Schools: What’s In a Name?
Are you curious about how your Edmond school got its name?
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Angie Debo Elementary School
Angie Debo (January 30, 1890 – February 21, 1988) was an American historian who wrote 13 books and hundreds of articles about Oklahoma and history. She came to Oklahoma Territory by wagon and settled in Marshall, Oklahoma. After a long career marked by difficulties (ascribed both to her gender and to the controversial content of some of her books), she was acclaimed as Oklahoma’s “greatest historian” and acknowledged as “an authority on Native American history, a visionary, and a historical heroine in her own right.”
Centennial Elementary
Opened August 2007, this school was opened in time to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of Oklahoma’s statehood on November 16, 1907.
Charles Haskell Elementary
Charles Nathaniel Haskell (March 13, 1860 – July 5, 1933) was an American lawyer, oilman, and statesman who served as the first Governor of Oklahoma from November 16, 1907 – January 9, 1911. Haskell played a crucial role in drafting the Oklahoma Constitution as well as Oklahoma’s statehood and admission into the United States as the 46th state in 1907.
Chisholm Elementary
Named for the famous route of cattle drives which crossed through the Indian Territory, from Texas to Kansas. The route was named for Jesse Chisholm (1805 – 1868) who was born of Scottish and Cherokee descent. The Chisholm Trail opened up in 1867 and the area became a draw for cattle ranchers and ranch hands.
Clegern Elementary
Clegern Elementary School is located southeast of downtown Edmond on a three-acre tract of land that was donated to the Edmond District by Mr. and Mrs. Harry Clegern in 1928. This gift carried a stipulation that if the school were not built within five years, the land would revert to Mr. and Mrs. Clegern. The reason for their donation was their concern for children having to cross Second Street to get to Kingsley Elementary which was on the site presently occupied by Russell Dougherty. The north wing of the Clegern School was built in 1931 with only one room completed for use.
Clyde Howell Elementary
Named in honor of the Edmond educator Clyde Howell. Howell was at the forefront of state and local educational institutions in the early 20th century. He served long tenure as the executive secretary for the Oklahoma Education Association from 1923 – 1948. He was also president of the Edmond School Board. Clyde Howell Center was noted for its highly educated and experienced teachers who were trained in addressing developmental delays. Clyde Howell Center was noted for its outstanding teachers and assessment teams who were the first to offer individualized education programs in Edmond for children age 3 and up. Clyde Howell Preschool is the only Edmond School dedicated to pre-k students.
Cross Timbers Elementary
The term Cross Timbers is used to describe the strip of land that runs from southeastern Kansas across Central Oklahoma and Texas. Edmond is situated in the area of the prairie that forms the boundary with the eastern part of the country with its more heavily forested geographic features. Scrub oak and other growth along the riverbed were difficult for wagons and horses who came to settle this area. Washington Irving wrote about the Cross Timbers in 1832 stating the trees growing along riverbanks in Oklahoma were like “forests of cast-iron.”
Ida Freeman Elementary
Ida Freeman was a respected and dedicated teacher who taught for 40 years, 26 of those years were spent in Edmond starting in 1915. Her teaching career started in 1898 in a hewn log school house in the Kickapoo Country near Wellston in Lincoln County. She was the teacher and principal of the Lowell School until her retirement in 1941.
John Ross Elementary
John Ross was the first and only elected Chief of the Cherokee Nation from the time it was formed until his death in 1866. He was instrumental in the introduction of schools for the Cherokee people. His supporters were named “Nighthawks,” which is the name of the mascot of John Ross Elementary School.
Northern Hills Elementary
Named for the geographic location of the school, descriptive of the northern section of Edmond where it is home to the “Husky Pups.”
Orvis Risner Elementary
Orvis Risner was born in 1911 in Missouri, one of nine children. An active member of the Edmond community, Orvis Risner served on the Edmond and the Oklahoma Board of Education. In 1962, the town of Edmond was building a new school when Mr. Risner passed away unexpectedly, compelling those who respected his work in the field of education to name the school in his honor.
