Amarillo High School - La Airosa Yearbook (Amarillo, TX)

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. el., ,r- nge 4 1 el a By Miss Gladys WalHs RACKLESS LANDS, swepf by free and ,L winds fhaf whirled across flaf sfrefches, were producfive, yesl, in fall, green grass. Now, fhe same area is producfive in fhe fulfillmenf for mind and spirif for fall, bronzed youfh, and for genfle, courageous youfh. Land, af low price, plus fanfasfic sfories of greaf profifs fo be made in ranching, broughf many families fo fhe vicinify of Amarillo from I885 fo l889. These land-hungry pioneers came from fhe Easf, from fhe Soufh, and from fhe Norfhl Yef fhey had one common inferesf. They wanfed free public schools for fheir children. No funds were available for school urposes. Thus, 'Furnishing fheir own funds was fhieir only' hope. Seeing lhe fask ahead, fhey wenf fo work: and in less 'rhan fhree years, fhey organized Poffer Counfy, locafed fhe school lands, levied a special school fax, paid 55.00 for a schoolhouse, and opened fhe firsf free public school in Amarillo. This 55.00 school building was no joke. There was no money for a building: and fhe Texas laws af fhaf fime, did nof permif fhe vofing of bonds for school buildings. Consequenfly, fhe school board purchased fhe fown's femporar courfhouse for fhe sum of 55.00 fo house fhe children. This weafher-boarded building was moved fo an area befween Harrison and Van Buren Sfreefs, and Eighfh and Ninfh Avenues. Affer being repaired, painfed, and furnished, if was ready for school use, Therefore, fhis 55.00 building, wifh S75.00 per monfh feacher, opened ifs doors fo fhe children of Amarillo in Sepfember, I889. ARLY YIELD of fhe educafional advenfure was Life in fhe new school was simple. Liffle affenfion was given fo scienfific lighfing and fo venfilafing fhe building. ln facf fhe warped boards and cracks fook care of fhe venfilafion, and fhe pof bellied sfove provided heaf in fhe win- fer. The school's drinking wafer came from a barrel fhaf was filled once or fwice a week. The only problem here came when a child leff fhe lid off fhe barrel and fhe fumble weeds had fo be fished ouf of if. The curriculum of fhe early school was defer- mined by fhe needs of fhe people. Each child used 'lhe books, his own, or hand-downs from his former home. These books were for fhe mosf parf McGuffey's READER, Ray's ARlTHMETlC, and Websfer's BLUE BACK SPELLER. Spelling was more or less fhe core of fhe curriculum. A head- mark meanf as much honor fo fhe pioneer child as fhe honor of playing firsf violin in foday's fine orchesfra means fo foday's child. Yes, 'lhey sfudied hard and fhe old-fimer will say la-do...and how we could spell. lf was fun fo spell such words as BOIS D'ARC and ASAFETIDA. Then, foo, fhey liked debafing. No, fhey didn'f debafe such subiecfs as Will fhe Rockef reach fhe moon, buf such profound subjecfs as Resolved: Thaf fhe horse is a more useful animal fhan fhe cow or Thaf fhe mind of a man is superior fo fhaf of a woman. Among fhe early school masfers were many colorful characfers. Such was fhe one who home- sfeaded while feaching. His pupils say fhaf he rarely ever gof fo school before fen o'clock in fhe morning. Anofher was a superinfendenf whose fame as a disciplinarian has persisfed fhrough fhe years. His riding quirf was respecfed by all. ln spife of fhe professor's quirl, playing hooky was nof uncom- mon. A favorife hooky spof was nof fhe Double Dip, buf fhe caffle pens along fhe Forf Worfh and Denver railroad fracks in fhe norfhwesf parf of fown. Wafching fhe caffle being puf fhrough lhe loading chufes was greaf sporf. EVERENTLY THE early generafions nur- fured fhe infellecfual process. The wind, fhe dusf, fhe droufhs, and fhe fumble weeds did nof prevenf fhe progress of educafion. By I898 fhe rains had sef in, and fhe school building was in fhe middle of a lake. To gef fhe school ouf of fhe mud and fo provide more room for fhe increasing enroll- menf was a pressing need. By I899 fhe 55.00 school building had received addifions on all sides. Even an old saloon building was sef along fhe back addifion, fo fhe soufh side, fo provide addifional room for fhe growing popu- lafion. Sfill fhere was no money for building a new school. Again pioneer resourcefulness and ingenuify solved fhis fough problem. Texas laws permiffed an incorporafed fown fo vofe bonds fo

