Creating a School from Scratch

Terri Cockerham has great expectations for Hough High School

by Scott Graf    |     photography by Glenn Roberson

This past fall, nearly 1,500 students attended classes at a shiny, sprawling campus near the intersection of Bailey Road and Highway 115 in Cornelius. As principal of William A. Hough High School, Terri Cockerham was in charge of getting the school ready for its first year of operation. We asked her about opening the new facility and how things have gone in its first several months.

What are some of the challenges
you're facing at a first-year school?

I think one of the biggest challenges is making sure everybody is on the same page with expectations, vision and procedures. Because, whether it's students or staff, you're bringing people from all kinds of different places where the expectations or procedures might be different. So it's making sure staff, teachers, students and parents are all on the same page and have the same idea of where we're headed.

How long will it take before everything is in place the way you want it?

Research says to establish a culture it takes three to five years. But I'm hoping we can get it done quicker than that, maybe in a year and a half. You have to go through all your firsts to even know where everything is coming from sometimes. A great example was the first day of school, we had everything planned out and mapped how we wanted it go. But when the first bell rang, about 700 kids all wanted to go up the master staircase. So we had to make sure they knew where the other six staircases were. Normally you only have to train one group of students — your incoming 9th graders — but we had to initiate everybody.

How has the community supported Hough High School?

The community has just been overwhelming — the businesses, the PTSA, the mayors. A perfect example of that was the grand opening that we had back in August. To see 2,500 people on campus, that was just awesome.

Has the support been on par with your expectations?

I think it's probably been more than my expectations. At times it's just been overwhelming.

How do you build school spirit at a brand new high school?

You make sure that students have opportunities through different experiences. That was one of the concerns coming in — how do you pull students from Hopewell, students from North and from the private schools that surround us, all into one Hough High School family? I think winning [in athletics] always helps, and we have had some success with that.

Where did the students at Hough come from?

Most of our students came from North Meck. Some came from Hopewell. And then we had some come from many of the surrounding private schools. We were projected to open with 1,250 students, and we're currently over 1,450. That would suggest to me that we had a large number come back from private schools.

Does Hough High School have an identity yet?

I think we're still working on that. I think we do, but I think it will grow and evolve over the next year, and even into some of the next year. I think it's come out strong as a school with high academic standards and high expectations whether its athletics or in the classroom.

How do you see Hough stacking up with other, established schools?

There's some great things going on in the classrooms. There's some really dynamite teachers and some really strong students. And I see this school rivaling a lot of the other high schools for school spirit, for academic achievement, for athletic accomplishments. I think Hough is going to be a place to watch over the next few years.

What was the process like to get Hough High School open?

It was very, very busy. Pulling everything together from building to naming process to mascot to colors, there were so many facets to pull together. And then staffing. And we're still creating processes, procedures — that type of thing. Because even when you open the doors you don't have everything done.

Was that a challenging year?

Yes, very challenging. I missed not having students around. It was more like a Central Office job, and I enjoy being in the school.

While it’s been a challenge, have you enjoyed it?

I have enjoyed it. It's been a lot of hours getting everything ready for the opening and now just getting everything in place. But yeah, it's been a great experience.

Is it a work in progress to get everything in place just the way you want it?

It is. And because of my personality, I like things to be done yesterday. So sometimes it can be very frustrating that everything is not where I want it after the first two months of school.

Why was this a job you wanted?

I thought it would be a neat experience to pull everything together and leave my mark on something like this. I've hired staff. I've had say in a lot of the final touches on the building, that type of thing.

What will your future at Hough be? Is this your last job?

It could be. I learned a long time ago you take things as they come. My goal is to stay. I'm not one who likes change. I like to get somewhere to know my kids, know my staff. So this is a big step for me to take on this challenge. It’s been one I've really enjoyed. But I want to stay and see it through. I think that's very important both for the school and for me.

Lake Norman Currents Magazine, P.O. Box 1676, Cornelius NC 28031, phone 704-749-8788, fax 888-887-1431

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