|
A Brief History of
Athens High and Industrial School
and Burney-Harris High School
The history of Athens is
filled with the sacrifices and accomplishments of both blacks and whites
who have devoted their lives to the educational improvement of Northeast
Georgians. Professor Samuel F. Harris must certainly be credited with
being one of the most outstanding of these dedicated educators. He was
in leadership of those who laid the foundation for the public school
system in Clarke County. He was one of the first educators in the state
of Georgia to incorporate industrial training courses into the
traditional public school curriculum. Professor Samuel F.
Harris first introduced industrial and agricultural training at the West
Broad Street School in 1904. This experiment was hampered by lack of
funds and interest among school officials.
In 1912, the high school
was included in the West Broad Street School consisting of six rooms,
ten grades and eight teachers with Professor Samuel F. Harris as the
Principal. In 1917 the Athens High and Industrial School was established
and Professor Harris was the Principal as well as the supervisor of the
black schools of Athens.
According to Michael
Thurmond’s "A Story Untold," Professor Harris vigorously
resumed his efforts to incorporate industrial training into the public
school curriculum. He had been instrumental in having the newly
constructed Reese Street School equipped with a manual training shop and
the start of a vocational night school.
In 1922, Athens High and
Industrial School became the first black public secondary school to be
accredited in the state of Georgia. Professor Harris served the school
for many years until his illness and death in 1935.
During the illness and
death of Professor Harris, Mrs. Annie H. Burney continued her service as
Assistant Principal.
In 1936, Mr. Aaron Brown
became the Principal of Athens High and Industrial School and Supervisor
of the black schools of Athens. He encouraged the necessity for extra
curricular activities in the schools to increase the educational,
physical and social growth of the students. Some of the extra class
activities were: football, basketball, debating teams, drama clubs,
chorus and glee clubs, Hi-Y, Tri-Hi-Y, band and majorettes,
cheerleading, and the school newspaper, The Highlight.
Professor Charles Duval
came to Athens High and Industrial School as Principal in 1938 and
served until 1945. In the same year, Professor Homer T. Edwards, Sr.
became the Principal. Professor Edwards served for several years. While
he was Principal, the school was moved from its location on the corner
of Reese and Pope Streets to a new location on Dearing Extension.
In 1964, with the
approval of the Clarke County Board of Education, Athens High and
Industrial School was renamed Burney-Harris High School in honor of the
two educators - Mrs. Annie H. Burney and Professor Samuel F. Harris.
After Professor Edwards’
tenure of almost 24 years, Mr. Ernest T. Roberson became Principal and
served until the schools were fully integrated in 1970.
Many teachers and other
workers served dutifully all of the years of the AHIS/BHHS existence.
May we ever keep our Alma
Mater in our minds and hearts; for the school is a great part of our
heritage.
Back to Top |
