Southwest High School - Roundup Yearbook (St Louis, MO)

Page 11 text:

Jihifofy of .gjoufltwedf Jqhgl, ,Sllmof G'Erected A. D. 1936,,' it says, but there its eloquence ends. The cornerstone of Southwest High School fails to mention the heritage of the past thirty yearsg it is mute testimony to a dream fulfilled. The story of our school began in 1922 when the Board of Education purchased a tract of land at the southwest corner of Arsenal Street and Kingshighway to be used for an educational building to serve the southwestern portion of the city. The unstable and depressive economic conditions of the ensuing years prevented the development of such a complex until 19341. ln that year, the Commissioner of School Buildings submitted a proposal recommending the construction of a high school on the site purchased in 1922. The Board of Education approved the sug- gestion and applied for a Federal grant to assist in the project. This request was granted by the government and the necessary money was provided. Seven

Page 10 text:

ix SOUTHWEST HIGH SCHOOL S125 B, KINGSHIGHWAY BLVD. sr. LOUIS se, MISSOURI OFFICE OF THE PRINCIPAL TO STUDENTS, PARENTS AND ALUMNI OF SOUTHWEST HIGH SCHOOL: As I reflect upon the history of Southwest High School over a period of thirty years, I am even more convinced now than I was in 1937 that we have all of the ingredients that make a great public high school: a talented student body, a well trained and dedicated faculty, excellent facilities in which to operate and a cooperative and appreciative community. The change most easily apparent is our physical growth from a small building housing 1300 students to our present plant in which we have 2500. Throughout the years we have experienced additions and moderni- zations of our curriculum in order to adjust our offerings to a rapidly changing society. There have come also such developments as the track- ing of pupils, racial integration and data processing as we have sought to make our school more efficient and more democratic. Those pioneers who blazed the trail in the early days chose the name Southwest for their school, green and gold as their school colors, uEnter to learn, go forth to serven, as the school motto. I feel that the pursuit of excellence in all phases of our school life - scholastic, athletic, artistic, musical and literary - has remained a distinctive feature of this school. This excellence continues to be a source of pride to our more than l0,000 alumni. The designation Thirty to the newspaper man means the end. In the life of a school however, as in the life of an individual, age Thirty should mark the beginning of the most productive period. May those who carry on during the next thirty years maintain and improve the caliber of Southwest High School. Kewm ROBERT M. YOUNG Principal

Page 12 text:

Ground was broken for the new building on Monday, December 3, 1936. Con- struction proceeded on schedule and on September T, 1937, Southwest High School w as opened with an enrollment of twelve hundred students. The staff included two administrators, thirty-five teachers, and a librarian, who chose the name Southwest for their school and green and gold for its colors. The first addition to the original building was built in 1957, increasing the capacity of the school to 1T0O pupils. This potential was quickly reached and the second addition was added in 19641. It contains ten classrooms, two gymnasia, two industrial art shops, two mechanical drawing rooms, an instrumental music room, a library, a rifle range, and additional office space. Today, Southwest High School has an enrollment of approximately 2500 with a greatly increased staff and faculty. And, although it has changed in many ways, two characteristics have remained constant: high scholastic achievement and immense enthusiasm. Eight