the school, which opened shortly after the first public school in the city was burned down by ross inman in 1890, began in a two-room building on old pike road, a street that is now part of greenville avenue. a rural school with fewer than 100 students up to 1950, the school opened its present facility in 1961. during the period of the late 1950s, rhs shared facilities with westwood junior high school on abrams road. bill passmore was principal during this transition into the new facility on belt line road.