Keenan High School - Keenanscope Yearbook (Columbia, SC)

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cmmm Student Body Vice-President, Anthony Jones says a good ctieer over the P.A. system.

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KEENAN HIGH In 1960, there was a small forest where W.J. Keenan High School now stands. Rumor has it that two youngsters accidentally set fire to the forest, clearing a very large area of land. Someone suggested building a school on this newly cleared land, and W.J. Keenan Junior High School was thereby conceived. Its doors were opened in 1963, joining Cray ton Junior High School as a feeder school to A.C. Flora High School. At the time, W.J. Keenan was the most modern school building in South Caroli- na. It consisted of the office area, health room and the mechanical drawing room. It has the distinction of being the first air-conditioned school in South Carolina! In 1969, the gymnasium, shop, and 300 building classrooms were added. Also, this was the last year Keenan was to remain a junior high school. The 1970-71 school year saw Keenan become the area ' s ninth high school and the first completely integrated school. Keenan High received students from A.C. Flora and C.A. Johnson High Schools through the enactment of the new zoning boundaries brought about by the desegregation of Richland County School District One. Keenan was built to educate about 900 pupils, but it opened as a high school in 1970 with grades nine, ten, and eleven, comprising a student body of 1200 students! Every teacher was overloaded, and space became a real problem. Ten portable classrooms were brought in, and classes were held in the gym until spare rooms could be found. A comprehensive high school was established in the fall of 1971 with grades of nine, ten, eleven, and twelve. Keenan ended this first year with an enrollment of approximately 1450 students. Other additions were completed in the spring of 1973. Added were the athletic complex, band department, teacher ' s cafeteria and lounge, 500 building class- rooms and media center, business education and graphic-communications wing. The old library became what is now the main office and guidance complex with the student affairs moving into the old office area. Since Keenan was now a high school, a new mascot was chosen — Raider. Blue and Gold were selected as the school ' s colors. Improvements of Physical facilities continued. A new, fully lighted student park- ing lot, bus parking lot, three athletic fields, baseball diamond, three tennis courts, and outside basketball courts were completed in 1973. W.J. Keenan received membership in the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges and was reevaluated by this association in the spring of 1978, again receiving full privileges and scholastic recognition. Keenan is also a member of the South Carolina High School League ' s AAA Athletic Conference. 10