You can look near and far, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find prouder alumni than those of E.E. Smith High School.
And you can be assured they’ll be celebrating the Cumberland County school’s centennial in September and into 2027.
“We are excited about the opportunity to let the community know about the plans underway for the school’s 100th year, the E.E. Smith Alumni Sports Hall of Fame, and the new kiosk project that will preserve and showcase our school’s proud history,” said John Brown, who graduated from the school in 1966.
The celebration is scheduled to kick off on September 18 at the Golden Bulls’ football game against Gray’s Creek at D.T. Carter Stadium. The day includes unveiling and dedication of the kiosk and a reception and announcement of the sixth incoming class of athletes for the hall of fame.
“The kiosk project is one of the major efforts connected to this celebration,” Brown said. “It will serve as a permanent digital home for the E.E. Smith Alumni Sports Hall of Fame and as a broader historical archive for the school.”
The kiosk, Brown said, was made possible through donations from more than 100 alumni and friends, along with contributions from 13 alumni classes.
“Together, those supporters donated close to $30,000 to purchase the kiosk and cover the cost of uploading and organizing the information,” he said. “The kiosk will be located in the atrium outside of the Media Center and will also be accessible worldwide through a link on the internet.”
The kiosk will contain a plethora of information about the school and its storied history.
“Each current hall of fame inductee will have a dedicated page on the kiosk, and championship teams that have been inducted will also be featured,” Brown said. “The kiosk will include past hall of fame souvenir journals, information about [school namesake] Dr. Ezekiel Ezra Smith, the history of the school from its beginning as South Side High School, photographs of the four locations that have housed the school and pages recognizing past principals with biographical information and photographs from their tenure.”
When it comes to the school on Seabrook Road, pride is a hallmark byword and has been for a century in the classrooms and on the athletic fields.
Kiosk Is the Storyteller
“We have also accumulated more than 25 past yearbooks for display on the kiosk and are continuing to seek additional yearbooks that can be digitized,” Brown said. “Other planned features include pages honoring alumni military veterans by branch of service, alumni who achieved high military rank, alumni who earned doctoral or professional degrees, and pages highlighting sports teams, clubs, activities and current school events.”
The kiosk, if you will, is a storyteller in itself.
“Our goal is for the kiosk to be more than a display,” said Brown, who earned his bachelor’s degree in education from North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro in 1970 and spent 35 years as a teacher in Philadelphia before retiring in 2005. “We want it to be a living archive that honors the people, achievements, and traditions of E.E. Smith High School, while giving current students and future generations a stronger connection to the school’s history.
“It is also a way for alumni to see themselves and their classmates remembered as part of a larger legacy.
“These activities will help mark the beginning of the centennial year,” Brown said, “by recognizing the school’s legacy, honoring outstanding alumni and athletic achievement and bringing together students, alumni, faculty, families, and supporters who have helped shape the E.E. Smith story over the past century.”
Epilogue
The centennial celebration culminates with the National Association of E.E. Smith Alumni & Friends Centennial Celebration, which is scheduled for May 27-31, and includes a worship service and the E.E. Smith Alumni Sports Hall of Fame Banquet at the Crown Complex on May 30. A farewell brunch is scheduled for May 31.
“For nearly a century, E.E. Smith High School has produced leaders, innovators, educators, athletes, artists, public servants and generations of proud Golden Bulls,” Brown said. “Alumni, students, faculty, families, and friends are invited to make history together during one of the largest celebrations ever held in honor of our beloved school.
“Whether you graduated decades ago or recently crossed the stage, this centennial celebration promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime homecoming.
“We hope you will join us as we celebrate our past, honor those who built our legacy, reconnect with lifelong friends,” Brown said, “and help launch the next century of Golden Bull excellence.”
This is a grand year for the school at 1800 Seabrook Road.
And for alumni who have walked its hallways and roamed the athletic fields, they’ll be coming home to celebrate what so many will tell you were some of the best years of their lives.
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
