The ’20s were a time of tremendous change, both in Highland Park ISD and across the country. Middle-class Americans were buying Ford Model T cars, which soon lined the street in front of the high school. Thanks to the passage of the 19th Amendment, women voted for the first time in 1920.

PTA begins its tradition of running campus cafeterias

Superintendent H.E. Gable, the PTA, and the School Board met to identify the future needs of the district. In pointing out the larger needs of the school to the PTA, Gable listed a bigger lunchroom, a library, refrigeration of the drinking water and adequate physical training facilities. The School Board offered to equip a lunchroom if the PTA would manage and finance it. With earnings from rummage sales, candy sales, and entertainment, the PTA raised the funds to put a lunchroom into operation at Armstrong School in January 1921. The lunchroom was installed in the west end of the basement that formerly held the boy's play area.

Thus, Armstrong PTA began the long-running tradition of PTAs running the cafeterias on every HPISD campus. To this day, parents, grandparents and other volunteers enjoy serving meals and visiting with one another, faculty members and, of course, the students who sometimes can’t resist grabbing a quick hug before returning to class.

Early photograph of the intersection of Hillcrest Ave. and University Blvd.

 A decade of tremendous growth

The Town of Highland Park continued to boom, along with SMU. The City of University Park grew up around the university, incorporating in 1924. As word spread about the special community known as the Park Cities, HPISD grew by an average of 200 new students each year. This created a building boom, with three new campuses opening during this phenomenal decade: Highland Park High School in 1922, Bradfield Elementary in 1926 and University Park Elementary in 1928.

Before 1922, most Highland Park students who were of high school age had to ride the trolley down Cole Avenue to Dallas to attend Bryan Street High School, which no longer exists. Some attended the Morgan School, the Powell Training School on Binkley Avenue (which later became the site of Park Cities Kindergarten), Hockaday School for Girls (which was later the site of the Dallas YWCA Residence on Haskell), Ursuline Academy, St. Mary’s Episcopal School for Girls (later part of St. Matthew’s Cathedral on Ross), or the Terrill School for Boys on Swiss Avenue in order to complete their high school education.

The 1930s were a difficult time for most Americans, as the Great Depression ravaged the country. Community members in the Park Cities also suffered hardship, but they continued to prove their commitment to education. Despite financial limitations, the district and the community worked to improve facilities to help handle the influx of students.

Reconfiguration of grade levels

Before the new high school opened, HPISD students in grades 1-7 attended elementary school, and students in grades 8-11 attended the high school. When the new high school was built on Emerson Avenue in 1937, the campus on Normandy Avenue became a junior high school. Twelfth grade was added, and the system changed: grades 1-6 attended elementary school, grades 7-9 attended junior high school, and grades 10-12 attended high school.

World War II began in late 1939 and lasted until 1945. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, more than 16 million Americans fought in the war, some of whom were HPISD fathers and alumni.

“I vividly remember my father driving off to leave for war,” 1952 graduate Julie Ann O’Connell said. “It was scary not knowing if your daddy was going to come home again.”

Scots help on the home front

The war also had a direct effect on HPISD in the form of a steel shortage. Hyer Elementary School was originally scheduled to open in 1941, but the shortage pushed back the debut until 1949.

HPISD's second superintendent

Before joining HPISD, Dr. William Buell Irvin served as superintendent of public schools in Lubbock and Pampa, Texas. Irvin was one of eight men originally invited by the War Department to help set up the off-duty literacy program for the U.S. Army. He served as assistant superintendent of Highland Park ISD from 1944 to 1945. Upon Gable’s retirement, Dr. Irvin became superintendent in 1945, and he served until 1954.

School Board president leads campaign for new YMCA building

In 1947, Dr. Shirley Hodges, a respected Dallas pediatrician, was elected to the School Board. He served through 1951, including a stint as president. He was also the health officer for the City of University Park, the original team doctor for the Highland Park Scots, president of the Southwest Amateur Athletic Union and founder of the Park Cities YMCA, which he created in 1944. Its first building was a home at 3802 University Blvd., right next to the University Park City Hall. Today, the gazebo at Goar Park stands at that exact spot. The creation of the YMCA had a major impact on the Park Cities, bringing recreational sports to young people.

