Draft:North Wilkesboro City Schools

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  • Comment: Requires significant coverage (not a mention in passing, as per Mount Airy news article) in multiple reliable secondary sources. Is almost entirely dependent upon one publication - Lest We Forget: Education In Wilkes 1778 - 1978. Wilkes County. Dan arndt (talk) 02:45, 2 April 2024 (UTC)


North Wilkesboro City Schools
300 D Street
North Wilkesboro
, Wilkes County, North Carolina, 28659
District information
GradesK-12
EstablishedJanuary 1893
ClosedJuly 1, 1975

North Wilkesboro City Schools was a school district in North Wilkesboro, Wilkes County in North Carolina. On July 1st, 1975, the school district merged with Wilkes County Schools after facing financial issues.[1]

History[edit]

Despite the Board Minutes being destroyed in the Great Flood of 1916, there is some information about the beginning years of the school district.[2]

Founding[edit]

Due to a petition signed by many citizens of North Wilkesboro in October 1892, Wilkes County Board of Education ordered a new school district to be formed within the limits of North Wilkesboro in January 1893. They appointed L. Harris, E.S. Blair, and B. Church as committeemen.[2]

Schools[edit]

First School[edit]

The first school in the school district was located on D Street and 3rd Street and was built in 1892. The Winston Land and Improvement Company wanted to sell it to North Wilkesboro, but they refused to buy it. Due to disagreements about the school, the school had to move to a new location. Town commissioners and the County Board of Education paid rent to the Winston Land and Improvement Company for a school building for some years, and temporary buildings were used at varying times.

The school was described to be one to three rooms in size originally. An additional back part was added later on. The rooms had sliding partitions, making it possible to have a small auditorium when needed.[2]

First Charter School[edit]

In 1905, North Wilkesboro City Schools was chartered by the legislature of North Carolina under the name of "NORTH WILKESBORO GRADED SCHOOL". The special charter stated that all the land within the corporate limits of the city must be a school district for white and colored students. The charter was the only North Carolina with religious provisions, stating that six citizens must be elected as school trustees, with no more than two members being of the same faith. Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians all had two members each on the board.[3]

Digitally colorized oil painting by Tracy Adams depicting the modern-day Benton Hall as it appeared in the 1930's[2]

Third School[edit]

In 1913, the construction of an ultramodern brick school on the corners of D Street and 3rd Street started. The building had eleven large classrooms, one smaller classroom for Seniors, an office, an auditorium with seating of almost 500, a full basement, a long, wide hall where banquets and receptions were held, and it was equipped with steam heating. While the school was under contruction, school was held in various temporary locations, like the local Exibit Hall, Opera House, and a Baptist church.[3][4]

After North Wilkesboro High School and Wilkesboro High School consolodated into Wilkes Central High School in 1952, the building was renamed to North Wilkesboro Elementary School.[5] The old school is now known as the Benton Hall, and is now home to the Wilkes Playmakers.[6][7]

First Separate Secondary School[edit]

Up until 1924, the same building was being used for primary and grammar grades, along with high school. The classes were getting so overcrowded that some grades had to have double sessions. A comittee appeared before the the Board offering support and urging the need for a new building. This resulted in the construction of a new school building on E Street, directly north of the D Street building, for grades 6-11.[4] The building has since been destroyed.[7]

Superintendents[edit]

Listed below were the superintendents of North Wilkesboro City Schools from 1906 to 1975:[8]

Superintendents of North Wilkesboro City Schools
Superintendent Name Years
K.M. Allen 1906? - 1907
S.G. Coltrane 1907 - 1911
Emmett C. Willis 1911 - 1915
W. Grady Gaston 1915 - 1918
Joseph H. Hurst 1919 - 1922
Horace Sisk[9] 1922-1931
William D. Halfacre 1931 - 1938
Paul S. Cragan 1938 - 1947
John Floyd Woodward 1947 - 1969
William F. Davis 1969 - 1970
Grier A. Bradshaw[10] 1970 - 1971
John Powell Deason, Jr. 1971 - 1975

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The Mount Airy News - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  2. ^ a b c d Retired School Personnel, Wilkes County (1979). "Public Education in North Wilkesboro". Lest We Forget: Education In Wilkes 1778 - 1978. Wilkes County: Hunter Publishing Co. p. 173.
  3. ^ a b Retired School Personnel, Wilkes County (1979). "Public Education in North Wilkesboro". Lest We Forget; Education In Wilkes 1778 - 1978. Wilkes County: Hunter Publishing Co. p. 174.
  4. ^ a b Retired School Personnel, Wilkes County (1979). "Public Education In North Wilkesboro". Lest We Forget: Education In Wilkes 1778 - 1978. Wilkes County: Hunter Publishing Co. p. 175.
  5. ^ Retired School Personnel, Wilkes County (1979). "Public Education In North Wilkesboro". Lest We Forget: Education In Wilkes 1778 - 1978. Wilkes County: Hunter Publishing Co. p. 176.
  6. ^ HAYES, FRANCES (2013-05-15). "North Wilkesboro School's many lives". journalpatriot. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  7. ^ a b "History & Mission". Wilkes Playmakers. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  8. ^ Retired School Personnel, Wilkes County (1979). "Public Education In North Wilkesboro". Lest We Forget: Education In Wilkes 1778 - 1978. Wilkes County: Hunter Publishing Co. pp. 178–184.
  9. ^ "Horace Sisk Family Scholarship - Fayetteville Technical Community College". faytechcc.academicworks.com. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  10. ^ "Bradshaw, Grier A." The Independent Tribune. 2018-08-19. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
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