History

MMS 1963

 

Memorial Junior High School Opens Its Doors
Memorial Junior High School opened its doors at 12550 Kimberly for the first time in the Fall of 1963. A contemporary description stated that "the school has features that provide advanced educational methods, such as teaching theaters for team teaching and large group instruction, walls that can be economically moved for expansion, and a horseshoe-shaped cafeteria that can be used as three classrooms. To summarize, the building was designed to be fire resistant, to make use of materials that are pleasing in appearance, yet economical and maintenance free and above all, to provide a pleasing educational environment."

Hardships
School began without adequate facilities or amenities, both in and out of the school. For the first few weeks of school, the students did not have desks or chairs. Streets leading up to the school were not paved. Teachers recall that they carried their shoes to the front door. Buses could not drop off students at the building, but left them within walking distance of the school.

New Street Address
In 1964, Memorial Junior High School was given the new street address of Vindon, a newly paved road. The student enrollment for that year was 1,490. Three years later, the enrollment had grown to 2,200 students. Due to overcrowding at Memorial, it was decided that some students would be housed in temporary facilities in the education building of Tallowood Baptist Church, directly across the street. Many students housed at Tallowood would transfer the following year to the new school that was under construction.

New Name
Melvin L. Eldridge became principal in 1977 with a student population of about 900. In 1991, a commitment was made to the community, students, and faculty to adopt the philosophy of the middle school. The administration and faculty explored research studies, professional development opportunities, and visits to other schools across Texas to investigate the practices of the middle school concept. To reflect the change in philosophy, the school's name was changed to Memorial Middle School.