Main Avenue High School - El Sombrero Yearbook (San Antonio, TX)

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 2 Seven

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 Our School and Its Traditions 011E history of your school is a prelude to the history of you! All the advantages that you have cherished at high sehool, all the education that has come within your dominion, even unto the very simplest habits of man, have been the results of a coral growth of decades. Hundreds of teachers and ■ thousands of students have come and passed, each one leaving a creditable addition to the betterment of our institution. You come in and enjoy the whole; take your portion and leave your portion, and in turn pass on. Let us view some of the conditions under which those who have formed this heritage have worked. Both persons and things are responsible for these riches which arc now a part of you. If you in these days are interesting, surely they in their time were interesting. The first High School of this city was constructed on the present site of the new Main building of the Main Avenue High Sehool. It was the beautiful structure, consisting of three spacious floors and about twenty-four rooms. Previous to that date, the high school grades were operated in conjunction with what was known as the Central School. The classes were taught in a building near the former St. Mary’s Hail. It was soon apparent, however, that it would be to the advantage of the pupils to separate the higher from the lower grades, and so the higher were moved away to the old Fireman’s Hall, which then stood on Avenue 0, for years the home of the old Hook and Ladder and No. 2 Engine companies. The pupils soon outgrew these quarters, so the classes were moved to the old Temple Beth-el at .Jefferson and Travis streets. When the cry was again raised for more room, the classes, some of which had been taught under the mesquite brush out-of-doors, were moved to the old Government barrack building, which at the time stood in the rear of the Mahncke Hotel, the present site of the Gunter. When at last the High school students were moved into their first real home, there were just enough of them to occupy the third floor; so even though the “own your own home” eompaign was in full swing, the high school had to take boarders from the grades to fill up the other two floors. It wasn’t long; however, before the “roomers” were put out and Main High could be called “Main High.” Nine