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build a cily hall, buf nof 'lo vole bonds lo build a school building. A plan by which lhe lown, when incorporaled, would build a ci'ly hall and lhen lease if fo fhe school dislricl, was adopled. The fown was incorporafed, bonds were vofed and sold. Thus funds were provided for a new brick school building. The selecled building sife, 'lhe l300 block befween Polk and Tyler Sfreels, was opposed by many people. They 'lhough'l lhal lhe 'lown would never exlend lhal far soulh. I ARELY IS such rich fulfillmenl garnered from a vasl wasleland. A magnificenl building program was inilialed in I906. Because of 'lhe increase in populafion, which was lhe resull of many new induslries being localed in 'lhis vicinify, lhe expansion has been sleady. ln I906 a 525,000 school building was erec'led on Johnson Sfreef, fhe bes'l residenlial slreel. l909-I0 found a new High School building soulh of lhe Red Brick building. Al presenl if is lhe Elizabelh Nixon Junior High School. ln lhe year I922, 'lhe presen'l High School building was occupied. ln rapid succession, olher unils were added lo fhis original building. The High School Armory-Gymnasium, also, was ex- panded. I952 found high school classes localed in lhe Tyler Slreef unil of Nixon Junior High School. The curriculum of 'lhe Amarillo school syslem has changed wilh lhe limes. As has been slafed, 'lhe fhree R's largely defermined 'lhe curriculum of fhe pioneer school. Then as lhe needs of fhe communily grew, lhe .slriclly academic subiecls were offered. The influence of World War l is reflecled on lhe philosophy of lhe school: Educalion is no more 'lo be considered a luxury. Sludenls cannol afford lo spend lime sfudying lhe lore of lhe pas'l ages for ils own sake, or working malhemalical puzzles. The educalion of 'lhis new age musl be praclical. The l940's era, also, broughl revisions of 'lhe curriculum 'lo mee'l' 'lhe requiremenfs of 'lhe new social order lhal had developed during 'lhe depres- sion. School visifors find sludenls singing, painfing, reading, sfanding on lheir feel expressing an opinion, working difficull malhemafical problems, pursuing senlence slruclures, analyzing Shakespeare, making furnifure, sewing garmenfs, balancing menus, discussing world problems, and wriling news ifems. The progress lha'l has been made since l889 did nof come by chance. The members of fhe Board of Educalion in 'lhe pas'l and in lhe presenl, have planned well. The enfire communify of Amarillo has worked for belfer educalional oppor- funilies. I UST AS lhe influence of aclive parficipa- lion in school aclivilies vibrales, ever oulward, in enlarging circles, 'lhe conlinuing influence of menlal and spirilual lraining is reflecled. The salisfaclion of being a good communify ci'lizen is 'lhe achieve- menl of unnumbered, earlier occupanls of 'lhese classrooms. Former graduales reminesce of 'lheir cullural, polilical, and social parficipalion in na- lional groups, and in scienlific and liferary fields. Their conlribulions are many, running from science, engineering, lilerary produclion, and differenl media of enlerlainmenl. They pay homage lo lhe enlhusiasm of recenl individual accomplishmenls of sludenls. When school represen'la'lives have spoken before a Con- gressional group, before a nalional educalion group, sang before an inlernalional group, and lravelled across an inlernalional border lo en'ler- lain our neighbors, 'lheir good-will added fo 'lhe illuslrious refleclions of earlier graduales. Slale and nalional circles benefil from lhe knowledge and abilily of lhese sons and daughlers of former years. ROUDLY HAVE we accepfed fhe presence of 'lhe dislinguished inviled guesfs of 'lhe school. Sludenls have en'ler'lained and benefifed from 'lhe visi'ls of Governors, Congressmen, wrilers, oralors, and educalors. These have conlribuled lheir spe- cial kind of personalily lo our lore. Fascinaled, have s'luden'ls lisfened lo inlernalional figures, who have come fhis way 'lo observe 'lhis lypical Amer- ican way of learning. These planned fours lo observe fhis school have reflecfed 'lhe accomplish- menls of 'lhe Adminislrafion, of lhe facully, and of lhe Sludenls. EARS COME AND GO. The conlinuily of school experiences is exhileraling, is safisfying. Each lime you hear lhe opening sfrains of AHS, Oh, AHSl, each 'lime you see fhe unfurling of 'lhe gold and black colors, each lime you see a personal expression of lhe Honor Code, each 'lime you see 'lhe fall, quie'I' shadow of lhe man, whose devofed years of exemplifying each hollowed lradilion, in fhe sunlighl of lhese halls, you know lhal all lhis is your herilage! This is your saga of Sandieland! Vl:'here we are, ofhers have been: where we are, of ers will be! r' Page 7