Dr. Hodges soon led a campaign to build a new YMCA facility in the Park Cities. In 1946, Karl Hoblitzelle donated a city block, bounded by Preston Road, Normandy Avenue, Connerly Drive and Shenandoah Street — eight residential lots at a total value of $50,000 — to build a new YMCA. Residents were asked to donate $90 each, paid out over three years, and the funds were raised. The new building was completed in 1951, and the bittersweet part of the dedication was that Dr. Hodges, the facility’s driving force, died of a heart attack at the age of 53 just before the building was completed. At the time, he was president of the HPISD Board of Trustees and had just been elected as the president of the North Texas Association of School Boards. 

During its early years, the YMCA offered sports for young men only, and Dr. Hodges was the father of three daughters. People asked him why he was so dedicated to boys sports when he had no sons, and he smilingly replied, “I am trying to build men suitable to call on my daughters.” 

In 1950, President Harry S. Truman, during his second term as president, led our nation as the Korean War began. After three years of fighting, a truce was signed between North and South Korea at the 38th parallel. In 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower was inaugurated as the 34th president and served two terms.

As the country experienced a change in leadership, so did the district. Dr. W.B. Irvin retired as district superintendent in 1954, and Frank Monroe took his place, continuing as superintendent until 1974.

In 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Ala., for refusing to give up her seat and move to the back of a bus. Subsequently, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. led a bus boycott that year and set the American Civil Rights Movement in motion. In 1958, HPISD changed its “whites only” policy, although the first African-American student wouldn’t attend school in the district until 1964.

In 1957, the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite, the first manmade object to orbit the Earth. NASA was founded in 1958 and launched a project to take the first Americans into space. Class of 1945 graduate Elliot See Jr. was selected as a member of NASA’s Astronaut Group 2, a collection of astronauts that included Neil Armstrong. See was the commander of the Gemini 9 mission but was tragically killed while flying a training jet in 1966 in St. Louis, Mo. He was posthumously named a Highland Park Distinguished Alumnus in 2010.

Fire destroys most of Armstrong Elementary

Armstrong Elementary after the 1951 fire

A fire devastated nearly all of Armstrong Elementary Nov. 26, 1951. According to The Dallas Morning News, Highland Park policeman Walter Paschall was on patrol when he drove by the school at 9:02 p.m. He radioed dispatcher John Crowley saying, “Flames are coming out of the roof. It looks like it’s burning all over. Get all the fire trucks you can out here.” 

School Board members were meeting that evening at the Administration Building. They gathered, along with hundreds of others, around the burning building, according to the article.

Superintendent Irvin risked his life and ran into the burning building to rescue the only copies of the district’s tax records, according to district history documents.

The fire destroyed two stories of the main building. Mothers and teachers offered their homes for the school to use as classrooms.

Many classes were temporarily held at Highland Park United Methodist Church.

In September 1953, Armstrong reopened its doors to students. According to The Dallas Morning News, the school cost approximately $700,000 to rebuild.

The ’60s were a time of change in both the district and the world. The decade began with the election of John Fitzgerald Kennedy as president.

The tragic assassination of President Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963, was a defining moment in the country’s history.

1950 HP graduate Pierce Allman, who was then program director for WFAA television and radio, was the first to report on the assassination from Dealey Plaza. He and a friend had decided to walk over from the newsroom to watch the motorcade. They found a spot on the corner across from the front door of the Texas School Book Depository. More than 50 years later, Allman described it as a moment that stands still in time.

“It’s still so vivid. There’s no sense of time at all,” he said. “Sometimes, it’s as if I’m seeing it in slow motion. I can see the whole thing. Even as I was processing it intellectually, part of me was saying, ‘This is not happening. This is not real.’”

1952 HP graduate and Dallas Times Herald photographer Bob Jackson was also at the scene that day.

HP Graduate Bob Jackson took this Pulitzer Prize-winning photo of Lee Harvey Oswald being shot by Jack Ruby.

The ’70s were a decade of contrast and conflict. In reaction to the continued U.S involvement in the Vietnam War, a wave of protests swept the country.

