FERRIDAY, La. — Ferriday Junior High’s 300-plus students are proud of the school’s rebuilt main building — and it shows. They burst into cheers Wednesday afternoon at a ceremony held to dedicate the building, which was rebuilt after a June 1997 fire and was occupied again in August. As eighth-grader Stanley Anderson put it, it was &uot;a special day.&uot;

The hour-long event, held in the school’s gym, featured a variety of songs; speeches by school and district officials, who were given photos of the new building; and the unveiling of a plaque to be installed on the building’s south wall.

&uot;This building is a tribute to the dedication and commitment&uot; of many people, said Superintendent Lester &uot;Pete&uot; Peterman.

&uot;For administrators, faculty, staff and students, this school is our second home, and we dedicate ourselves to its proper use,&uot;&160;said Interim Principal Dorothy Parker.

Construction on the school began in 1952 and it was occupied two years later, first serving as Sevier High School.

When the building burned in 1997, &uot;a big chunk of history went up in smoke,&uot; said principal and former superintendent James Lee.

Four men — Marcus Leonard, Demarcus Mitchell and Dan Tyler Jr., all of Ferriday, and Henry Turner Jr., of Alexandria, La. — were sentenced to jail terms on arson charges for burning the facility.

Since the school burned, junior high classes had been held in the school’s annex and part of Ferriday Upper Elementary. Rebuilding took several months and $1.58 million, paid by the district’s insurance.