The students of Guy B. Phillips Middle School celebrated the school’s 50th anniversary on Tuesday the only way they knew how – with 700 cupcakes.
Students packed the school’s gymnasium with staff, special guests and, of course, cupcakes to commemorate the event.
“Phillips has changed quite a bit in the past 50 years,” said Rebecca Campbell, a language arts teacher at Phillips who was a student herself when the school first opened in 1963.
To kick off the celebration, students watched a slideshow with pictures from both this school year and years past.
A few other teachers had been students at Phillips, and the kids cheered and laughed when they saw their teachers’ yearbook pictures on the slideshow. They were also treated to a variety of guest speakers, including teachers, former students and the district superintendent.
The speakers recounted their favorite memories from their time at Phillips to the students.
James Barrett, a former student and a current member of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education, said when he was at Phillips in the 80s, the school didn’t have any air conditioning.
He said sometimes it got really hot, but it wasn’t always a bad thing.
“The folks at Culbreth were always jealous of us because on a day like today when it’s hot, we got to go home,” Barrett said.
