At opening ceremonies for the first three buildings on the N.C. Research Campus, the Kannapolis City Schools gave David H. Murdock framed photographs showing the letters NCRC and KCS.Few would have guessed the hours of planning that went into that present and that thousands of Kannapolis students and employees helped “wrap” it.
The picture shows more than 3,000 students and staff gathered in A.L. Brown High School’s stadium, holding up cards that spelled NCRC and KCS.
The idea originated during a principals’ brainstorming session. Dr. Chip Buckwell, principal of Kannapolis Middle School, designed the color pattern using a computer spread sheet, and Ellen Boyd, director of community relations, coordinated the event.
On the morning of Oct. 8, 17 school buses brought about 900 students and staff from Kannapolis Middle School, while many more students and staff from Kannapolis Intermediate and Brown High schools and the system’s central office walked to the stadium.
Clyde Pittmon, of Cabarrus County Schools Maintenance Department, operated the bucket truck that lifted Salisbury photographer Ben Martin high enough to get pictures for the “present.”
Salisbury graphic designer Misty Rogers prepared the layout, and Aly Perez, print specialist at Staples, printed the final image.
A delegation of students and staff presented the photos to Murdock on Oct. 20.