WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — It's been 10 years since Veterans High School opened its doors in Houston County, and some teachers who have been there since the beginning said a lot has changed.
Johnathan Simmons started at Veterans as a junior in 2010 with the first graduating class.
"I remember when we had pep rallies, one-half of the gym fit us all," he said.
He said now, the students fill it up.
Simmons couldn't stay away. He's back at the school teaching 10th grade World Literature.
"Being a military kid, I moved around a lot, and I think this place really kind of felt like home to me," said Simmons.
Steve Atkins, the Air Force JROTC instructor has been at the school since the doors opened.
He said he remembers the halls being almost empty.
"It used to be a ghost town and now it's packed to the gills," Atkins said.
They started out with about 850 students and they've now grown to over 1,700.
Class size isn't the only thing that has grown.
"The school spirit has really, really come a long way," said Atkins.
Veterans High math teacher Dana Morris agrees. She said since most of the students came from other Houston County schools, it took a while to embrace their new mascot.
"We have grown from being 'Bears' and 'Panthers' and so on, into 'Warhawks,' and so in the last 10 years, now we're all red, white, and blue through and through," she said.
Morris has also been at the school since day one.
"I thought, 'Man, I really want to get in on the ground level and see this thing grow,'" Morris said.
Both Simmons and Morris said Perry High School is their biggest rival after having to share a football field with them when they first opened.
Atkins disagrees.
He said it has to be Warner Robins High, where he used to teach.
He said he still jokes with his buddies over there that he's wearing his Warner Robins jersey under his Veterans one at the football games.
Simmons said his time as a student at Veterans is something he will never forget.
"We really kind of founded, I guess, a place where kids are proud to go to Veterans High School," he said.
He hopes the next generation of Warhawks feel the same.
STAY ALERT | Download our FREE app now to receive breaking news and weather alerts. You can find the app on the Apple Store and Google Play.
STAY UPDATED | Click here to subscribe to our Midday Minute newsletter and receive the latest headlines and information in your inbox every day.
Have a news tip? Email news@13wmaz.com, or visit our Facebook page.