May 14, 2011
Totem unveiled in Port Neches
The Port Arthur News
AUSTIN — Celeste Cormier still tears up a bit when she hears her high school fight song, Cherokee.
The criminal justice instructor at Port Neches-Groves High School teared up a little on Friday as she witnessed the unveiling of a 19-foot totem pole.
“It’s like having a baby,” Cormier said of the emotional experience.
The totem pole, complete with Native American symbols, was a two-year project. The pole, located at the corner of FM 366 and Merriman, was commissioned by the criminal justice club and built with the help of the school’s welding, drafting and art departments, Cormier said.
Various student groups, faculty and staff were on hand for the unveiling snapping photos and taking video. The band treated the crowd to Cherokee as the crowd drew closer to the totem.
John Michael Brown, welding instructor at the school, greeted the eager crowd and explained how all of the school’s career and technology classes got together to crate and construct the totem.
Cormier said the already landscaped area will see more improvements in the years to come as the club works to bring the corner lot back to “its former glory.”