Russell Dougherty Elementary
Dedicated on October 21, 1947, Russell Dougherty was named for the first graduate of Edmond Memorial High School to be killed in battle in World War II. The school’s namesake was an Edmond native and Air Corps bomber pilot. He was awarded the Air Medal for his missions in the Pacific. His unit was the 307th Bomb Group known as the “Lone Rangers.” His plane went down near the Solomon Islands.
Sunset Elementary
Built in 1961 on the west side of town, where the sun sets.
Washington Irving Elementary
(April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) An American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. In his varied career, he worked and traveled extensively in Europe and found his home on the east coast. However, in 1832 he came to Oklahoma and passed through Edmond on a mission to survey what was then “Indian Territory.” His book “A Tour on the Prairie” mentions that the Cross Timbers of Oklahoma were “vexing to the spirit… like forests of cast iron.”
Westfield Elementary
Named for its location and the importance of natural resources of Oklahoma’s past and future. This school sits directly atop one of the most productive oil fields in the nation. The “west field” was discovered by wild-catter Ace Gutowski who discovered the field during World War II, the land was eventually dotted with innumerable rigs, pumping an eventual 100 million barrels of oil.
Will Rogers Elementary
Your school is named for the famous Oklahoma humorist and American icon Will Rogers. Born in 1879 on a ranch in Cherokee Nation (now Oologah), he used his country wit and philosophies to entertain the world. Famous for his lasso work, Rogers first learned his roping skills from a freed slave when he worked on a Longhorn cattle ranch in Texas.
Middle Schools
Central Middle School
Located in what was thought of as an “ultra-modern” building in 1958, on Ninth & Rankin, Central Middle School’s building was originally used by sophomores, juniors, and seniors of Edmond High School in its first years. Since its establishment, four other middle schools have been created to accommodate Edmond’s growing population.
Cheyenne Middle School
This school was named in honor of the strong Native American heritage of Oklahoma. Formed from two branches in the 1500s, the Cheyenne tribes originated in Minnesota, eventually moving west and across the Great Plains. The Cheyenne tribe was large and composed of at least ten bands from southern Colorado to the Black Hills of South Dakota. Known for their skilled horsemanship and traditional rituals like the Sun-Dance, the southern Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribe is in situated in western Oklahoma.
Cimarron Middle School
Oklahoma is home to many natural wonders, including the Cimarron River which finds its origin in New Mexico. The river travels through 10 counties spanning over 18,000 miles within the state of Oklahoma before joining with the Arkansas River. Washington Irving on a surveying expedition to Oklahoma in 1831, followed the river’s path when he turned south to explore central Oklahoma, including Edmond.
Sequoyah Middle School
Sequoyah was a Cherokee silversmith, blacksmith, and an inspirational educator and author who independently created the Cherokee alphabet. His language syllables made reading and writing in Cherokee possible, opening the door for literacy. Countless newspapers, books and novels are the result of his singular contribution of the alphabet to the Cherokee people in 1821. The alphabet was officially adopted in 1825.
Cimarron Middle School
Oklahoma is home to many natural wonders, including the Cimarron River which finds its origin in New Mexico. The river travels through 10 counties spanning over 18,000 miles within the state of Oklahoma before joining with the Arkansas River. Washington Irving on a surveying expedition to Oklahoma in 1831, followed the river’s path when he turned south to explore central Oklahoma, including Edmond.
Sequoyah Middle School
Sequoyah was a Cherokee silversmith, blacksmith, and an inspirational educator and author who independently created the Cherokee alphabet. His language syllables made reading and writing in Cherokee possible, opening the door for literacy. Countless newspapers, books and novels are the result of his singular contribution of the alphabet to the Cherokee people in 1821. The alphabet was officially adopted in 1825.
Summit Middle School
Before “Edmond” became the name of the town, like many coaling and watering stops along the Santa Fe Railroad line, Edmond was first referred to as ‘Summit” because of the slight rise in the elevation of the land as engines approached. Before all the noise, commotion and instant population of the land run of April 22, 1889, Edmond was a quiet stop along the north and south Santa Fe Railroad line as it crossed through Indian Territory. Eventually, the town was designated “Edmond” for the Santa Fe Railway official Edmond Burdick.
