Jim Scales

In the 1950s, Orchard Knob Elementary was the only school in East Chattanooga that black students could attend.

The resulting overcrowding meant Wanda O’Neal and Rosa Paris could sit in class only for half the day. The girls left every day after lunch, when a second group of black students filtered into the overcrowded and completely segregated school, they said.

Even then, the 40-year-old building was in need of renovation, said Ms. O’Neal, whose mother and eight siblings also attended Orchard Knob.

“It was old when we went there in the ’50s and ’60s,” she said.

On Tuesday, the women returned to Orchard Knob for the dedication of a brand-new building for their former school, which starts a new school year next week.

After the final notes of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” played over the new school’s sound system, Hamilton County Schools Superintendent Jim Scales stood on the stage of the auditorium to address the roughly 100 elected officials, teachers, parents and school board members gathered there.

Orchard Knob will start this year with a clean slate, since it just came off the state’s high-priority list last week, Dr. Scales said.

“What a way to open up this new facility, all bright and shiny,” he said.

For six years, Orchard Knob had failed to meet federal benchmarks outlined under the No Child Left Behind law. This year was the second in a row the school made adequate yearly progress, placing it in good standing.

Looking to the future, County Commissioner Warren Mackey, who represents Orchard Knob’s district, said with a new elementary school in place, he’d like to see the system build a high school nearby that students could attend after graduating from Orchard Knob Middle.

Walking down the richly colored red, purple, blue and green halls, Principal Marthel Young could hardly contain her excitement.

“I’m elated about the status of the school,” she said. “The new structure, along with the school moving into good standing — this is probably the most positive time at our school.”

After the dedication ceremony, teachers scattered all over the building, putting finishing touches on their classrooms in preparation for today’s registration day.

First-grade teacher Kathryn Henson said she couldn’t wait to see the looks on her students’ faces when they walk through the doors for the first time.

“There will be a lot of open mouths,” she said, dropping her jaw in example. “It will be a they-can’t-believe-it type of thing until it’s there in front of them.”