Spring ISD celebrates 75th anniversary

Hundreds of students, parents, staff and community members came together recently for the Spring Independent School District's 75th birthday bash to celebrate the district's achievements and recognize dozens of people and organizations that have made a significant impact on the district.

Seventy-five heroes, individuals, families, organizations and businesses, were honored at a special breakfast before the festivities kicked off at the April 30 party, held at Spring High School's Leonard George Stadium.

The day-long event was an opportunity for the community to see how the district has evolved since it was established in 1935, and for the district to showcase what is has to offer today and where it is headed in the future.

"We wanted people to come and see the rich history of the community and the district, to see how we've achieved 75 years of excellence in education and the tremendous growth that has taken place in our district," said Cindy Doyle, director for community relations.

Concept schools, such as Roberson Middle School — a math, science and fine arts academy, the online Virtual School and Early College High School were highlighted, Associate Superintendent Regina Curry said, to demonstrate how the district has adapted to the needs of today's students, while providing an excellent education.

"These schools speak to the direction we are going in the future," Curry said.

The seeds of the district were sown in the early 1900s when a one-room school house was donated to serve about 30 white students in the Bammel community. When the district was established, there were just 48 students on one campus. Today, the district serves a diverse student body of 36,324 students and counts 37 schools.

It wasn't always a smooth path. The district went through its ups and downs – integration in the mid-1960s, rapid expansion in the 1970s and continuing expansion through the new century.

Just three schools, Carl Wunsche Sr. high, Spring elementary and Bammel elementary, were added during the district's first 30 years. A boom period followed, when 16 schools were built between 1969 and 1986, including Spring and Westfield high schools. Two new schools and a show barn were built in the 1990s, while the last decade saw construction of 18 new schools, some of them to replace old campuses.

Perhaps no one has witnessed as many changes in the district as 80 year-old Ralph Eickenroht, who started out in 1958 as the first high school band director, when there was just one campus for the 358-student district, and retired in 1996 as a counselor.

"Basically, the school was the center for community activities, and the center of the whole district," said Eickenroht, who has an elementary school named after him. "We had a lot of participation from parents and grandparents."

The free event also featured performances by the district's high schools' band, choir and drill teams and interactive presentations highlighting the district's technology initiatives.

Celebrating 60 years, FFA students showed off their animals, while the fire department brought its education ambulance, and police officers demonstrated their sniffer dog. Other activities included face painting and a petting zoo.