For the first time since John A. Holmes High School welcomed students into its new home earlier this year, the broader community will have an opportunity to see the completed campus during a public open house this weekend.

Along with the community tours, Edenton-Chowan Public Schools has announced August open house dates for students and families across the district and continues improvements to the Holmes athletic complex with resurfacing of the school’s track.

A long-awaited community celebration

Residents are invited to tour the new John A. Holmes High School during a community open house:

Friday, July 24
5-8 p.m.

Saturday, July 25
10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Visitors will be able to explore the campus at their own pace, meet faculty and staff, and see many of the educational spaces that students have been using since January.

School officials ask guests to wear comfortable walking shoes, as the tour covers much of the building.

Visitors should enter through the Performing Arts entrance on the Park Avenue side of campus near the tennis courts. Parking will be available on campus, although parking is not permitted at the Broad Street entrance.

Food and beverages will not be allowed inside the building.

Three years of transition

The public open house comes about six months after students officially began classes in the new school on Jan. 26, 2026.

Construction of the new high school required students and staff to spend approximately three years learning and working from multiple temporary locations while the new campus was built.

Academic classes, career and technical education programs, athletics and extracurricular activities were spread among several campuses and facilities throughout Edenton, requiring daily coordination between students, teachers and administrators. The arrangement allowed construction crews to build the new school while keeping instruction uninterrupted.

Before moving into the building, students participated in a special orientation day designed to familiarize them with the campus, while teachers spent nearly a week relocating classrooms and preparing instructional spaces before the first day of classes.

Although students have occupied the building since January, portions of the campus remained active construction zones for several months as demolition of older facilities and site improvements continued. The community open house is the first opportunity for many residents to view the completed campus.

Principal Sonya Rinehart described the move as the beginning of a new chapter for the school, saying students and staff were excited to finally reunite under one roof after years apart.

Student open houses scheduled

Families preparing for the upcoming school year will also have opportunities to meet teachers and visit classrooms before classes begin.

The district has announced the following open house schedule:

Thursday, Aug. 20

• White Oak Elementary School
  • 4-6 p.m.
• D.F. Walker Elementary School
  • 4-6 p.m.
• Chowan Middle School
  • 5-7 p.m.
• John A. Holmes High School
  • 5:30-7p.m.

Open houses allow students to locate classrooms, meet teachers, become familiar with school procedures and ask questions before the first day of classes.

Track improvements continue

Community members visiting the campus should also note that the John A. Holmes High School track remains closed while resurfacing work is completed.

The closure took effect June 30 and will remain in place until further notice. District officials say the improvements will provide a renewed surface for student-athletes and other approved users once construction is complete.

Visitors attending this weekend’s community open house should expect the track area to remain inaccessible during the project.