finally unite under one roof when they walk into their new facility on Jan. 26, 2026, for the first full day of classes.

The transition marks a historic moment for Edenton-Chowan Public Schools and represents the culmination of years of planning, construction, and anticipation.

This is the first of a three-part series on the new high school. The other stories, to be published at a later date, will focus on academic and career-technology classrooms and the impact on extracurriculars such as sports, the performing arts, and organizations. We will also provide an update on the status of the Scout Hut, which was relocated to accommodate construction.

“After three years spread across four campus sites, we are excited to reunite under one roof and begin this next chapter together,” said Principal Sonya Rinehart. “We are thrilled to move into an innovative, community-centered school built to prepare students for both college and the workforce.”

The Move-In Timeline

The week of Jan. 19 will be crucial for the transition. While elementary and middle schools return from the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on January 22, John A. Holmes will remain closed for the entire week as teachers move their belongings into the new space.

Here’s how the transition will unfold:

• January 19-21: Teachers will finalize first-semester grades, complete report cards, and handle packing materials. Each department will have dedicated hour-long tours with the opportunity to ask questions and address concerns. Staff will not need to pack everything in their current classrooms, as they won’t be bringing old items to the new facility.
• January 22: A student-only open house will run on a condensed schedule from approximately 8 a.m. to noon. Students will walk through a modified daily schedule, visiting each of their classes with built-in transition periods to learn the building layout.
• January 23: Final preparations and adjustments based on feedback from the student open house.
• January 26: Official first full-day of school for John A. Holmes students in the new facility. 

A New Address, A New Era

The school’s official address will change to 701 North Oakum Street, reflecting that the main entrance now faces Oakum rather than Woodard Street.

“All deliveries will come through Oakum Street,” said Superintendent Tammi Ward.

The front entrance on Oakum Street will house the main office, principal’s offices, counseling suite, bookkeeping, and the School Resource Officer’s station. In the main office is a conference room. Paul Hoggard is working on building a table out of wood from a tree that stood outside of the school for the room, said Rinehart during a recent tour.

New academic and athletic Walls of Fame, concession stand, cafeteria and gymnasium will also be located near this entrance.

A separate entrance for the auditorium box office is also on Oakum Street.

The doorway that faces Broad Street is near the guidance counselors’ offices and the nurse’s station, but is not meant to serve as an entrance.

Student drop-off and pick-off will occur from the Oakum Street side. Student parking will remain near the football stadium until demolition of the old building, which contains the gym, cafeteria, and CTE classrooms, is complete. At that point, the demolished areas will become additional student parking. Teacher parking will be on a first-come, first-served basis around the multipurpose field until the new parking areas are ready for use.

What to Expect on Day One

For 9th- through 11th-graders, the Jan. 26, 2026, opening will mark the first time they’ve ever experienced a complete, unified high school campus. They began high school during the split-campus era and have never known anything different, Rinehart said.

The change will require adjustment for everyone. Students accustomed to 15-minute transition periods between campuses will now have much shorter passing times — six minutes — as all classes are housed in a single building connected by hallways.

“It’s going to be a change for staff and students because they’re used to the 15-minute transition,” Rinehart said. “It’s not that they won’t have freedoms in the new high school, but it’s going to be in a different format. It’s going to be a little bit more structured, which I’m looking forward to.”

Teachers will guide students through the building during the first week, helping them adjust to the new layout. The building is organized with CTE classes and computer labs primarily on the first floor, while the second floor houses the media center and academic subjects grouped by department: English, social studies, math, and science.

The art, choir and band classes, along with the gymnasium, are located near the front of the school. Separate articles will provide greater detail on classroom layouts and how being at the new school will affect athletics, arts, and extracurricular activities.

“I think they’ll quickly pick up on where they’re going,” Rinehart said of the students finding their classes. “The first couple of times, they’ll be like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is cool.’”

Ongoing Construction

While students and staff settle into the new building, construction won’t stop. Demolition of the old gym, cafeteria, and CTE building begins Jan. 26, the same day students start classes.

Fenced areas will separate students from construction zones, similar to the safety measures used during the building phase. The fieldhouse will remain accessible through the football field entrance.

“We will have fencing and construction areas roped off,” Rinehart said. “There have been multiple meetings where they’ve looked at the space and made sure we have adequate clearance for students.”

Most activities will take place in the new building, eliminating the need for students to venture near construction areas.

Community Open House Planned

While the Jan. 22, 2026, open house is specifically for students, school officials plan to hold a community-wide open house later in the summer, once construction is complete, and the full campus is accessible.

“It is exciting to see the daily changes inside and outside the new John A. Holmes High School,” Superintendent Ward said. “Being new to the community, it has been interesting to hear residents talk about the history of JAH and the process from inception to the upcoming first day for students. The next milestone will be a community open house prior to the beginning of the 2026-27 school year.”

Messages Will Go Out

School officials plan an extensive communication campaign to ensure everyone is aware of the move and the new location.

“We will send announcements, we’ll do social media, we’ll do callouts,” Rinehart said. “I think they’re very well aware we’re moving. We’ll probably do a district call that Sunday night, January 25, just to make sure again everybody’s aware.”

For those who might forget, the change will be immediately obvious when they arrive at the old Boys and Girls Club location on Jan. 26 and find it dark and closed.

The school will also update its communications about the new address, as packages and mail may initially continue to arrive at the old locations.

A Building Worth the Wait

The new facility represents not just a physical upgrade but a transformation in how John A. Holmes can serve its students and community.

“I am ecstatic for our students and staff as well as the community,” said counselor Jennifer Womble Cobb. “I believe the building will elevate programming, opportunities and outcomes for our students. As a parent, I have two students who have never been in a new school building, and I look forward to having them experience this state-of-the-art school.”

Science teacher Rachel O’Kelley, a 2009 John A. Holmes graduate herself, shared similar excitement: “I am excited to move into the new building in January! I have been looking forward to this moment since I graduated from John A. Holmes High School in 2009. I am eager to help cultivate a new culture in our top-notch facility and to elevate ACES PRIDE!”

The $82 million project has remained close to budget and on schedule throughout construction, with Lucas Schmidt, with M.B. Kahn Construction, serving as project manager, overseeing more than 200 workers at peak construction periods. The project was funded with a combination of grants and local funding.

For school officials, the move represents relief after years of logistical challenges.

“I’m looking forward to parking the golf cart,” Rinehart said with a laugh, referring to the vehicle she’s used to travel between the scattered campus locations.

As the community prepares for this new chapter, the message is clear: John A. Holmes High School isn’t just getting a new building. It’s getting a fresh start and a facility designed to carry the school and its students into the future.

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For more information about the move-in schedule and updates, follow John A. Holmes High School on Facebook or visit the Edenton-Chowan Public Schools website.