The Meridith-Dunbar Early Childhood Academy was filled with laughter, smiles and tears of happiness on Wednesday, when the newly renovated campus was unveiled to the public — a ceremony that honored the past, present and future of Temple’s once segregated high school.
The event, which featured several school board members and graduates, saw hundreds of people from across Temple, the county and the state attend.
Temple ISD trustee Linell Davis, a member of Dunbar High School’s class of 1966, helped kick the event off by sharing the history — obtained from past students, community members, the Bell County Museum and the Temple Public Library — about her former campus, and frequently recalled memories with her former teachers.
“I loved our school,” Davis told the Telegram. “Some of our teachers were hysterical, good and very interesting. They were strict … but always very passionate toward us.”
However, the school board member also had a special surprise Wednesday evening.
Despite a bout with allergies, she once again took to the auditorium’s stage and sang the Dunbar High School song — a tune her fellow alumni joined her in without a second of thought.
“My class is the one who actually wrote the song with our music director,” Davis said. “I can’t even remember how the group of us did it but it was exciting and a lot of fun.”
Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Greene, a member of Dunbar High’s class of 1965, told the Telegram that he loved the level of effort Davis placed into her research about the campus’ history.
“I’ve been through a lot of places and it was very intimidating following Mrs. Davis because she laid out the entire history of the school and did a wonderful job,” he said.
Although Greene said he could only discuss a fraction of that history with his “little space in time” at Dunbar High School, he was happy to recognize and reminisce with lifelong friends.
“This is such a special occasion to recognize the past and what an anger it was in the community … but that was the past,” he said. “Currently, we’re dealing with the present and future. (Meridith-Dunbar Early Childhood Academy) needs the support of the community, not only the presence of being here and visiting, but also funds.”
Sonjanette Crossley, an alumna of Dunbar High’s last graduating class in 1968, said she absolutely loves the effort placed into renovations and what the campus has evolved into.
“We were growing up in segregation, and some people get uncomfortable with those words but that was the world that we were in,” she said. “It’s not made us bitter but better … and we’re here now so we can continue to make things better.”
Crossley, who stressed that she never regretted going to Dunbar High, hopes the greater Temple community continues to strive for the students at Meridith-Dunbar Early Childhood Academy.
“We have a legacy still and these children will be standing on the shoulders of this community, of this city, of this district, and those of us that take pride in going to this school,” she said. “This is a zone where you’re going to be turned into everything you are destined to become, because … every one of us is supposed to be somebody.”
The campus is now named after G.C. Meridith, the former principal of Dunbar High School, and poet Paul Dunbar, according to Temple ISD. Established in 1896, the school graduated its first class of three students in 1903 and the school was renamed Dunbar High School in the early 1900’s. The current building, built in the 1950’s, also served as a middle school and magnet school before opening as Meridith-Dunbar Early Childhood Academy in the 2013-14 school year.
Temple ISD Superintendent Bobby Ott said he was excited to see a lot of purple — the school color — worn during the event.
“We had a lot of emails and phone calls from alumni and we’re so excited for them all to be together,” he said. “It’s a unifying celebration of past, present and future. Whether you call it Dunbar or Meridith-Dunbar, I don’t just look at the campus as just part of Temple ISD … I really think it’s some of the most essential fabric of our school district.”
Although building an entirely new campus would have been an easier task, the fourth-year superintendent said the $9.3 million in renovations were much needed, and offered a sense of “healing” for some area residents.
“Meridith-Dunbar is on a large plot of land and it would’ve been much cheaper to go out, tear it down and build a brand-new building,” he said. “But there are certain pieces of history that need to be preserved even if it is more expensive. The halls of that building have been graced by some of the most incredible graduates our school system has ever had … so it was a conscious, deliberate and easy decision by the board and administration to make sure that building was not torn down.”
Ott said that decision meant overcoming unexpected challenges while replacing infrastructure that had well surpassed its lifecycle.
“It’s the right thing and you’ll see that it’s renovated in a way that will outlive all of us,” he said. “That means digging up old infrastructure and spending money above the ceiling and below the floors. It’s a tough decision that a lot of school districts have to make on certain facilities, but I’ll tell you, for us, it was a very easy decision to make.”
He noted how the campus’ kitchen previously lacked air conditioning.
“This isn’t a glamorous thing but I am so happy that the kitchen and cooking area is newly renovated with (heating, ventilation and air conditioning),” Ott said. “I can only imagine the reasons why it was one of the campuses that didn’t have HVAC way back in the ‘50s and ‘60s. You can certainly draw some conclusions, but there was no reason it needed to be that way moving forward.”
Crossley agreed.
“We couldn’t do this if we didn’t have every person in the district ... from the custodians to the cooks to the teachers to the maintenance to the bus drivers because all those people made a difference,” she said. “Everybody is a frontline person when it comes to the kids here.”
With these improvements — funded by the 2015 bond package — Ott said the Meridith-Dunbar Early Childhood Academy now has one of the most modern infrastructures within Temple ISD.
“Putting in that brand-new infrastructure extends the life of this school as far, if not further, than any campus we have,” he said. “I can’t predict what that infrastructure will look like in the future but you can usually get 60 years out of a school based on infrastructure in the past.”
Ott — who said teachers, faculty and staff were thrilled to move into their enhanced facility throughout the last couple of weeks — said his favorite aspect of the renovations are the permanent graphics installed throughout the campus’ foyer.
“I think the most favorite part for me is the history timeline that is built into the wall panels, because that will outlive all of us while preserving its history,” he said.
As attendees began wandering the newly-renovated halls of the Meridith-Dunbar Early Childhood Academy, Greene offered a message for the campus’ generation of students.
“Pay attention to your instructors and your teachers, and do the very best you can,” he said. “Make a list of what you want to do and what you want to get out of each class. Follow that last and check on it … so that it doesn’t just become a wish and hope you lose sight of.”
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