Officials with Men2Be, a youth non-profit in Hopkinsville, have sent out an all-call to the public, as they look for assistance to help secure Attucks High School.
As owners of the famed hall of learning and athletics, leaders have noted they are “dedicated” to transforming it into a community center capable of serving everyone. They have noted it is a “big project,” but the first step is safety.
This includes the costly procurement of 48 oriented strand boards and wood screws, in order to fully enclose the facility from the elements.
In return for a $15 donation, Men2Be associates will emblazon the donor’s name on one of these window boards.
There are several ways in which individuals can contribute. One can send assistance via CashApp through $Men2Be, or by Zelle at men2beinc20@gmail.com.
A goal of $700 has nearly been reached, but donors can also search “Men2Be” and “Attucks” on GoFundMe and offer a financial hand there.
Behind the former Attucks mascot, the theme “The Wolfpack Lives” only continues to gain traction. This past February, Men2Be leadership in co-founder Derrick Lewis and mentor Vice Killebrew announced those beginning expectations for the building, noting then they were undecided what to do with the property once it is finished.
Now, Attucks — and its future visitors — have a vision.
The Wolfpack were no more in 1967, when Attucks closed, forcing its proud attendees to choose either Hopkinsville or Christian County.
Built in 1916 at First and Vine streets, it served as Hopkinsville’s first four-year high school for African Americans. Its early principals were L. A. Posey, J. W. Bell, P. Moore, and B. E. Perkins, and in those first days it was part of a county school system that contracted with the city school board.
By 1939, just before the onset of World War II, Attucks High School had more than 220 students and 11 teachers, and that year had a graduating class of 35.
Since its shuttering, the property has fallen into considerable disrepair.
According to a Kentucky New Era report from Melissa Mollohan in April 2009, more than 240 cubic yards of debris was moved from the building as part the “2009 Day of Service.” Marshall Gray, then the president of the Crispus Attucks Association, told Mollohan that a portion of the building was going to become a community center, and the 1957-built gymnasium was going to be designed and remodeled for senior apartments.
Between 1999 and 2009, Mollohan also reported that nearly $1.3 million in state and federal grant money had been used for improvements at the building, including asbestos removal, a new roof, a new heating and cooling system, as well as repairs to window and doors. At that time, organizers believed it would cost an additional $4 million to complete renovations there — costs that certainly have increased in the last 15 years.
Men2Be, meanwhile, is but three years old, and now serves almost 60 young boys and men of Christian County through its home at Challenge House 2 in Hopkinsville.