Technological advances made pocket calculators, VCR players, microwaves and cassette or eight-track tapes part of daily life. The computer industry was on the rise after the world’s first microprocessor, the Intel 4004, was introduced, and personal computers were sold around the world. All of these developments influenced lifestyles immensely, especially those of students in the latter half of the decade. New technology began to spread into the schools, greatly affecting the process of education. HPHS acquired 10 new electronic calculators. which were referred to as “mini-computers,” to replace slide rules in physics classes. Also, The Clan (the high school’s student directory) was converted to computer sheets, which made it possible to be printed earlier and kept more up-to-date. Students gained easier access to information and tools, and teachers had new, exciting ways to present the information.

Robin Rees-Jones, ’71, co-editor of The Bagpipe, reflected on the paradoxical nature of human progress, writing, “Man [had] learned to build a machine complex enough to travel to the moon, yet man still [could not] understand the most complex machine of all - man himself. Man cannot live on the moon, yet man [could not] live peacefully on earth.”

HPISD's fourth superintendent

Dr. Winston Power worked at Dallas ISD before joining HPISD as an administrative intern in January 1966. He served as assistant principal at Highland Park Junior High, as principal at University Park Elementary and as an elementary/secondary consultant before being named the fourth superintendent in Highland Park ISD’s history. He served as superintendent from 1974 to 1990. HPISD grew under Dr. Power’s watch, as voters approved two bond issues that allowed renovations and additions to all of the district’s campuses in addition to the construction of Highlander Stadium in 1980, which is still used today for athletic competitions in grades 7-12. Dr. Power was a remarkable man and a very effective leader,” said Becky Nugent, former HPISD Director of Communications. “He was a visionary with high expectations, and he also knew there was always room for improvement.” The HPISD Alumni Association honored Dr. Power with the Distinguished Service Award in 1994.

Title IX spells out requirement for gender equity

In 1972, Title IX was passed “that requires gender equity for boys and girls in every educational program that receives federal funding.”

The law applies to many areas of education, but it is perhaps best known for the changes it made to athletic programs. Before Title IX, only one in 27 female high school students participated in school athletics. After the law was passed, HPHS allowed girls to enroll and participate in many other activities previously restricted to boys, such as woodshop and ROTC, and made plans to expand and add girls locker rooms and a gym in upcoming construction projects.

ROTC

Although there was a dramatically increasing student population, the ROTC was rapidly losing members since the program became voluntary in 1963. This plan was initially enacted as a means to better the unit but eventually played a role in its downfall. Because of low membership and increasing necessity of resources for other programs, ROTC was disbanded in 1978.

HPISD named in desegregation lawsuit

Among the changes occurring in the ’70s was desegregation. It proved to be a struggle because the only way to desegregate schools was to incorporate busing to change the racial makeup of individual schools within each district. HPISD and six other districts were named in a lawsuit for not achieving a proportional percentage of all races that matched that of the City of Dallas and Dallas Independent School District. HPISD’s request to be dropped from the lawsuit was denied. One issue was that the only way for HPISD to change its racial proportion was to bus students across district lines. Even if HPISD changed attendance zones within the district, it would not affect racial makeup.

According to Highland Park’s attorney Dick Gray, HPISD did not currently permit inter-district transfers “and did not permit them at the time of the plaintiff ’s second amended complaint … nor did it permit them for years prior to them.” Gray also pointed out that since the late ’50s, the district had a policy “of accepting all students that live within [district lines] without regard to the race, creed, color, or national origin of such students,” and that the policy had been strictly followed ever since. When Gray submitted a breakdown of HP’s school enrollment since the ’60s, it was clear that the minority enrollment in each school had barely exceeded 2 percent of the total enrollment, and that number matched that of its community. Finally, after five years, Highland Park became the last district to be dropped from the lawsuit in 1975.

• On Nov. 18, 1977, the popular Fighting Scot emblem was created and published on the front cover of the program for the Highland Park vs. R.L. Turner football playoff game at Texas Stadium.
•  It was designed by nationally renowned sports and political cartoonist Bill McClanahan, a 1927 graduate of HPHS. McClanahan was a staff cartoonist at The Dallas Morning News for many years, and variations of his drawing of the fighting Scot are now used by many athletic teams at Highland Park.

