FAIRHOPE — Fairhope High School has been a beacon of education in the city for 100 years, touching the lives of numerous generations.

The first actual school in Fairhope opened in 1896 in a building owned by the Fairhope Industrial Association, located near Fairhope Avenue and Section Street. However, 1953 marked a new era for Fairhope High School when construction for a new campus located on North Section Street began.

For 40 years, students would attend the North Section Street campus until the school outgrew the campus, known as the "school on the hill." They then moved to the current campus located on South Greeno Road.

To commemorate this centennial occasion, the high school assembled a committee of alumni and staff to organize events related to this milestone.

Fairhope residents, alumni and others were welcomed to participate in events, including a Fairhope High School football game, where they recognized past homecoming queens, a tailgate party, the dedication of pavers in front of the old high school (currently the K-1 center) and a celebration on the night of Nov. 4, which united classes from FHS for a school reunion.

"We felt it was an opportunity for the community to come together and rally around the high school because it has so much history here in the community," said Lynn Tate, co-chair of Fairhope 100.

She said that without preserving the history of the high school, tracking growth would not be possible.

"I think it just shows you what our culture is and how it has evolved and how we continue to come together," she said. "It is a special community, and I think that is why people want to move here — it is why it has grown."

On the night of Nov. 3, during the Fairhope High School football game versus Briarwood Christian, previous homecoming queens along with the current homecoming queen were recognized.

From the first-ever homecoming queen in FHS history, Sandra Brown Bishop, to the 2023 FHS queen, Anna Bowler Conyers, these women gathered to celebrate their alma mater.

Conyers expressed her excitement about being among those who came before her.

"Most of the time, the homecoming queen just comes to crown the next person and then after that, they are kind of forgotten or not present anymore," Conyers said. "So, being able to be involved with this is really fun."

She highlighted the importance she attaches to preserving history.

"Just remembering the people who made Fairhope High School and to see the growth and to see how this area has expanded and the people that have gone off and done amazing things, it is really cool," she said.

Mary Nelson, co-chair of FHS 100 and a former chemistry and biology teacher at FHS, remembered her move to the current campus and her desire to install a monument in front of the school.

"I said I wanted to see at least a 7-foot bronze pirate out there," Nelson said. "It managed to fall into place. I knew the right people, and they put me in touch with the right people."

Nelson, who was present during the celebration of FHS's 75th anniversary, wished to persuade everyone to organize a 100th-anniversary celebration and credited Tate for her unwavering support.

"All of it has come to fruition," she said. "I want this to be clear, thanks to primarily Lynn Miller Tate, who has been my rock. A lot of other persons have stepped up and helped, and it is too numerous to even number."

Even though Nelson graduated from Foley High School, the former Fairhope High School teacher emphasized her enduring loyalty to Fairhope, to the extent that her children graduated from Fairhope and her grandchildren currently attend the 100-year-old school.

She said she was thrilled to see the familiar faces that had occupied her classrooms many years ago.

"I love them," Tate said. "I guess you could say they hold a special place in my heart. There is something special about all of them."

Both Tate and Nelson aspire to see FHS continue serving the community for another century and hope to inspire those who value the preservation of a school that holds a special place in their hearts.