April Fool’s Day might not seem like the best time to break ground on a multi-million-dollar school project—especially if you live in Frayser, where the punchlines don’t always land in your favor.
But no fools and no joke: Frayser is officially about to get a sparkling new high school.
With golden shovels and heartfelt speeches, city and county leaders joined students and community advocates Monday to celebrate the start of construction on a brand-new Frayser High School. Commissioner Charlie Caswell quipped: “If we waited one more day, there might’ve been a resolution to put the money somewhere else.”
Prayers answered: Spirit of Apostle Floyd felt
Just across the street from the construction site once stood the Pursuit of God Church, led by the late Apostle Ricky D. Floyd — a man who turned prayer into action in the heart of Frayser. Less than a week after his homegoing service, his family stood before the crowd Monday and his wife reminded them just how deeply her husband believed this moment would come.
“He walked up and down this street carrying a cross on his back, praying for not only this community, but that there would be a new school,” said Pastor Sheila Floyd. “As we stand here before you today, our hearts are full.”
She recalled how Apostle Floyd would bring boys from The Husband Institute, a Pursuit of God mentor program into the aging school building, comparing it to those in more affluent areas of the city — not to shame them, but to stir something greater.
“He would cry because he would look at the conditions of the school. Then he would take them to schools in different communities and show them the difference. He told them, ‘If you want better, you’ve got to believe for better, pray for better — and you’re going to have to work harder.’”
Floyd’s vision was never just about buildings — it was about dignity, equity, and opportunity for young people who had long been underserved. It was about setting an example, being a beacon.
“There were times we would come into the Frayser school and just walk back and forth,” Pastor Sheila Floyd said. “Just to show the young people just what love looked like, what a happy marriage looked like, and what hope could look like.”
“Zigged and zagged”: A decade in the making
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris didn’t downplay the long road to get to this groundbreaking. “Seriously, this project to build a new school has been zigging and zagging all over the place,” he said. “Sometimes it looked like we were gonna lose the battle to the most ferocious adversary to progress — the status quo.”
Harris noted that the county school system has never built a high school in its 12-year history and called this moment a clear stand against the chronic disinvestment seen in Memphis’ urban core. “Some of our best high schools are crumbling,” he said, naming Whitehaven, White Station, and Snowden among those in dire need of repair.
As part of his remarks, Harris recounted his own experience trying to start a vocational-technical program at MLK College Prep. “We had to run our welding program in the library,” he said. “That’s why this is so important. This isn’t just about Frayser. This is about the future of public education across Memphis.”
A neighborhood’s investment in itself
The afternoon’s most moving moments came from those who grew up in Frayser, like Interim Superintendent Dr. Roderick Richmond — a graduate of Trezevant High School — and Sebastian Morris, lead civil engineer on the project and a product of nearby Greenbriar Apartments.
“This project is a beacon,” Morris said. “I couldn’t be the person I am today without the relationships I built in this community. Frayser raised me. And I’ve been made well.”
Richmond called the new school “a bold statement” and “a turning point for this incredible community.”
“This isn’t just about a building,” he said. “It’s about building momentum … about building opportunities. And most of all, we’re building on greatness already growing right here.”
Student-led, future-focused
The program opened and closed with students — fitting for a school that leaders say is being designed with student experience at the center.
Genesis Freeman of Westside Middle School welcomed the crowd, calling the school a “catalyst” for equity in education and economic development. Cameron Hardwell and Andrew Shale of Woodstock Middle promised “cool classrooms, awesome academics, and modern sports facilities,” with a message: “Greatness grows here.”
Principal Vincent Hunter of Trezevant High School — slated to lead the new Frayser Community High School — led the crowd in a rhythmic call-and-response, summing up the day’s spirit in a refrain: “Why? Because Frayser matters. What? Because greatness is growing right here.”
A community won’t be denied
Memphis Mayor Paul Young reminded the crowd that while the city government doesn’t directly fund education, none of the city’s goals — economic, safety, opportunity — can be met without investing in schools.
City Councilwoman Dr. Michalyn Easter-Thomas said the groundbreaking was about more than infrastructure. “We are laying a foundation,” she said. “A foundation for dreams, for opportunity, and for the future of our very capable and inspiring young people in Frayser.”
And School Board Member Stephanie Love, who has championed the school through years of pushback and delay, said this was personal. “Every obstacle, every stroke I survived—this day makes it worth it,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion. “Frayser deserves this school. We did it all for the kids.”
As the crowd prepared to leave the site, students reminded everyone why they came. “This school is proof that Frayser matters,” one said. “And our future is worth building.”