Reconfiguration of grades occurs throughout the system

When the 1970 school year started at Highland Park High School, freshmen were part of the student body for the first time since 1936. The junior high changed its name to Highland Park Middle School, and the sixth grade was moved to the school from the four elementary schools.

Three years later the school board voted to change the name of the junior high to McCulloch Middle School, in honor of the late Arch H. McCulloch, the longest-serving trustee in HPISD history (1950-1972). 

Governor Bill Clements

• In 1978, Class of 1934 grad Bill Clements was elected governor of Texas.
•  “Highland Park is a wonderful place,” he once said, “second only next to heaven.”

Dress code gives students more options

	Girls at HPHS were allowed to wear long pants in 1975

The dress code began changing drastically for the first time in decades. Girls were required to wear skirts or dresses. Culottes, which were shorts cut to look like skirts, were first permitted during the 1969-70 school year. In 1971, girls were allowed to wear pantsuits, and they were allowed to wear long pants in 1975.

Boys’ hair was allowed to hang below the top of the dress shirt collar in 1975. In 1977, socks and belts became optional, and overalls were permitted if worn over a shirt.

HPHS revives Alumni Association

In 1990, HPHS revived its Alumni Association to provide an organization that would allow graduates to keep in touch and strengthen their connection to the district. Art Barnes, 1951 graduate served as the first chairman in 1991.

Over the years, the association has built an alumni directory, planned numerous reunions and established scholarships for graduating seniors.

In addition to class reunions, there are two large celebrations every year: the Distinguished Alumni Awards and the Golden Scots Reunion.

The first Distinguished Alumni Awards program was held in 1989 and helped build the excitement for the re-establishment of the Alumni Association in 1990. In addition to the Distinguished Alumni Awards, which are given to three graduates every year, the association also gives a Distinguished Service Award to a former employee for outstanding service and the Highlander Award, which is given to an individual who has made a major contribution to HPISD. 

The Golden Scots Reunion began in 1994 to honor alumni who graduated at least 50 years earlier. With between 500 and 700 attendees, it is the largest gathering of alumni every year.

	HPISD's fifth superintendent
	In 1990, the School Board hired Dr. John P. Connolly as its fifth superintendent. Dr. Connolly came to Highland Park from Chappaqua Central School District in New York, where he had served as Superintendent of Schools. Dr. Connolly assumed leadership of HPISD during a challenging time. He addressed the issues of rapid enrollment growth and the loss of local control that resulted from Robin Hood legislation. Dr. Connolly helped found the Texas School Coalition, an organization made up of more than 100 school districts that advocates for meaningful discretion of local boards over their district funds. He served as the group’s first full-time executive director. Dr. Connolly served as HPISD superintendent from 1990-2001. In 2012, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Award for his years of service.

Robin Hood: Recapture of local tax dollars presents growing challenge

The 90s marked the enactment of Robin Hood, the state’s practice of recapturing local tax dollars and redistributing them to districts across Texas. This was the legislature’s solution to the Texas Supreme Court’s 1989 order to put an equitable school funding systeplace. Under Robin Hood, Texas recaptured property tax revenues from property-wealthy school districts and distributed those dollars to property-poor districts. Because of its valuable local tax base, Highland Park ISD was hit hard, with recapture payments hovering around 70 percent for many years. For example, in 2013-14, HPISD’s recapture rate was 68 percent, requiring the district to send $69.3 million to the state. From 1991 to 2014, Highland Park ISD taxpayers paid a grand total of more than $1 billion to the state in recaptured dollars.

The so-called Robin Hood system is now a household phrase, and district and community leaders took a two-pronged approach of raising money locally while trying to work with state leaders to mitigate the dramatic effect of so many tax dollars leaving the district. The reliance on private funding grew, and the Education Foundation, HPISD PTAs, Dads Clubs, Sports Club, Booster Clubs, La Fiesta de las Seis Banderas, HP Arts, and other community supporters stepped up to raise the millions needed to fill the gap.

