Scho o l ’ s Ou t
AT W R I G H T S V I L L E ’ S 2 2 0 C O R A L D R I V E
Students Bused to Porter’s Neck Temporarily as Wrightsville Beach School Gets a Much-Needed Upgrade
BY PETER V I E L E
There’s a different sound coming from 220 Coral Drive this school season. It is no longer buzzing with the playful
hum of busy children learning and growing, nor the friendly chatter of parents discussing local news with their neigh-bors
on the sidewalk out front. Instead, the grinding sounds of progress are heard as workers hurry to renovate the 1954-
built Wrightsville Beach School.
Students and teachers had outgrown the school decades ago. Some of the students were learning in nine mobile build-ings,
the first one installed in 1976, while others attended classes in available classroom space at nearby Wrightsville
Methodist Church.
School day mornings and afternoons for more than six decades in the town were punctuated by families walking and
biking with children to and from school.
Harbor Island resident Wrenn Dorosko says, “All of my kids got to attend, and it was a precious time to ride bikes
together. It had a great neighborhood feel going to school. There wasn’t a big car line and, a lot of times, we were able to
catch up with other neighbors there. I will miss that, for now, it’s bittersweet.”
Currently closed, under a massive renovation approved in 2014 with a New Hanover County referendum vote, WBS
is slated to be back in service by fall 2020. Renovations kicked off and into high-gear after 2019’s spring break and the
school’s children began attending John J. Blair Elementary School in Porter’s Neck. They will continue to be bused to
Blair through the 2019/2020 school year. While this might have come as an inconvenience to some island families, oth-ers
are looking forward to a safer and more modern school.
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WBM september 2019