Green Bank High School

 

Green Bank High School addressed educational needs in its community through the following:

• Early Education (1780-1842):
  • The first school in the Green Bank area was established in 1780. Fees were paid by boarding the teacher for a certain length of time, depending on how many scholars were in the school.
  • As Green Bank grew, a school was erected below the town at what was known as the Crossroads. It was named for its location and lasted until 1820.
  • A school was then built on what is now the property of John R. Gum, then known as Cartmill Creek. This school educated pioneer children for over a decade.
  • As churches were built, their session rooms became the school houses. The Liberty Church session room was one of the most important in Greenbank Community. The pastor usually taught in these session room schools. If the pastor didn't teach, outside teachers would teach a three-month term for a dollar per scholar if there were as many as ten scholars.
• Green Bank Academy (1842-1916):
  • The session room schools lasted until 1842, when the Greenbank Academy was erected where the Odd Fellows Lodge Hall now stands in Green Bank.
  • It was the first free school and was first taught by Professor Benjamin Arbogast, who had influenced the founding of it. The usual number attending was sixty-five to seventy-five.
  • This school was part of the Academy program of the county which called for the erection of three academies: at Greenbank, Huntersville, and Hillsboro. These three buildings were of brick and were the most modern buildings in the county. Most of the people in Greenbank District sent their children to this school. These scholars boarded at Greenbank for there was no method of conveyance from the more distant homes.
  • When a student had finished this school, he could attend Institute for a week, and then pass a test given and prepared by the County Superintendent and become qualified for a teaching position. Greenbank District had its own Board of Education at that time, so the teachers went before them to qualify for a job. But they had to have as many as two trustees of the three to sign their contract before the job was forthcoming; the salary being about sixty dollars per month.
  • A few months after the Civil War, the building was remodeled and changed to a two-storied one and renamed the "Advanced School". It had a high standard of education.
  • The Old Academy served until 1916; the last session being taught by C. E. Flynn, who later became County Superintendent.
• Green Bank High School (1916-1970):
  • In 1916, John W. Goodsell, President of the Board of Education, with the aid of Dr. Leland Moomau, founded the Greenbank High School with the graded school being in the same building. The first levy of money called for enough money to build the part known a few years ago as the high school part, which extended from the front of the building to the present end of the press room.
  • At first high school and grades were taught in the same part, but as enrollment increased, the building was extended to the beginning of the gymnasium, and a few years later the gym and the rooms above it were erected. This last was completed in 1926.
  • The first term of school opened in the fall of 1918 with a small enrollment. The first principal was W. P. Haught of Bristol, W. Va., with Miss Lucy Meredith, Margaret Hunt, and Lillian Moomau as assistants.
• Curriculum and Activities
  • Basketball was organized early in the school's history; football was organized in 1926.
  • Home economics was started in 1921. The Future Homemakers club was organized in 1930 and is one of the oldest in the state.
  • A separate Vocational Agricultural building was constructed in 1930; the following year, the bus garage was erected.
  • The hot lunch program was introduced about fifteen years ago.
  • In 1936 a new addition to the main building was made and steam heat was installed.
  • In 1944 the band was organized under the direction of Miss Anna Margaret Johnson.
  • In 1946 a new floor was laid in the gym, and a new heating system was installed. In 1946 the lunch room was remodeled to serve the 500 pupils and personnel. The installation of freezing units in 1948 enabled the Vo-Ag students to butcher and freeze the meat served at these meals.
  • The seniors established the tradition of an annual tree-planting day in 1949.
• Later Developments:
  • Driver education was added to the Green Bank High School schedule at the beginning of the 1947-48 year.
  • Pocahontas County added County Music Supervision in 1948.
  • The P.A. system was installed in 1950.