Construction of first new school building in 40 years

The first Highland Park Literary Festival began in 1995 as a collaboration between interested parents and the HPHS English Department. Now an annual event, the festival features more than 100 workshops conducted by accomplished journalists, novelists, songwriters, poets, and playwrights. There is a student-run open-mic night, where students read their own work and an evening featuring a keynote speaker is open to the community. The Literary Festival is supported by La Fiesta de las Seis Banderas, HP Arts, the Highland Park High School PTA and individual donors. 

Literary Festival keynote speakers

• Carol Higgins Clark, 1996-97

• Doug Wright, HP grad and Tony Award-winning playwright, 1997-98

• James Kelman, 1998-99

• Marion Winik, 1999-2000

• Don Graham, 2000-01

• Tim O'Brien, 2001-02

• George Plimpton, 2002-03

• Russell Banks, 2003-04

• Michael Chabon, 2004-05

• Kaye Gibbons, 2005-06

• Anchee Min, 2006-07

• Scott Simon, 2007-08

• Billy Collins, 2008-09

• Tobias Wolff, 2009-10

• David Wright, 2010-11

• Naomi Shihab Nye, 2011-12

• Marcus Zusak, 2012-13

• Mark Salzman, 2013-14

Voters turn down 1998 bond issue but pass smaller version in 1999

With enrollment still increasing, HPISD proposed a $76 million bond package in 1998, which was not approved by voters. The most contentious issue surrounding the bond issue was the proposal for the construction of a fifth elementary school.

Voters approved a smaller bond issue of $49.95 million the following year to fund district-wide renovations, new technology systems, and equipment and additions to HPHS.

Construction highlights

• Early in the decade, the baseball field at the high school underwent construction. In 1990, an anonymous donation led to a new infield tarp and sprinkler system. In 1991-1992, bathrooms, concession stands and covered batting cages were also installed.

• In 1997, the site of the former junior high was repurposed, and a baseball diamond, sports field, and jogging track were built.

• In 1999, money from the $49.95 million bond package funded major renovations to the high school, including classroom and cafeteria expansion, outdoor tennis courts, a softball field, and a parking garage.

Economic and international ups and downs

The convergence of internet usage, technological advances and the globalization of business and culture came together to create a newfound ability for everyday men and women to reach across continents in their day-to-day lives.

Nations became so profoundly interconnected that political, social and economic events created ripple effects that were felt instantly around the globe. The stock markets expanded for most of the decade before plummeting in the fall of 2008.

	Armstrong students recite the pledge of allegiance with Principal Dr. Mary Richey

9/11 – A day that changed our world

The world watched in horror on Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorists flew two planes into the World Trade Center towers, a third into the Pentagon, and a fourth plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after its passengers overtook their captors. President George W. Bush declared a War on Terror, a war that knew no traditional boundaries or enemies.

Superintendent Dr. Cathy Bryce remembered when the news bulletins began to arrive.

“I was in an early morning meeting, and we heard the reports of what had happened. At first, it was that moment of, ‘What is this? What is this, really?’ And then when we got our arms and minds around what had happened, we immediately went into crisis management mode. We had training and procedures for that. We locked down our campuses initially, and we worked with city and town public safety officials to filter through what they were hearing about any possible threats to us here in Dallas.

“Our focus was on keeping everyone safe and getting through the day. The bulk of our parents left their children with us that day, and any parents who wanted to pick up their children were able to do so right away. It was a comfort to know that our children were going home to loving families who would wrap their arms around them and try to make sense of what had happened that day.

“That day changed the way we think about school security. It made us focus in a new way on how to protect our campuses and how to keep our students and staff members safe,” she said.

HPISD expands and aligns curriculum, technology

The decade marked a concerted effort to align curriculum, both vertically (in successive grades) and horizontally (across grades and, in the case of elementary schools, across campuses). Teachers worked together to ensure students were prepared for future years by embarking on intensive curriculum writing workshops over the summer. They also demonstrated their commitment to lifelong learning by participating in teaching conferences and writing institutes. In 2002, HPISD trustees voted to expand the kindergarten program to provide all-day instruction.

At the high school level, participation in challenging Advanced Placement courses skyrocketed. From 2000 to 2013, the number of students taking AP exams rose from 429 to 1,095, and the total number of exams taken grew from 997 to 2,719. In keeping with the commitment to prepare students for their future in the global workplace, the district introduced Mandarin Chinese as a foreign language class option.

