Hough High School.

The grand opening celebration of the new $57.6 million William A. Hough High School will kick off Saturday morning with a ceremonial walk from Bailey Middle School to the new Hough campus.

The majority of Bailey’s graduating eighth graders are headed to Hough this fall, according to school officials. Already, Bailey’s staff began building Hough spirit with school apparel sales, Bailey Middle Principal Jennifer Dean said. Hough High Principal Teresa Cockerham also spoke at Bailey’s graduation ceremony in June.

The new Hough High Marching Husky Band will lead the ceremonial walk on Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m.

Hough High, located not far from Bailey Middle School on Bailey Road, will open for school on Aug. 25 when a bell rings the first classes into session at 7:15 a.m.

The school is a touted as a prototype for future high schools in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School system, according to school officials. The 258,000-square-foot school has 99 classrooms, football and baseball fields, and track and tennis courts. It also features 15 rain gardens that will naturally filter storm water run off, and then drain back into the creek that runs along the back of the property.

The new high school was designed by Little Diversified Architectural Consulting with the cafeteria, auditorium and gym all located along one hallway that can be easily accessed after hours for community use.

Hough High was named for a former principal at North Mecklenburg High School, William Amos Hough. He was principal from Sept. 1955 to July 1974.

Hough will pull some of its student body from North Mecklenburg High when it opens. The new school also will pull students from Hopewell High.

Parent Teacher Student Association members have been working to prepare for the new school year and say they’re excited about the grand opening this Saturday.

“We future Huskies have all driven along Bailey Road and craned our necks to see our new school take form and grow from mounds of dirt into the impressive campus that it is today,” said Mary Lynn Welborne, a parent of a rising freshman at Hough and a volunteer for the school’s PTSA.

“In talking to many of the kids that will be attending Hough, it is evident that they know in their hearts they are part of something truly special. There is no back-story. There is no history. As the first students at William A. Hough High School, they will create that story, make that history. It’s exciting and it’s a big responsibility,” she said.

Hough’s first principal is Teresa Cockerham, a graduate of Olympic High School in Charlotte. She also attended Wake Forest University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in education in 1983.

Ms. Cockerham has a doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, which she earned in 2005. She also holds a Certificate of Advance Studies in Educational Administration and a Masters in Educational Administration from UNCC.

She has worked for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools since 1984. She began as a teacher and advanced to leadership positions over the years. Before coming to Hough, Ms. Cockerham served as principal at Providence High School in Charlotte from 2005-2009.

Students will gather at Bailey Middle School at 10:30 a.m. and follow the Marching Huskies on the walk will begin at 11 a.m.

The school’s grand opening celebration will begin when students arrive at the new high school and will include dunking booth with coaches, music, food and sale of Hough High apparel. The celebration will end at 3 p.m.

This will be the first time parents and students can tour the school.

For more information or to volunteer to help with the event, contact the school’s Parent Teacher Student Association President Tammy Smith at tammypsmith@aol.com or Athletic Booster Club President Christy Pope at cpope@ruddickcorp.com.