Apex High School returning to true colors with return of green color

A new school year means a brand new building for students at Apex High School.

It also means re-examining the school's past and its traditions.

The gym floor gleams like glass and the logo looms large underfoot: "A" for Apex. Home court has a green streak now, just as it had back when the community's color line blurred.

"Once our whole community became aware of how the green was important to everyone, we had to get it back," said Apex High athletic director Scott Ferguson.

For decades, gold and green were the official colors of team Apex. Green came in the early 70s when it was game over for segregation.

"And the green was the color they agreed upon to be the unifying color of both schools when we merged," Ferguson said.

Apex Consolidated School -- the all-black campus -- merged with the whites-only Apex High. Each school had its own team colors: Blue and gold for Apex Consolidated, black and gold for Apex High. Now as one, the students kept the gold, but scrubbed the black and blue for green.

Still, a blurring color line was not without some sharp edges.

"There were some there that wanted to hold onto the belief that we shouldn't be there," Ferguson said. "And there were those happy for us to be there."

Randy Harrington attended Apex Consolidated for ten years before graduating from Apex High in 1973.

"I'll be honest with you, I had sort of a chip on my shoulder," Harrington said. "Going back to the 60s and 70s, there was discrimination. I wanted to prove that I was just as good or better."

The green began to fade. The athletic director then proposed bringing black back as a trim color. Before long, all the teams went back to black. With the new building comes the turning of a new leaf.

The school recently started a hall of fame, and alumni wondered: Where had all the green gone? Now, the iconic "A" logo is trimmed in green. Now, every new sports uniform will sport some green.

"A lot of kids never knew that there was an Apex Consolidated School," Harrington said.

But Apex history is painted on the walls. All are featured in a 14-panel mural in the cafeteria, designed by local artist Jane Wolfgang and Shawnda Rossi's art students.

"There are some amazing pieces of history that will be here forever," Rossi said.

"It's the right time to get our whole history included as we reset back here at our school," Ferguson said.

Apex High School will be open to the community Sept. 8 to dedicate the mural. You can see it between 2 and 5 p.m.