School district to mark 50th anniversary

Grapevine's first high school graduating class in 1908 had one student.

The private boarding school Grapevine College opened in 1887 and became a state high school in 1907. Before the existing Grapevine High School on Mustang Drive opened in 1969, the original school was located on Austin Street.

History records indicate that in 1930, the Grapevine Independent School District had 346 students and 12 teachers. Superintendent, W. F. Cannon served from 1938 to 1958.

When Helen Jean Lucas Reed graduated in 1951 from Grapevine High School on the corner of Austin and Worth streets, her senior class totaled 36 students.

Reed remembers students, including herself, were "scared to death" of English and speech teacher Isla Bickers.

"She was an excellent teacher, but as a freshman in high school, you were shaking in your boots," Reed said.

Reed remembers Cannon did work that superintendents would not dream of doing now.

"If they had a water line break, he would get a bunch of boys from high school to come out and help him," she said.

Annual teas for ladies clubs were important back then.

"Mr. Cannon always let the teachers out to go to the tea at around 2:30 or 3, and they would send high school girls to finish up the class for the day," she said.

Cannon Elementary School—named after Superintendent W. F. Cannon—opened in 1959.

Reed's mother taught third and fourth grades at Grapevine Elementary School during the late 1920s and later transferred to Cannon Elementary when it opened. That same year in 1959, Reed's cousin, Janet Willhoite Dickey, graduated from Grapevine High School on East Worth Street, a new building that opened in 1952 and eventually became Grapevine Middle School, then Faith Christian School. Dickey's senior class included 68 students.

Students took required classes: English, science, history and math. Students could pick from electives such as vocational agriculture, homemaking, shorthand typing and driver's education.

After Dickey finished driver's education, her father bought her a blue 1949 Chevrolet. Dickey lived about two blocks away, but she remembers many students living in Colleyville took the school bus to attend school in Grapevine.

In 1962, Colleyville officially joined Grapevine ISD. The district became known as Grapevine-Colleyville ISD in 1975.

Joe Deupree served as a school board trustee during that time and made the motion to change the name to include Colleyville.

"It seemed appropriate to recognize Colleyville as a significant part of the district," he said.

This year GCISD will be celebrating its 50th anniversary of consolidation. The district serves kindergarten through 12th grade students in Grapevine, Colleyville and portions of Southlake. There are now 17 traditional schools and two alternative schools. Robin Ryan is GCISD's superintendent. The 2011 graduating class from Grapevine High School and Colleyville Heritage High School totaled 1,083 students.

References: GCISD, Grapevine Historical Museum, "Grapevine Area History," Grapevine High yearbooks

Historic dates

• 1887 - The private school Grapevine College opened
• 1907 - Grapevine College designated as state high school
• 1952 - The new Grapevine High School opened on Worth Street
• 1959 - Original high school became district's administration building
• 1962 - Colleyville joined Grapevine Independent School District
• 1969 - Grapevine High School opened on Mustang Drive and old GHS building became Grapevine Middle School
• 1975 - District became Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District

Source: GCISD