A power outage affecting the main building of Watson Chapel High School went into its second day Wednesday and led school district officials to cancel classes at the campus Thursday.
The district announced at about 6:14 p.m. Wednesday the campus would remain closed as Entergy crews work to restore service. The district added that another status update would come by 1 p.m. Thursday.
School district Superintendent Keith McGee said a blown fuse on a light pole near the auto mechanic shop resulted in the outage Tuesday morning. Students were released at about 1 p.m. Tuesday, and Wednesday’s and Thursday’s missed school days will be made up at the end of the year, McGee said.
All other district campuses will remain open and operate on their regular schedules Thursday, the district said.
The outage has caused no delay in football activities. The junior high Wildcats will host Little Rock Christian Academy in games beginning at 5 p.m. Thursday, while the varsity Wildcats will practice at 1 p.m. Thursday in preparation for the 7 p.m. kickoff Friday against Joe T. Robinson High of Pulaski County at Wildcat Stadium.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
While the current high school was without power, administrators and construction officials offered a media tour of the new high school scheduled to open next spring. The new campus, funded by a millage increase approved by voters in August 2022, is built next to the current campus at the location of a junior high school that was demolished in January 2024 after more than 78 years of existence.
The $41 million new campus is two stories totaling 109,745 square feet, and it’s a point of pride for board members like Goldie Whitaker.
“What goes through my head is that I am very proud of the Watson Chapel School District and the board for working diligently with Baldwin & Shell (Construction Co.) to make it happen,” Whitaker said. “We didn’t take it for granted that they would allow us to pass a millage to build a school for our students in this district.”
Said high school Principal Jeffrey Neal: “I think it’s very exciting. I think it’s a whole lot of opportunity here for us to continue to expand the work we’re doing in this community. I think I can speak for all of us to say we’re excited about moving into this new facility.”
The project, which broke ground in May 2024, has remained on schedule, said Raven Franklin, assistant superintendent with Baldwin & Shell.
“We have great teams and subcontractors who are being vocal with us and working with us,” Franklin said. “I would just say it’s a team effort, everybody coming together, working long hours, late nights and weekends just to make sure we get it all finished.”
The new campus made news in recent weeks with Relyance Bank’s $500,000 sponsorship of the 1,500-seat gymnatorium. McGee, along with Watson Chapel graduate Donna Dial of South Arkansas Business Solutions, announced another sponsorship opportunity for individual classrooms at the new campus.
More information is available at the district’s central office.
