Altheimer-Sherrill High School Explained

Altheimer-Sherrill High School was a junior and senior high school (grades 7-12) in Altheimer, Arkansas, United States, operated by the Altheimer-Sherrill School District,[1] and later the Altheimer Unified School District.[2] At the time of its closing it served Altheimer, Sherrill, Wabbaseka, and other portions of Jefferson County,[3] including the unincorporated areas of Tucker, Plum Bayou,[1] Pastoria, and Wright.[4]

Circa 2005 the school had about 142 students.[5]

History

It was previously the Altheimer Training School.[6] It served as the high school for African-Americans, while Altheimer High School served as the high school for white students.[7]

In 1955 Fred Martin Jr., who began his term as a mathematics teacher at the school in 1949, was named the school's principal. In 1961 its name changed to Martin High School in honor of the principal, who sought to improve the curriculum and building.[6] In the period 1955-1982 the school received accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and a red-brick classroom building and gymnasium were built.[8]

The school became Altheimer High School in 1969, and the school received its final name around 1979. Martin served as the principal until he became the superintendent of the Altheimer-Sherrill School District in 1982.[6] Another school building, 30000square feet large, was built in 1987; it included a gymnasium.[9]

The Altheimer-Sherrill School District consolidated into the Altheimer Unified School District on September 1, 1993. Altheimer Unified consolidated into the Dollarway School District on July 10, 2006.[1] In 2007 Altheimer-Sherrill High closed, with 102 middle school students and 137 high school students in its last year.[10] Students were rezoned to Dollarway High School.

After the consolidation into Dollarway, the Altheimer-Sherrill High School school building was used as the Altheimer-Martin Elementary School until it closed in 2013.[9]

Academic performance

A 2011 State of Arkansas legislative research document stated that "Altheimer’s high school’s test scores were was just as low as Dollarway High’s."[11]

Athletics

The first athletic programs were organized when Fred Martin was principal.[8]

The gymnasium was the Asive Thomas Memorial Gymnasium.[12]

Notable alumni

Notes and References

  1. "ConsolidationAnnex_from_1983.xls ." Arkansas Department of Education. Re 31, 2017. Note that Plum Bayou consolidated into the Wabbaseka Tucker school district in 1983, then the Altheimer-Sherrill and Wabbaseka Tucker school districts consolidated into Altheimer Unified in 1993, which in turn consolidated into Dollarway in 2006. Therefore this district formerly served Tucker and Plum Bayou.
  2. "2002-2003 Arkansas Education Directory." Arkansas Department of Education. Retrieved on July 31, 2017. Page 65 (PDF p. 71/157). "K-06 MARTIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL [...] 102 ORCHARD ST. ALTHEIMER, AR 72004-0640" and "07-12 ALTHEIMER-SHERRILL HIGH SCHOOL [...] 102 ORCHARD ST. ALTHEIMER, AR 72004-0640"
  3. "SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Jefferson County, AR." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on July 31, 2017. Note that, while the Altheimer Unified School District's boundaries are indicated, the district had already consolidated into Dollarway School District at the time the map was made.
  4. Web site: School closures hit a community. The Pine Bluff Commercial. 2013-04-11. 2017-08-04. The former Altheimer district included students from Altheimer, Wabbaseka, Sherrill, Tucker, Pastoria, Wright and the Plum Bayou communities.. - Alternate location at the Arkansas Department of Education (PDF page 3/13)
  5. "Altheimer Sherrill High School 2005–2006 Assessment of Childhood & Adolescent Obesity ." Arkansas Center for Health Improvement. Retrieved on August 1, 2017.
  6. "From "Separate but Equal" to "All Deliberate Speed". In: Smith, C. Calvin (editor) and Linda Walls Joshua (contributing editor). Educating the Masses: The Unfolding History of Black School Administrators in Arkansas, 1900-2000. The University of Arkansas Press (Fayetteville), 2003., 9781557288066. Start: p. 81. CITED: p. 93. (Page presented upside-down).
  7. Book: Brown, Jeannette E. . Gloria L. Anderson, Transcript of Interview Conducted by Jeannette E. Brown at Morris Brown College Atlanta, Georgia on 21 August 2009 . 21 August 2009 . Philadelphia, PA. . "Her high school was called Altheimer Training School; the one for white students was called Altheimer High School.".
  8. "From "Separate but Equal" to "All Deliberate Speed". In: Smith, C. Calvin (editor) and Linda Walls Joshua (contributing editor). Educating the Masses: The Unfolding History of Black School Administrators in Arkansas, 1900-2000. The University of Arkansas Press (Fayetteville), 2003., 9781557288066. Start: p. 81. CITED: p. 93-94. (Page presented upside-down).
  9. News: Hardy, Benjamin. School's out forever. Arkansas Times. 2016-07-28. 2017-07-31.
  10. Web site: Colvin. Eplunus. Closing schools took life out of Altheimer, residents recall. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. 2020-10-02. 2021-02-24.
  11. Web site: School Case Studies Wonder Elementary School Osceola Middle School Dollarway High School. State of Arkansas Bureau of Legislative Research. November 2011. 2021-02-26. - CITED: p. 30 (PDF p. 32/50).
  12. Web site: Official Board Minutes Tuesday, November 14, 2006. Dollarway School District. https://web.archive.org/web/20080513124536/http://www.dollarway.org/Old%20Minutes/11-14-06.doc. 2021-02-26. 2008-05-13.
  13. Web site: Tyree Davis Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College. pro-football-reference.com. June 5, 2024.
  14. Web site: Willie Davis Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College. pro-football-reference.com. June 5, 2024.