The town of Douglas was laid out in 1903 and the residents felt the need for a school in town. A meeting was held and the decision was to move the school to town. In the summer of 1902 the school was moved to Douglas. In 1911 the necessary bonds were voted and a brick structure was built. It contained 4 large classrooms, two halls, a library and a basement. The 1911-12 school year did not start until October 15th making the first school year in the brick building the shortest. This was the first year basketball for boys and girls was introduced in the school system as well as tennis with two courts and croquet with one set. After 1920 there was a winning football team as well as baseball and softball teams. In 1925 there was a championship football team. The first year of High School was offered in the fall of 1916, adding the second year in 1917, and the third year in 1918, graduating the first senior in 1919. The Childs family of Nash had moved to Douglas in the summer of 1918. Their daughter, Dora, had completed her Junior year in Nash. By doing some extra work, the superintendent and teachers arranged to offer the units Dora needed for graduation the following spring. The 1920 class of six was the first whose four years study had been done at Douglas. Supt. T. L. Mauldin did not complete the 1917-1918 school term. He was succeeded by Tommy Thompson, a Phillips University student, who came expecting to find discipline problems which did not surface. Julia G. Orvis, a graduate of Oberlin College, was superintendent during the 1918-19 term. The class in Military Training, which in the fall of 1918 was a requirement in all schools for every student, was taught by Arla Pugh. A text book was required as the members had to learn the terms used by the director. The class was taught to march in formation of four abreast, to turn a corner without losing step, do an about-face, etc. The Armistice on November 11 ended those drills. Only one young man at the Douglas High School had reached his 21st birthday before November 11 and received his call to military service. Basketball games were played on an outside court until about 1922 when the addition to the building doubled its size. A full basement under the addition made possible an indoor court. The heating unit, a coal burning furnace for the entire school building, set exactly half-way the length of the court against the south wall, a hazard the local players endured. Spectator space was limited and that is not an under-statement. Tournaments were held on the courts of Phillips University gym. The Senior Class of 1920, consisting of six seniors, was the first class to complete their four years of study in Douglas High School. The seniors were served at a banquet by the Junior Class. The two groups were guests in the Keltner home. A new school building was built and dedicated in 1957, and a gym was built in a community building. The last class graduating from Douglas High School was in 1961. The Douglas High School was consolidated with the Covington School System. (Prepared by Betty Jo Gibson Scott, 1996. Taken from the Garfield History Books, Volume II, and information in the Alumni Association material)
GARFIELD COUNTY, OKLAHOMA
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