BATON ROUGE - The Capitol High spirit was strong Saturday afternoon. Families gathered at a recruitment block party, dressed in their school colors bright red and gold to celebrate a new era at Capitol High. 

"For it to come back means everything, not only to me but to the community," McKinley High basketball coach Ella Reado said.

After 15 years, the school is once again public and under East Baton Rouge School District.

"Just to have this school, back apart of the EBR community is just going to be a great asset," Dionne Chaney with East Baton Rouge Schools said.

The generations of students that once went to Capitol High are now working for and giving back to the school. Keith Woods was a student and is now a head coach for the football team.

"I've been coming to Capitol High School since I was a kid in the 1970s. I know that's a long time, but it's always been apart of my family, part of tradition," Woods said.

While new students signed up, alumni reminisced around the grill.

"We just hope they trust and believe in Capitol and bring the kids back, and we can have a great program," he said.

For Coach Keith Woods, a good comeback needs strong support.

"We can't do it without the kids, the community and the families coming back," Woods said.

Saturday's block party pulled in more than 20 students. The goal for the 2023 school year is to have more than 600 students. 

Click here for the link to register for Capitol High School.