High Schools
Edmond Memorial High School
Construction started on Memorial High School on 15th street in 1966. Memorial began as a seventh grade center before construction was fully completed. The first students to walk in the building for classes was the second semester of 1967, all seventh graders. The following year, seventh and eighth attended the 15th street school which started as a Junior High. The Edmond High School was at this time located at the Ninth and Rankin and high school graduates attended at that location until 1974. In 1975, Edmond Memorial High School was home to juniors and seniors. Named in honor of Edmond’s many veterans, its colors are maroon and grey, and the Bulldog is their mascot.
Edmond North High School
Edmond North High School, located on Danforth just west of the railroad tracks, opened in the fall of 1993 to students in the ninth to eleventh grades. In 1994, the twelfth grade was added. The first graduating class of Edmond North High School was in 1995.
In choosing a school name, students felt NORTH was significant in representing the highest point, the North Pole and the brightest point being the North Star. The husky Mascot is appropriate, being a northern arctic dog. The school’s colors are navy blue and grey.
Edmond Santa Fe High School
Santa Fe High School, located at 15th and Santa Fe, opened in 1993 with classes for ninth and tenth grades only. Six phases over five years saw the school to its completion in 1997. The first graduating class of Edmond Santa Fe High School was in 1996.
The name for the high school was chosen for its historical reference to the Santa Fe Railroad which literally put the town of Edmond on the map. The town of Edmond, originally called “Summit” was a coal and watering stop on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe line in March of 1887. The school colors are hunter green and grey. Their school mascot is the wolf.
Boulevard Academy High School
Located in the newly renovated, original Edmond High School building on Boulevard, Boulevard Academy is an alternative education program that focuses on academic credit recovery in a learning environment that is personal and conducive to student success. They focus on the “Three A’s: Academics, Attitude, and Attendance.” Boulevard Academy provides services to students who have not succeeded in a traditional school program, or who may need extra encouragement and attention to stay in school.
Are you curious about how your Edmond school got its name?
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Angie Debo Elementary School
Angie Debo (January 30, 1890 – February 21, 1988) was an American historian who wrote 13 books and hundreds of articles about Oklahoma and history. She came to Oklahoma Territory by wagon and settled in Marshall, Oklahoma. After a long career marked by difficulties (ascribed both to her gender and to the controversial content of some of her books), she was acclaimed as Oklahoma’s “greatest historian” and acknowledged as “an authority on Native American history, a visionary, and a historical heroine in her own right.”
Centennial Elementary
Opened August 2007, this school was opened in time to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of Oklahoma’s statehood on November 16, 1907.
Charles Haskell Elementary
Charles Nathaniel Haskell (March 13, 1860 – July 5, 1933) was an American lawyer, oilman, and statesman who served as the first Governor of Oklahoma from November 16, 1907 – January 9, 1911. Haskell played a crucial role in drafting the Oklahoma Constitution as well as Oklahoma’s statehood and admission into the United States as the 46th state in 1907.
Chisholm Elementary
Named for the famous route of cattle drives which crossed through the Indian Territory, from Texas to Kansas. The route was named for Jesse Chisholm (1805 – 1868) who was born of Scottish and Cherokee descent. The Chisholm Trail opened up in 1867 and the area became a draw for cattle ranchers and ranch hands.
Clegern Elementary
Clegern Elementary School is located southeast of downtown Edmond on a three-acre tract of land that was donated to the Edmond District by Mr. and Mrs. Harry Clegern in 1928. This gift carried a stipulation that if the school were not built within five years, the land would revert to Mr. and Mrs. Clegern. The reason for their donation was their concern for children having to cross Second Street to get to Kingsley Elementary which was on the site presently occupied by Russell Dougherty. The north wing of the Clegern School was built in 1931 with only one room completed for use.
