Bringing Old GCHS Back to Life!

Bringing old GCHS back to life...here is the story...come back for more.

UPDATE: APRIL 8 2025 We are reaching out to thank everyone who has generously supported our current project. We have reached the $8000 mark with donations, online and off. While the gym is the focus of this current fundraising venture, we are also working on renovating the old auditorium! We do everything in small steps due to financial constraints...but, by golly, it is getting done!!

UPDATE: MARCH 31, 2025 The SeaBees will be here in less than a month and we have been working hard to get ready for them. Thank you to everyone who has given both online and offline. We have raised close to $6000 and have several folks who plan to provide a meal for the group. We are hearing from local families with loved ones currently serving with a Seabees unit and others who themselves served years ago. It is such an honor to hear their stories!

We could still use your help. In addition to providing food and lodging, we also purchase all the building materials and supplies the unit will need for their project. Thank you again to all who have seen this as a worthy cause!

Any donation is appreciated, and we understand some may feel uncomfortable donating online, so if you prefer to donate by cash or check, you can send your donation to the Town of Tracy City, P. O. Box 277, Tracy City, TN 37387, noting it is for the SeaBee project.

UPDATE: Hard to believe how far we have come! Our last push for this campaign was back in 2019 and we raised $20,000. We mentioned we were working on the first floor of the two-story classroom building. As of today, we have finished the first and second floors and have multiple services housed onsite.

We are pushing forward and reaching out again!

The gymnasium and auditorium have realized significant improvements since our last update. The gym has a new roof, windows, doors, lights and HVAC. We now have an opportunity to have a team of 14 active duty Navy SeaBees from Gulfport, Mississippi, on-site for 4 weeks starting mid-April to carry out further renovations. Their work is free...we just have to house and feed them breakfast and dinner. We have arranged for lodging and meals at Mountain TOP for $40 per person per night.

Any donation is appreciated, and we understand some may feel uncomfortable donating online, so if you prefer to donate by cash or check, you can send your donation to the Town of Tracy City, P. O. Box 277, Tracy City, TN 37387.

For over 75 years the old Grundy County High School has stood proudly on High School Hill reminding those who walked its halls that we too were built on a strong foundation! Though the county needed a larger school with more room to expand, the hearts and souls of those who graduated from the old GCHS long to see the school reopened and put to use. The Town of Tracy City has been working with local, state, and federal agencies to raise the money needed to renovate the school. The mission of this project is to transform the campus into community center, which we envision as a hub of community building resources, including physical and behavioral health, education, social support, and economic development.

****We understand some may feel uncomfortable donating online so if you prefer to donate by cash or check, you can send your donation to the Town of Tracy City, P. O. Box 277, Tracy City, TN 37387. Please reference The Old High School Project and include any information you would like us to know (and post on this page!), such as your year of graduation.****

As of 2025, we have moved into the two story classroom section of the old school. We now offer job training, mental health services, free medical services, help with basic needs, help with homebuying, after school tutoring for high school students, music classes for elementary and high school age students, and prevention programs.

The gymnasium and auditorium are next up for completion. We still need help with these two projects as we envision more opportunities to serve the families on the plateau. The gym will be used for all types of physical activity and also for gathering spaces in the cafeteria below. The auditorium will be used for live performances but we also plan to show movies again.

A big part of the overall project involves having the gymnasium available for use as well.

Though the gym is still in good shape, it is in need of renovation to be more energy efficient. When possible, the community has used it even without indoor plumbing or heating and air! The youth baseball teams use the facility in bad weather, and many of you may remember us doing Zumba in the gym just a couple of years ago.

We recently applied for a grant to enable year-round accessibility. Specifically, there will be work on the roof and windows, and the lighting and HVAC systems need to be upgraded for energy efficiency. These repairs and renovations will stabilize the entire building, which will make a later phase of work—converting the gym’s basement (formerly the school cafeteria) into a community meeting space—more cost effective. Once renovations are complete, exercise classes for all age groups and youth sports events/activites will be held in the facility. The gym will be open for use by other groups and individuals and be a site for community events.

At the end of July 2016, we received $121,125 grant from the Tennessee Local Parks and Recreation Fund (LPRF) toward the cost of these renovations.

As we continue to apply for other grants to meet our match requirement, we are asking for the community's help with this project. We all need a place to exercise and stay healthy!

Additionally, we want to reach out to everybody who attended the school or taught there and ask that you consider giving to this cause. We hope to have different classes challenge other classes. The Class of 1976 started to process with raising over $900 at their 40th reunion this fall. Let's meet that challenge!

Football teams of one era can challenge those of another. Bands under one director challenge those of other directors....and so on. It won't take long to realize our goal. We chose $60K for this campaign as there were at least 60 classes that graduated from the old campus. Groups that raise the most funds AND groups with the greatest number of donors will be honored with a "wall of fame" in the gymnasium!

And remember, if you would prefer to send a donation by mail, you can make a check out to The Town of Tracy City, P. O. Box 277, Tracy City, TN 37387. We will be able to show your donation on this campaign, so you can keep up with the challenges. Please include any information (e.g., class year) you would like to be posted with your contribution, including if you would like to remain anonymous.

Donations of ANY amount are much appreciated! We hope to have as many people support this project as possible. Please support the cause!