Seymour High School (Indiana)
Encyclopedia
Seymour High School is a secondary school
in Indiana
.
. In that year the tree-covered plot was leased by the town school board and work began on a three-story brick building facing the east. The heirs of Captain Meedy Shields later gave this land to the city for school purposes.
Here stood the first Shields High School, surrounded by trees and for many years bordered on the west by a great pond
. On the first floor were two grade rooms and the public library
; on the second, two grade rooms and the superintendent
's office; and on the third, the music
room and the assembly
room.
In 1876 there had been an addition of six rooms, but the growing population of Seymour now demanded even more space if the supply of rooms was to meet the needs of the pupils. In 1911, a new school building arose on the foundations of the old. This building is the one which houses the Shields Junior High School today.
It was not long until sport
s and inter-school competition came into prominence. By 1922 students and citizens alike complained of the smallness of the Shields gym
nasium, so in 1922 a south wing was added to the school. This contained an auditorium
-gymnasium and above it six classrooms.
In the middle of the 1930s sports fans again began to clamor for a gymnasium big enough to house all the Owl supporters and in November 1937 a fire-proof structure with a capacity of 3308 was begun as a WPA project. The seating capacity
was later expanded to 3800.
In September 1959, Shields High School was moved to completely new facilities on 61 acres (246,858.5 m²) at the west edge of Seymour. The 9th grade remained, along with grades 7 and 8, in the Shields High School facilities and became known as the Shields Junior High School. In addition to classroom and laboratory facilities, the new two-story building contained the school's administrative ad guidance offices, a 110 seat library, an 1100 seat auditorium, and a 300-seat cafeteria
. In 1960 the football
stadium
and an all-purpose track were added to the high school campus
. In 1968 work began on a new gymnasium, indoor swimming pool
, and a separate academic facility consisting of ten classrooms, two science
labs, and two industrial arts labs. These new facilities were ready for occupancy in the fall of 1970, and at that time, ninth grade students again became part of the high school. A fourth building, the power heating plant, varsity
and reserve baseball
diamonds, and eight tennis
courts are also located on campus.
In 1988, the library and business classrooms above the library were renovated and enlarged, and an additional computer
lab was constructed for the business department. In 1992, the guidance and administrative offices were renovated and enlarged. In 1997 a two year, $18 million renovation and building expansion project that included the construction of a new auxiliary gym, a new science wing, a hallway linkage between the original building and the 1968 building, and extensive remodeling of all classrooms, the cafeteria and the Earl D. Prout was completed. In the spring of 2000 ground was broken on a major renovation of the stadium including the remodeling of locker rooms and the construction of a new weight and training room.
In 2007, the girls softball
facility was completely remodeled including the construction of dugouts and an announcers' booth. An indoor multi-purpose athletic facility was also constructed adjacent to the varsity baseball field.
In 2011, due to a flood the street in front of the Auditorium had to be removed and replaced.
38.955196°N 85.906917°W
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
.
History
Prior to 1870 an iron fence separated a tract of forest land from the growing town of SeymourSeymour, Indiana
Seymour was the site of the World's First Train Robbery, committed by the local Reno Gang, on October 6, 1866 just east of town. The gang was put into prison for the robbery, and later hanged at Hangman's Crossing outside of town....
. In that year the tree-covered plot was leased by the town school board and work began on a three-story brick building facing the east. The heirs of Captain Meedy Shields later gave this land to the city for school purposes.
Here stood the first Shields High School, surrounded by trees and for many years bordered on the west by a great pond
Pond
A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A wide variety of man-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens, water features and koi ponds; all designed for aesthetic ornamentation as landscape or architectural...
. On the first floor were two grade rooms and the public library
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
; on the second, two grade rooms and the superintendent
Superintendent (education)
In education in the United States, a superintendent is an individual who has executive oversight and administration rights, usually within an educational entity or organization....
's office; and on the third, the music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
room and the assembly
School assembly
A school assembly is a gathering of all or part of a school in order to communicate information and share learning experiences....
room.
In 1876 there had been an addition of six rooms, but the growing population of Seymour now demanded even more space if the supply of rooms was to meet the needs of the pupils. In 1911, a new school building arose on the foundations of the old. This building is the one which houses the Shields Junior High School today.
It was not long until sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
s and inter-school competition came into prominence. By 1922 students and citizens alike complained of the smallness of the Shields gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasium, so in 1922 a south wing was added to the school. This contained an auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
-gymnasium and above it six classrooms.
In the middle of the 1930s sports fans again began to clamor for a gymnasium big enough to house all the Owl supporters and in November 1937 a fire-proof structure with a capacity of 3308 was begun as a WPA project. The seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
was later expanded to 3800.
In September 1959, Shields High School was moved to completely new facilities on 61 acres (246,858.5 m²) at the west edge of Seymour. The 9th grade remained, along with grades 7 and 8, in the Shields High School facilities and became known as the Shields Junior High School. In addition to classroom and laboratory facilities, the new two-story building contained the school's administrative ad guidance offices, a 110 seat library, an 1100 seat auditorium, and a 300-seat cafeteria
Cafeteria
A cafeteria is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school; a school dining location is also referred to as a dining hall or canteen...
. In 1960 the football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
and an all-purpose track were added to the high school campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
. In 1968 work began on a new gymnasium, indoor swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
, and a separate academic facility consisting of ten classrooms, two science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
labs, and two industrial arts labs. These new facilities were ready for occupancy in the fall of 1970, and at that time, ninth grade students again became part of the high school. A fourth building, the power heating plant, varsity
Varsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...
and reserve baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
diamonds, and eight tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
courts are also located on campus.
In 1988, the library and business classrooms above the library were renovated and enlarged, and an additional computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
lab was constructed for the business department. In 1992, the guidance and administrative offices were renovated and enlarged. In 1997 a two year, $18 million renovation and building expansion project that included the construction of a new auxiliary gym, a new science wing, a hallway linkage between the original building and the 1968 building, and extensive remodeling of all classrooms, the cafeteria and the Earl D. Prout was completed. In the spring of 2000 ground was broken on a major renovation of the stadium including the remodeling of locker rooms and the construction of a new weight and training room.
In 2007, the girls softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
facility was completely remodeled including the construction of dugouts and an announcers' booth. An indoor multi-purpose athletic facility was also constructed adjacent to the varsity baseball field.
In 2011, due to a flood the street in front of the Auditorium had to be removed and replaced.
External links
38.955196°N 85.906917°W