100 years of excellence

By: Tyler Barickman

            In 1913, Ripley High School was legally created by Jackson County voters.  This was the first year that Ripley High School was officially a high school.  In 1918, the school was shut down due to the Spanish flu epidemic.  In 1920, the high school was re-opened in the grade school as a high school.

“Turn the page and soon you’ll see the brilliant class of 23.  Lads and lasses brave and true, each with fortune, fame to woo.”  According to the Ripley High School yearbook of 1923.

We had the opportunity to look through the Ripley High School yearbook of 1923.  In it we found electives that ranged from the Glee Club to the Hiking Club.  There were many academic electives as well such as the Lyceum Committee and Words Study.

 The president of the Board of Education was C.H. Mckown and the superintendent was J.L. Archer.  The first principal was Mr. York.

Before school started the staff celebrated the 100 year birthday.  Mike Ruben is writing a piece for the 100 year old celebration, which is yet to be revealed.

The first high school building was on Church Street across from today’s Pam Bailey’s School of Dance.  The school was moved to its current location now and built in 1940.  Our school has gotten bigger and more pieces of the school have been added, such as the freshman hallway which was added in 1968.

Ripley High School has been striving to be the best for 100 years and counting.