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

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ace B The firsl' school house in Amarillo was lhe frame slruclure piclured above localed be- lween Eigh+h and Ninlh and Harrison and Van Buren Sfreeis. Whal' is now Elizabefh Nixon Junior High School was Amarillo's firsl high school building, .consirucled in I909-IO. The presenl building was finished in l922. These four lovely ladies are lhe I894 gradualing class, 'Phe firsl' for Amarillo schools. They are: Mary K. Brookes, sfanding leffg Eula Trigg. slanding righh Daisy D. Marlin lMrs. Tom Curriel, sealed leffg and Flora Mc- Gee, sealed righl. m,.A ,w.v.-ew... .,', r, mfm,mfrwwm

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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

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One of 'rhe major improvemenls in +he growing of Amarillo was 'lhe laying of +rolley fraclcs down Polk S'l'ree'l in lhe early l900's. This piciure, from The files of 'lhe Amarillo Daily News and Globe-Times, was 'laken beiween Second and Third S+ree+s. N THESE PAGES are scenes of lhe early I6 on e plains. Piciures of a ci'ry being buill' and schools 'filling lhe needs of lhese induslrious pioneers. As 'lhe populaiion increased, 'l'he needs 'For schools. 'leachers and equipmeni grew. The cilizens of Amarillo mel' This need wifh adequafe buildings and fhe begin- nings of a program fo meel' 'lhe infellecfual and culfural needs of iis youlh. The founding of 'l'he Reserve Officer Training Corps reflecled 'lhe 'Ifrend of educafion following World War I when educafion was no longer considered a luxury. The ROTC uni+ al Sandieland has always been a major ac+ivi+y and helped frain counfless young men for pre-service fundamenlals for World War ll. Page 9