Sterling High School Students
Artist: Mariah Kirby-Smith

On the corner of Main Street and Washington Street stand two students proudly descending the steps of Sterling High School. The school, destroyed in a fire in 1967, was Greenville’s first black public high school and graduated numerous outstanding leaders.

The bronze artwork is placed in front of the former Woolworth building where Sterling students held sit-ins and protests during the civil rights movement. Sculptor Maria Kirby-Smith stated that the depiction shows that despite hard times, the faculty, staff and students triumphed.