Juniors and seniors at Eastern Guilford High School head back to class Wednesday -- in a new location. For the time being, they'll call Guilford Technical Community College home.

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The students will be in class from noon to 6 p.m. Lunch will be provided at 11:15 a.m., but officials urged students to eat lunch before reporting for class.

Freshmen and sophomores will return to class on Nov. 14 at the former N.C. School for the Deaf in Brown Summit.

Teachers and students told WXII 12's Melissa Marsh they are aware of the challenges created by a split student body but that good communication will help.

School leaders on Monday talked about insurance issues, structural enhancements and donations in the wake of a destructive blaze at Eastern Guilford High School. In addition, they announced where the school's athletic teams will practice and play in the coming weeks. The wrestling and JV basketball teams, for example, will practice at Eastern Middle School.

Insurance adjusters with the N.C. Department of Public Instruction have been working with Guilford County Schools to assess the damage. Superintendent Terry Grier said Monday he hopes to know soon how much it will cost to build a new Eastern Guilford High School. School leaders hope a new school can be in place by 2009.

Looking Back

Over the weekend, students and the community looked back and remembered the school, which was built in the early 1970s.

A candlelight vigil was held Saturday night. On Sunday, students and staff came together at a prayer service.

Students and teachers said they can't believe their high school is gone. They said they are coping with it by leaning on each other for support.

"There's a mourning period, but you need to come together and kind of lift yourself up rather than bring yourself down," said teacher Richard Nobers.

Tyler Chambers, a senior student, had to balance nostalgia with battling the blaze on Wednesday. He's a volunteer firefighter.

"When I look at that school as a student, I sit there and I see almost four years gone," he said.

The fire remains under investigation and the 911 tapes have been released. Investigators said it will be a few days before they learn the cause of the fire.

The blaze injured three firefighters, who were treated and released.

The fire started just after 2 p.m. Nov. 1 in a chemistry classroom at the school on Peeden Drive.

Students and faculty were sent to nearby Bethel Presbyterian Church after the fire occurred.

More than 20 units and 100 firefighters responded to the scene and spent hours battling the blaze.

The Guilford County school district is the third largest in the state, with 116 schools, including about two dozen other high schools.

The school, built in the early 1970s, did not have a sprinkler system.

"They do make a major difference," said Alan Perdue, EMS Director in Guilford County. "We certainly want to encourage our school system to take a proactive approach to that."

Gibsonville, 15 miles east of Greensboro, has about 4,600 residents.

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