CENTERTON — Principal Jonathon Guthrie stressed two key words during his first address to the students of Bentonville West High School: involvement and engagement.
Monday marked the first day of school for most students in Northwest Arkansas. It also marked the first day ever at West High School.
Guthrie welcomed about 1,200 students during an assembly in the main gymnasium to kick off what he called an "historic" day.
"You guys from now on will always be able to say, 'I was there at the first day at BWHS,'" Guthrie told students. He urged them to consider what legacy they would leave behind at the school.
Students were set loose on a scavenger hunt to find where their classes met and certain other key parts of the 430,000 square-foot building, including the media center and the performing arts center.
When that was finished, students gathered again in the gymnasium, where Guthrie urged them to get involved in some kind of extracurricular activity.
Nathan Bunch, a junior, joined Guthrie at mid-court, where he correctly answered a set of five questions about the school. Each student received a free West High School T-shirt as a result of Bunch's success.
West High School is the Bentonville School District's second high school. Voters approved a millage increase in September 2013 to pay for it. The school cost about $80 million to build and furnish, Guthrie said.