When did Greenbrier East High School become an educational landmark? 1968 is when the school was founded, not by a specific person, but by consolidating the separate high schools like White Sulphur Springs, Lewisburg, and Alderson, as a community effort to build higher education for grades 9-12. According to The Greenbrier History Group hosted on Facebook, the high school was named after the Greenbrier Valley and the county’s two major rivers: the New River and the Greenbrier River.

The first class to graduate was the class of ’69 with between 348 and 350 students, according to RootsWeb.com. The “Spartan” mascot is due to the blend of historical interest and the embodiment of strength and unity, shared by gehs.greenbriereasthighschool.org. 

Our school grounds have changed since 1968. For example, the school’s original buildings were separate and accessed via outdoor walkways, according to former GEHS student and current English teacher Mindy Smith.

“The first thing I remember of Greenbrier East High School was right after my interview,” Spanish teacher Scott Vogelsong said. “The first thing they directed me towards was the sports facilities.”

In recent years East has built a new field house, and its football field and track have been upgraded. A new soccer field and facilities were also added, perhaps leading to the boys soccer team securing its first AAA state title in 2022.

“Something else that has changed since I came here in the year 2000,” Vogelsong said, “is how things are so instant, like the [online] grading system.”

Math teacher William Ward shared his thoughts on East.

“My first memory of Greenbrier East High School is how welcoming not only the staff was,” Ward said. “but the students as well.”

For Ward, the biggest change is how the students behave now. “They are still kind, but the way their attitudes have changed is very different compared to when I first came. I think this is due to the new technology and the new trends that have occurred the past few years.”