Bates: The Community Commitment

Bates: The Community Commitment. , Wiley H. Bates High School has a strength beyond bricks and mortar , its real foundation has always been its people. The last African American class to put on robes of purple and gold and receive their diplomas was the class of 1966, but the school's interweaving with the community remains to this day., A deep family spirit, characterized by teamwork and hope, unites the faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of Bates, and was the driving force behind the Bates Redevelopment Project. After the closing of the Bates facility in 1981, the school's supporters rallied for its preservation., Undaunted by boarded windows, overgrown fields, crumbling walls, or flooded corridors, the Bates community, championed the redevelopment efforts, documenting the school's history, raising funds, consulting with elected officials, and collaborating with many organizations., Through many iterations, pauses, setbacks, and spurts it was the community's unwavering pride in Bates that pushed the project onward., Today, Wiley H. Bates Heritage Park stands as a symbol of the perseverance of the Bates faithful who always believed that the purple and gold would again fly over this ground.