Clyde Howell Elementary
Named in honor of the Edmond educator Clyde Howell. Howell was at the forefront of state and local educational institutions in the early 20th century. He served long tenure as the executive secretary for the Oklahoma Education Association from 1923 – 1948. He was also president of the Edmond School Board. Clyde Howell Center was noted for its highly educated and experienced teachers who were trained in addressing developmental delays. Clyde Howell Center was noted for its outstanding teachers and assessment teams who were the first to offer individualized education programs in Edmond for children age 3 and up. Clyde Howell Preschool is the only Edmond School dedicated to pre-k students.
Cross Timbers Elementary
The term Cross Timbers is used to describe the strip of land that runs from southeastern Kansas across Central Oklahoma and Texas. Edmond is situated in the area of the prairie that forms the boundary with the eastern part of the country with its more heavily forested geographic features. Scrub oak and other growth along the riverbed were difficult for wagons and horses who came to settle this area. Washington Irving wrote about the Cross Timbers in 1832 stating the trees growing along riverbanks in Oklahoma were like “forests of cast-iron.”
Ida Freeman Elementary
Ida Freeman was a respected and dedicated teacher who taught for 40 years, 26 of those years were spent in Edmond starting in 1915. Her teaching career started in 1898 in a hewn log school house in the Kickapoo Country near Wellston in Lincoln County. She was the teacher and principal of the Lowell School until her retirement in 1941.
John Ross Elementary
John Ross was the first and only elected Chief of the Cherokee Nation from the time it was formed until his death in 1866. He was instrumental in the introduction of schools for the Cherokee people. His supporters were named “Nighthawks,” which is the name of the mascot of John Ross Elementary School.
Northern Hills Elementary
Named for the geographic location of the school, descriptive of the northern section of Edmond where it is home to the “Husky Pups.”
Orvis Risner Elementary
Orvis Risner was born in 1911 in Missouri, one of nine children. An active member of the Edmond community, Orvis Risner served on the Edmond and the Oklahoma Board of Education. In 1962, the town of Edmond was building a new school when Mr. Risner passed away unexpectedly, compelling those who respected his work in the field of education to name the school in his honor.
Russell Dougherty Elementary
Dedicated on October 21, 1947, Russell Dougherty was named for the first graduate of Edmond Memorial High School to be killed in battle in World War II. The school’s namesake was an Edmond native and Air Corps bomber pilot. He was awarded the Air Medal for his missions in the Pacific. His unit was the 307th Bomb Group known as the “Lone Rangers.” His plane went down near the Solomon Islands.
Sunset Elementary
Built in 1961 on the west side of town, where the sun sets.
Washington Irving Elementary
(April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) An American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. In his varied career, he worked and traveled extensively in Europe and found his home on the east coast. However, in 1832 he came to Oklahoma and passed through Edmond on a mission to survey what was then “Indian Territory.” His book “A Tour on the Prairie” mentions that the Cross Timbers of Oklahoma were “vexing to the spirit… like forests of cast iron.”
Westfield Elementary
Named for its location and the importance of natural resources of Oklahoma’s past and future. This school sits directly atop one of the most productive oil fields in the nation. The “west field” was discovered by wild-catter Ace Gutowski who discovered the field during World War II, the land was eventually dotted with innumerable rigs, pumping an eventual 100 million barrels of oil.
Will Rogers Elementary
Your school is named for the famous Oklahoma humorist and American icon Will Rogers. Born in 1879 on a ranch in Cherokee Nation (now Oologah), he used his country wit and philosophies to entertain the world. Famous for his lasso work, Rogers first learned his roping skills from a freed slave when he worked on a Longhorn cattle ranch in Texas.
Middle Schools
Central Middle School
Located in what was thought of as an “ultra-modern” building in 1958, on Ninth & Rankin, Central Middle School’s building was originally used by sophomores, juniors, and seniors of Edmond High School in its first years. Since its establishment, four other middle schools have been created to accommodate Edmond’s growing population.
Cheyenne Middle School
This school was named in honor of the strong Native American heritage of Oklahoma. Formed from two branches in the 1500s, the Cheyenne tribes originated in Minnesota, eventually moving west and across the Great Plains. The Cheyenne tribe was large and composed of at least ten bands from southern Colorado to the Black Hills of South Dakota. Known for their skilled horsemanship and traditional rituals like the Sun-Dance, the southern Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribe is in situated in western Oklahoma.
