As I look back on my years at Stephens-Lee High School, I think in amazement about the loyalty the majority of the people who walked its halls had for such a place. You see, it was such a different time, a time when African Americans were denied much to be proud of.
Stephens-Lee wasn’t just a school. It was the brilliant platform where people stood to share the gratification of jobs well done; to boast of the excellence that attending a school where faculty and students expected the cream to rise to the top. It was a place where slouching was not tolerated; therefore, not many were satisfied to accept mediocre.
Like a thumping heartbeat, Stephens-Lee was the excitement one feels when a game is won, a marching band is stepping higher than the others, academic contests are won against strong competitors, parents crowding into an auditorium to hear something special about their children or to sit proudly while their children walk across a stage to receive a much longed for diploma.
Even today when we sing O Stephens-Lee, Dear Stephens-Lee, Our hearts are filled with love for thee, even a stranger can experience some of the pride we felt as we attended school there. It is such an extraordinary feeling, one that I hope I never lose.
– Sarah Williams
