From humble beginnings next to a horse farm to a well-established and respected school
In the Fall of 2002, Middle Creek High School opened its doors to the Mustangs for the first time. While this was the first time the Mustangs used the building, the Athens Drive Jaguars “borrowed” the school to use while Athens Drive was being remodeled in 2001-02. After a year, Middle Creek got its own building, and on August 26th, 2002, hundreds of freshmen and sophomores walked into the building for the first time. Since then, thousands of students have walked through the main doors, leaving their mark on Middle Creek.
Middle Creek is lucky to have many of its original teachers from 2002. Original staff member Brent Coley is Middle Creek’s SAP counselor. Coley shares, “We have gone from having the school that…sometimes the students would cheer more for the away team than for our school… to now where the Creek Crazies have won the WRAL Fan award. We have a raucous, energy-filled student section!”
Sarah Maness, class of 2005, agrees with Coley in her quote in the original 2002 MCHS yearbook. “Everyone arrived not knowing what to expect. However, by the time spirit week rolled around, Mustang Pride was contagious and all loyalties for old schools were forgotten.”
Middle Creek is lucky to only have had three principals throughout the time it has been open. Our original principal, John Williams, returned to Middle Creek to be interim principal before current principal Lacey Peckham took the position in the 2019-20 school year.
Becoming principal of a brand new school is a large task to take on. On top of running the school, principals are leading and creating a community, too. Williams had high hopes for the first school year, as he notes, “I wanted an effective, high-performing faculty able to create a family atmosphere in a short amount of time. I also hoped that the students would develop pride for their school. We realized these hopes in a short amount of time.”
Before Mr. Williams returned to Middle Creek in the 2019-20 school year, he was glad to see some of his original staff become superstar teachers. He also enjoyed seeing programs like the Digital Media Academy grow into the program it is today.
Something special about Middle Creek is that one of the students from the original graduating class now teaches here. PJ Williams is an English teacher, teaching Newspaper I-III as well as English for the Digital Media Academy.
Since Mr. Williams was part of the original graduating class, he was able to remain a “senior” for three years due to the staged opening of the school. This group of students was able to set many traditions that are still practiced today, one of the largest being the Creek Crazies. This is the fan group that attends all the athletic events to cheer on the school.
PJ Williams was on the football team, so he was not part of the Creek Crazies during the fall season, but he was in the front row for every basketball game. He says how special it was to be involved with making traditions that he still gets to see every day and how being part of this momentous graduating class has made him very comfortable at work since he grew up here and has a lot of pride for this place.
Our current principal, Lacey Peckham, had to do what no others had done before: run a school virtually. In January of 2020, Mrs. Peckham returned to Middle Creek after being a former Assistant Principal years before to continue as leader of the best school in Wake County. Two months before the pandemic, Mrs. Peckham noticed the “kind and polite” student body that Principal John Williams had told her about. She explains, “Students greeted each other with smiles [and] gave compliments to each other.” Once the school became virtual on March 13th, 2020, Mrs. Peckham says that the staff was still committed to connecting with students, whether it be through the chat or with a camera.
Junior Kathryn Breslin agrees. “All the teachers were so helpful and willing to assist whenever they could.” Kathryn was still able to do great in all her rigorous classes despite the challenges of being virtual.
Over the years, Middle Creek athletics have had its ups and downs. Robbie Wray, an original staff member, is the current athletic director for Middle Creek. He has witnessed these programs grow in not only athletic ability, but also in community support as well. Coach Wray has witnessed this first-hand through various teams, all starting with a group of excited young freshmen and sophomores wanting to build the program from the ground up. He explains how teams were able to keep motivation high despite losses and that these students laid the groundwork for programs that are here today.
The immediate support for Middle Creek was initially nonexistent due to its location. Wray claims, “It was about 7 to 10 years before folks even knew we had a high school here.” MCHS had to work overtime to create a sense of community, and 20 years later, we are still working on it. Since then, the community has backed the school, assisting with fundraisers, hosting events, and creating an atmosphere that is beneficial to students, staff, and families.
Middle Creek is a place where students from all backgrounds can come together to learn and grow. For many more years to come, the history of Middle Creek is what makes it the unique and important place in our community today. John Williams says, “Embedded in our beginning culture was what I always called the Middle Creek Creed. Each student is the heart, each parent is the will, each teacher is the head, and all parts of the community are the spirit: all are one.”
Middle Creek will continue to grow and build the next generation of Mustangs, and our school will continue to flourish and be the best high school in the Triangle!
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