NATCHEZ — After a year of inactivity, over the weekend the halls of the former Robert Lewis Middle School were filled with the sounds of its impending rebirth.

Volunteers from the community, school district employees, parents of students and several local Greek organizations — Delta Sigma Theta, Sigma Gamma Rho, Omega Psi Phi, and Kappa Alpha Phi — made their way into the school to give some areas a facelift in anticipation of its new students.

The campus was originally North Natchez High School, but became and was Robert Lewis Middle School for more than two decades after a school district reorganization. RLMS was closed last year after the school district reverted to a model of neighborhood schools.

Now, however, it is set to reopen for sixth graders only as Robert Lewis Magnet School for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

But before that can happen, some areas — especially the bathrooms — need refurbishing, and that was the task the volunteers took on Saturday.

“We want to make this learning environment very child friendly,” Principal Zandra McDonald said. “It has been a year since this building has been used, so we want to make sure it is really nice for the children when they show up in August.”

McDonald said she was pleasantly surprised by the number of volunteers who showed up Saturday and who had committed to showing up Sunday.

One member of a paint crew, Monica King, said she showed up because she is a school district employee who enjoys giving back to the community.

“I am always eager to do community service and serve my school district, and so when I was given this opportunity to serve one of our sister schools, I was ready to come out,” she said.

For Sonya Mars, painting the school brought back memories of when she was a student at NNHS. And while she was glad to relive those happy days Saturday, she was working in part to help another family member make her own happy memories.

“My daughter will be starting here this fall,” Mars said. “She is very excited about it — I am, too.”

And for Steve Davis, Saturday’s volunteer effort was — as much as anything else — a chance to spend with friends.

“It’s a chance to give back, but this is also something for me to do, to show up and fellowship with fellow Omegas and Deltas, and help this school out,” he said. “We just want to do our part to make this community better.”