Narragansett High School - Maritimes Yearbook (Narragansett, RI)

Page 11 text:

Without our building, there would be no Narragansett High. There would be no crying over grades, no skipping classes, no being sent to the office for not having a pass in the halls, and no trying to make the basketball team. There would be no sitting in class waiting for the period to end, and no running for the doors when the last bell rings. Therefore, it might be appropriate in our flagship yearbook to trace the development of our building - Narragansett High School.' Prior to August 8, 1972, few people would have even considered that Narragansett would have its own high school. Many thought the love affair with South Kingstown, in which Narragansett tuitioned her high school students to S. K. High, would go on forever. Few foresaw that Narragansett would become the fastest growing town in the state, with its population swelling by 107% from 1960 to 1970. The concept of a high school for Narragansett can be traced back to 1964. In that year, a study of Narragansett's school building needs recommended that Narragansett tuition her high school students to S. K. However, it indicated that by 1970-71, the town should either: 1) build her own junior-senior high, 2) regionalize with a neighboring town, or 3) continue to send students to S. K. The report marked the first time a high school had been suggested for Narragansett. By 1966, at both the Fifth Avenue School, and the Junior High, space was at a premium. Coining the phrase, mix mortar, or merge, Superintendent of Schools John W. O'Brien told the School Committee that they had but two choices: either build a high school for Narragansett, or merge with a neighboring town. At this time, regionalization became a real possibility. Talk circulated in South Kingstown and Narragansett as to a possible merger, and a referendum on the matter was held on May 7, 1968. South Kingstown voted to approve the merger, but Narragansett blocked the move by voting down the proposal. However, regionalization was far from a dead issue. By the end of 1968, the Superintendent had recommended that South Kingstown, Jamestown, and Narragansett form a tri-town planning board to study regionalization. In fact, Mr. O’Brien foresaw that such a district could be formed by 1971. In the meantime, Narragansett students would continue to attend S. K. High.

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That prophesy was not to be fulfilled, for in February of 1969, the South Kingstown School Committee abruptly announced a tuition rate hike of 20% for Narragansett students. They also said that beginning in the fall of 1972, South Kingstown would no longer accept Narragansett's high school students. In light of these events, building no longer seemed such a remote possibility. In 1971, another study of Narragansett's building needs was conducted, and this time the results were clear. The report flatly recommended the construction of a new junior-senior high with a capacity of 1100 pupils. This was due to high tuition and overcrowding in S.K., the fact that regionalization was now a dead issue, and that Narragansett's own schools were seriously overcrowded. - The Robinson, Greene, and Baretta Corp. was engaged to draw plans for the school, and a bond referendum was held on August 8, 1972. All was going well, until a major snag developed in the fall. The school was to have been situated on the Canochet Farms site bordering the present Elementary School property. However, while attempting to acquire the Canochet tract, condemnation procedures were not carried out correctly, and the owner of the land, Harold Arcaro, sued the town, attempting to keep his property. The battle was dragged into the courts. Meanwhile, school officials sat and worried whether the amount of money approved by the voters would be enough to build the complete school, whenever the legal aspects were resolved. In 1973, the town obtained a new site for the school, part of the Theakston deCoppet estate. Bids for the construction of the school could then be sought. The bids were opened in mid-1973. Amid much apprehension, school officials found the low bid to be well under anticipated figured, and awarded the contract to M. G. Allen. Ground was broken in the fall of 1973, and the project was completed after a construction period of 18 months. Narragansett High School opened its doors officially in September of 1975. The pages that follow portray that first year 1975-76: THE YEAR IN REVIEW.