Cimarron Middle School
Oklahoma is home to many natural wonders, including the Cimarron River which finds its origin in New Mexico. The river travels through 10 counties spanning over 18,000 miles within the state of Oklahoma before joining with the Arkansas River. Washington Irving on a surveying expedition to Oklahoma in 1831, followed the river’s path when he turned south to explore central Oklahoma, including Edmond.
Sequoyah Middle School
Sequoyah was a Cherokee silversmith, blacksmith, and an inspirational educator and author who independently created the Cherokee alphabet. His language syllables made reading and writing in Cherokee possible, opening the door for literacy. Countless newspapers, books and novels are the result of his singular contribution of the alphabet to the Cherokee people in 1821. The alphabet was officially adopted in 1825.
Cimarron Middle School
Oklahoma is home to many natural wonders, including the Cimarron River which finds its origin in New Mexico. The river travels through 10 counties spanning over 18,000 miles within the state of Oklahoma before joining with the Arkansas River. Washington Irving on a surveying expedition to Oklahoma in 1831, followed the river’s path when he turned south to explore central Oklahoma, including Edmond.
Sequoyah Middle School
Sequoyah was a Cherokee silversmith, blacksmith, and an inspirational educator and author who independently created the Cherokee alphabet. His language syllables made reading and writing in Cherokee possible, opening the door for literacy. Countless newspapers, books and novels are the result of his singular contribution of the alphabet to the Cherokee people in 1821. The alphabet was officially adopted in 1825.
Summit Middle School
Before “Edmond” became the name of the town, like many coaling and watering stops along the Santa Fe Railroad line, Edmond was first referred to as ‘Summit” because of the slight rise in the elevation of the land as engines approached. Before all the noise, commotion and instant population of the land run of April 22, 1889, Edmond was a quiet stop along the north and south Santa Fe Railroad line as it crossed through Indian Territory. Eventually, the town was designated “Edmond” for the Santa Fe Railway official Edmond Burdick.
High Schools
Edmond Memorial High School
Construction started on Memorial High School on 15th street in 1966. Memorial began as a seventh grade center before construction was fully completed. The first students to walk in the building for classes was the second semester of 1967, all seventh graders. The following year, seventh and eighth attended the 15th street school which started as a Junior High. The Edmond High School was at this time located at the Ninth and Rankin and high school graduates attended at that location until 1974. In 1975, Edmond Memorial High School was home to juniors and seniors. Named in honor of Edmond’s many veterans, its colors are maroon and grey, and the Bulldog is their mascot.
Edmond North High School
Edmond North High School, located on Danforth just west of the railroad tracks, opened in the fall of 1993 to students in the ninth to eleventh grades. In 1994, the twelfth grade was added. The first graduating class of Edmond North High School was in 1995.
In choosing a school name, students felt NORTH was significant in representing the highest point, the North Pole and the brightest point being the North Star. The husky Mascot is appropriate, being a northern arctic dog. The school’s colors are navy blue and grey.
Edmond Santa Fe High School
Santa Fe High School, located at 15th and Santa Fe, opened in 1993 with classes for ninth and tenth grades only. Six phases over five years saw the school to its completion in 1997. The first graduating class of Edmond Santa Fe High School was in 1996.
The name for the high school was chosen for its historical reference to the Santa Fe Railroad which literally put the town of Edmond on the map. The town of Edmond, originally called “Summit” was a coal and watering stop on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe line in March of 1887. The school colors are hunter green and grey. Their school mascot is the wolf.
Boulevard Academy High School
Located in the newly renovated, original Edmond High School building on Boulevard, Boulevard Academy is an alternative education program that focuses on academic credit recovery in a learning environment that is personal and conducive to student success. They focus on the “Three A’s: Academics, Attitude, and Attendance.” Boulevard Academy provides services to students who have not succeeded in a traditional school program, or who may need extra encouragement and attention to stay in school.