Sullivan High School - Sullivania Yearbook (Kingsport, TN)

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ADMINISTRATION J. C. AKARD, Superintendent HUGH W. BLESSING Sullivan County Schools Principal W. L. COX, Supervisor WALTER F. MOODY, Chairman Sullivan County Schools Sullivan County Board of Education

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HISTORY OF SULLIVAN HIGH SCHOOL ln 1931, the Horse Creek Academy opened its doors to one hundred thirty students, both high school and elementary, and five teachers. At the end of that school year, there were sixteen graduating Seniors. The next school year saw an increase of three in the graduating Senior class and one teacher was added to the faculty. Sullivan steadily grew, and in 1947 one thousand four hundred students, both elementary and high school, and twenty-four teachers attended classes at Sullivan. At that time, Sullivan was serving the area which is now served by Lynn View and Ketron. Mr. J. C. Akard was principal that year. There was no cafeteria and meals had to be served in the classrooms. The over-crowded conditions were so bad that cardboard partitions were erected in the halls and made to serve as classrooms. The school year of 1948-49 saw relief from the over-crowded conditions. Lynn View was ready for occupancy and a new cafeteria was ready for use at Sullivan. The next year the new Sullivan Elementary School was opened, but the Miller- Perry School burned and conditions once again became over-crowded. ln 1950, the eighth grade students were shifted to the elementary school, but the next year they were again in the high school building. During the summer of 1953, approximately S170,000.00 was spent remodeling Sullivan which was badly in need of repair. The library, study hall, home economic, science and band rooms were improved and modernized. The students were pleasantly surprised at the beginning of the fall term by the spaciousness and modern facilities of remodeled Sullivan. The modernized Sullivan had only a short life, however. On March 5, 1954, the front portion of the building went up in flames. Everything was destroyed except the two back wings and gymnasium. Some of the rooms that were destroyed were the typing, shorthand, office, auditorium, art, home economics and English. After only missing two days of school, emergency facilities were set up. Card- board partitions divided the cafeteria into classrooms and every available space in the unburned portion of the school was put to use. The Board of Education met with an architect and plans were drawn, bids were opened, and construction was started in August 1954. The contract cost for re- building Sullivan High was S390,000.00. This did not include equipment cost and architect fees which brought the total cost to S450,000.00. Sullivan High is now one of the most modern buildings in Sullivan County. Improvements over the old building are a combination gym-auditorium, a large study hall and library, and five additional classrooms. Today, students may make their choices of subiects from a varied curriculum. Some of the newer subiects are art, Bible, mechanical drawing, economics sociology, physics and music. Sullivan has advanced far in the twenty-five years it has existed. We now have 25 teachers and 678 high school and eighth grade students. Sullivan is a fine modern school with a well trained faculty and modern equip- ment. lt is a member of the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools with a rating of A-1. It has survived almost insurmountable obstacles such as the fire to become one of the best schools -in the county.

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MRS. CHRISTINE DUNCAN Peabody College, B.S. Biology, Science Freshman Sponsor MISS CONSTANCE DYKES Carson-Newman College, B.A. Spanish, English Sophomore MRS. MARY ERWIN University of Tennessee, M.S. Mathematics Freshman Sponsor MISS GWEN EVANS East Tennessee State Commercial Freshman Sponsor MISS CLIFFIE FELIX Western Kentucky State College, B.S. Social Studies Sophomore Sponsor MRS. MARJORIE FREEMAN East Tennessee State College, B.S. English Junior Sponsor College, B.S. FACULTY MRS. VIRGINIA ARCHER East Tennessee State Colleg English 8th Grade Sponsor MRS. LOLA BUSH Radford College, B.S. English Senior Sponsor MISS MARGARET DEAKINS East Tennessee State Colleg Fine Arts Senior Sponsor DR. H. J. DERTHICK Vocational Guidance eBS 6