As technology expanded its role in day-to-day life, HPISD decided to allow students to use their own devices in the classroom when teachers deemed it appropriate. Many teachers also introduced cell phone “parking lots,” which were bins where students would put their phones when they weren’t using them for research and learning.

Science Festival

Inspired by the Literary Festival, HP parent and chemical engineer Marie Naklie McCoy organized the first HPHS Science Festival in 2006.

During the one-day event, more than 50 speakers representing careers in science, technology, engineering, and math visit the high school campus. These accomplished leaders discuss their careers, educational paths and work experience with students. All high school science students have the opportunity to engage in conversation and gain a deeper understanding of these vital and in-demand careers. Sponsored by the Science Department at Highland Park High School and organized by parent volunteers, the mission of the Science Festival is to encourage and inspire students to pursue careers in medicine, research, technology, engineering, and science. The tradition continues today, with nearly 75 parent volunteers hosting the Science Festival each year.

Voters overwhelmingly approve $75.4 million bond issue

In 2008, HPISD voters overwhelmingly approved a $75.4 million school bond issue with 91.15 percent supporting the proposition.

“I am deeply grateful to the community for supporting the bond issue and for investing in the maintenance of the historical schoolhouses that have served the students of HPISD for many decades,” Dr. Bryce said. “We pledge to manage the money with the utmost care and to work closely with a community-based bond oversight committee to ensure that the projects are completed in accordance with community expectations.”

HPISD School Board President Jeff Barnes called the results “a tremendous vote of confidence from our community.”

HPISD School Board votes to limit class rank

After hearing the report from a study committee, the HPISD School Board and HPISD administrators came to the consensus that the practice of ranking all students puts those students who are not in the top 10 percent of the class at a disadvantage.

The policy went into effect with the senior class of 2010. Parents and students overwhelmingly supported the change, and many Texas school districts followed HPISD’s example by revising their class-ranking policies.

A mighty merger

In 2003, the Alumni Association merged with the Highland Park Education Foundation to form a single organization serving the needs of students, alumni, parents, and friends of the school district.

Leaders advocate for changes to state’s school finance and mandatory testing systems

Superintendent Dr. Dawson Orr and the Board of Trustees rallied to advocate for school districts across Texas on two critical fronts: school finance and state-mandated standardized testing. In 2011, HPISD joined in a lawsuit over the school finance system. The Texas School Coalition, which is made up of revenue-contributing districts, challenged the constitutionality of the Texas school finance system, claiming that it fails to provide schools with sufficient funding to meet state educational standards and that the system has become a statewide property tax. As of this writing, the lawsuit has not been resolved.

At the same time, Dr. Orr led a challenge regarding the increasing number of standardized tests required by the state.

"The tremendous work of Highland Park ISD principals and teachers to provide for academic excellence has continued, even in the face of ever-increasing bureaucratically driven mandatory testing," Dr. Orr said. "We need to fight to ensure that the learning environment that allows our students to excel is not eroded by a combined state and federal system that continues to require more standardized assessments."

Dr. Orr, along with other superintendents in the North Texas Regional Consortium, a group of high-performing districts, continued to advocate for Texas schoolchildren by communicating with community members and state leaders about the detrimental effects of over-testing. As of this writing, HPISD is working to develop a community-based accountability and assessment system that is more effective than the state model. 

On May 1, 2013, seven HPISD students were among the first 43 visitors at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum. They were surprised and delighted when the former president himself greeted them in the Oval Office room.

"Welcome to the Oval Office," he said. "You're our first guests, and we're thrilled you're here."

Bush visited with 43 Dallas-area schoolchildren for more than 30 minutes, covering subjects ranging from a typical day at the White House to the profound role faith has played in his life.

Bush intentionally requested that the first visitors be schoolchildren - not dignitaries or donors - because he wanted the Bush Center to be a place of learning.

Learners & Educators for the Future

In mapping out HPISD’s path for the future, the district leaders began with the most important person in mind: the student. The vision for preparing students to become tomorrow's leaders and responsible citizens led to the development of the profiles of the Learner for the Future and the Educator for the Future.