Have you ever walked the halls in the old parts of the school, say around the choir room or the old gym, or even the old stair wells… and wondered the history of our school? Well, I have. When did this building come about? What about this sidewalk? The 1950’s? Was there anything before?

A graduate of Sylvan Hills’ class of 1990, Kathryn Lacy, was kind enough to give us the school’s first newspaper, an issue of “Bear Tracks” from September, 1929.

The September issue of “Bear Tracks” reveals that in the years of 1924-1925, students who lived in the North Heights neighborhood walked to Remount or Brushy Island to attend school. Busses were not in use in this part of the country during this period. People in the neighborhood decided that they needed a closer school. Many patrons talked to the school directors, but since there were four schools – Runyan, Remount, Gravel Ridge, and Tip Top – the directors felt that they couldn’t support another school. The directors offered a solution. They promised to help pay a teacher’s salary if the patrons of the community were able to provide the school housing.

In securing a building, Mr. Forby, Mr. Shadle, and Mr. Hild – who had been elected directors of the school – made arrangements with a church (in the area today that is across from the Neighborhood Market on Highway 107) to use the building for their school. They employed Mrs. Roy W. Gray to teach the first school, which was an eight grade grammar school. At that time, there were 35 students enrolled. When the school opened the next fall, there were 55 students enrolled in the eight grades with 2 teachers.

In February, 1927, the North Heights School was moved to a new building, and the name was changed to Sylvan Hills. Miss Clark of Cato was employed to teach the first 4 grades, with Mrs. Gray teaching the 4 upper grades. The number of enrolled students was slowly rising to 85 students.

In the fall of 1927, another teacher, Mrs. Price, was employed along with one bus that was driven by Mr. Bruce Simpson.

In the next year, in the fall of 1928, the enrollment had reached 260, creating the need for a two-room temporary building and the addition of three teachers: Mr. Torrell Powell, Principal and Coach, Mrs. Grace Wooley, 6 and 7th grades, Mrs. Maud Mathis, 4 and 5th grades, and Miss Elizabeth Middleton replacing Miss Clara Clark.

Beginning the School year of 1929-1930, the enumeration for the district was approximately 400, thus the reason for a new building. When the new building had been completed, the school carried work through the eleventh grade, and the students and teachers from Runyan were planned for transfer.

If you would like to share any info on the history of Sylvan Hills or the Sherwood community in general, feel free to contact our advisor Mr. Scroggins. He can be reached at [email protected]. If you would like to send copies or donate any old school newspapers, news magazines, or old yearbooks from Sylvan Hills, please consider contacting the Journalism Department. We have quite a few but are missing some.