CASTLE HILLS ELEMENTARY
|
CASTLE HILLS ELEMENTARY
|
|
|
OUR SCHOOL HISTORY Castle Hills Elementary has the special honor of being the oldest school in the North East Independent School District and celebrated its 55th anniversary during the 2004-2005 school year. The building was actually constructed in 1951 and given the name of Castle Hills Elementary (CHE) in 1952. That year CHE also had the smallest enrollment figure of about 280 students. The largest enrollment in CHE was during the 1954-1955 school year when enrollment topped 1,225 students. During that year, the school was on half day sessions. Many of the classrooms were divided in half. The auditorium was divided to contain four classrooms, and the cafeteria had two. Because of the growth in the northwest areas of the district, many other elementary schools were built. From time to time, some of our students attended other schools to relieve the overcrowded conditions at Castle Hills. We are sometimes referred to as the "Mother" school. Castle Hills Elementary has the distinction of being the only school in the NEISD with a grave on its grounds. Mr. V. Anderlitch is buried at the back of the playground near the water tower. Born February 13, 1830, he was known as "Mr. Castle Hills". He was a German immigrant freighter who owned the land for many years. Over the years, the original L-shaped building grew to contain a gym, cafeteria, auditorium, and library, (as well as many portables.) The first classrooms in the school had windows on two sides and no air conditioning. Eventually windows were removed to accommodate the new air conditioning units. The patio areas were a welcome addition and provided areas to play when weather was inclement. In 1999, the original building, along with its additions, was demolished to make room for a new two-story school building. The new building was completed during the 2001-2002 school year. Mrs. Pope Crook was the principal of Castle Hills from 1979 to 2004. Under her strong leadership, CHE has been honored with many state and national awards. The school calendar changed from the traditional year to the Year Round schedule in the 1992-1993 school year. It is the district's only Year Round/School of Choice, meaning that parents from six different attendance areas may choose to enroll their child at Castle Hills Elementary. This gives us a unique and rich mix of student's backgrounds and cultures from around the district. The faculty and staff of CHE, as well as North East ISD, have a strong commitment to this special program. Castle Hills Elementary is now in a new and exciting stage of its long history. This new stage is being led by our new principal, Lori Gerdin. She is very excited to be a part of the Castle Hills team. The tradition of excellence continues on.
|
|
Webmaster: lhurt@neisd.net Page last updated 11/05/2007
|
