COVINGTON, Ga. — Eastside has entered a new chapter in the school’s history. In the 2022-23 school year, the Eagles completed their first year in a new building and new campus. 

A lot of things have transitioned from the old school to the new school, too. For instance, principal Jeff Cher has carried over the same mantra. 

“At the conclusion of my morning announcements, I tell our students to make the most of each opportunity to learn, grow, develop and reach their fullest potential,” Cher said. “It's not just saying it, but meaning it and living it so that our students understand everyday has value that the time that we're giving this lesson.”

Eastside High was established as a transitional school in 1994 due to the rise of population in Newton County. Then Eastside transitioned to a traditional high school in the 1997-1998 school year. Now the Eastside High community just finished their first full school year at their newly renovated school.

Despite being in the new building, the culture of Eastside has remained the same from the old building, according to Cher. And the Class of 2023 set the standard of what Eastside’s culture is supposed to be. 

“So the intentionality with bringing the old culture from the old building to the new one is very sincere,” Cher said. “We are thankful for the class of 2023 for leaving a positive mark on this school by embracing the new building and being enthusiastic about the new opportunities.” 

Eastside athletic department has made major accomplishments throughout the 2022-2023 academic school year, but on the academic side the students have also made history as well. 

Jada Payne, a junior this past year at Eastside, was a state winner in the Georgia Authors competition for 11th graders in the entire state. Payne's first place victory is the first in the school’s history.  Meanwhile the academic team at Eastside finished in third place in state competition.

Seeing those accomplishment’s makes Cher happy. 

“The heartbeat of the school is finding a place for every student to feel involved and feel special,” Cher said. “This building really has enhanced from just the size of it and the physical nature of it.” 

The Newton County School District has been venturing in making sure that every teacher in the district creates a professional learning environment for the faculty, staff and students. Cher as a principal has three main areas of focus when creating a professional learning community — student learning, collaboration with collective responsibility and results. 

All three components play a part in accomplishing the ultimate goal Eastside High sets forth each school year. 

“Our staff really does collaborate and not isolate themselves, but collaborate and take responsibility for the results of the school,” Cher said. “And they focus on those results, whether it's graduation rate, SATs scores, Advanced Placement exams, different awards for CTAE organizations, athletic awards and Fine Arts awards.” 

But, no matter what building or campus Eastside High finds itself on, the goal is the same: help students reach their full potential. 

And, according to Cher, Eastside has special people to help accomplish that year in and year out. 

“I’ve been very blessed to have had people at Eastside High School who have really established a foundation and a culture of placing the value on individuals,” Cher said. “We’ve worked hard to continue and sustain that. That has allowed us to have some tradition and some legacy. Each year, we’re not having to reinvent ourselves, but we’re able to show pictures of students who have graduated and overcome great challenges and provide that as the model display for our current students to pursue their ambitions.”