Austin
Elementary
In addition to 2004 being the 150th anniversary
of public schools, it also marks S.F. Austin Elementary's 50th
year.
The campus was named after Stephen F. Austin, the wise colonizer
also known as the "Father of Texas". Austin was an enthusiastic
advocate of schools.
Brannen
Elementary
Brannen Elementary was named after Bess Courtney Brannen. She
was born February 18, 1906 and attended Lon Morris College in
Jacksonville, Texas. She started teaching in a four-room school
in Saron, Texas, where she taught the first four grades. Bess
taught at Pennington while continuing her education. She
received a bachelor's degree from Sam Houston State Teachers
College.
During World War II, she taught in Decatur, Tx. She moved to
Lake Jackson in 1944, where she taught at the first elementary
school built there. She taught reading at Velasco Junior High
School where she worked with a World War II veteran with a
head injury, teaching him to read and write.
Bess earned a master's degree from the University of Houston and
went back to her first love in the classroom, history. For the
rest of her life she taught Texas history and civics at Lake
Jackson Junior High School. That life was not very long; she
died of cancer at age fifty-two, but her professional career
touched many lives.
When the school was built in 1968, it was named for a teacher
who had meant a great deal to the students of Lake Jackson.
Griffith Elementary
Madge Griffith Elementary was named after Madge Griffith that
was a principal in BISD for Elizabeth Ney Elementary from 1960
to 1972. Mrs. Griffith had taught first through fifth grade.
She was an Assistant Principal before becoming Principal.
Mrs. Griffith said in her
autobiography that ,“I owe to my mother, daddy and brothers and
sisters for helping me get through high school and college.”
Marcus Stephenson, President of
BISD school Board in 1990, said “Serving as principal of
Elizabeth Ney Elementary School was the highlight in her life.
The impact on education would be difficult to measure, as would
be the impact on the young lives and teachers of those that
Madge touched by being a positive role model as teacher,
administrator and friend.”
Madge Griffith was opened in the
1990-1991 school year.
History Highlights:
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The first year they did not
have a library and the Bookmobile came to the school every
week.
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In 1991 Paula Walker was named
BISD Teacher of the Year and had a picture with some of her
students put on the Southwestern Bell Phone Book for the
1991-92 year.
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When they opened in 1990 they had a
Lake Jackson address then, in 2000 they received a Clute
address.
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When they first opened, they had cows
on 3 sides of our school because there were no houses around
them.
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2002-2001 school year they had to
evacuate the school due to a gas leak.
-
2003-2004 school year the 5th
graders were invited to a School Board Meeting to play their
recorders.
Polk Elementary
Gladys Polk Elementary was named
after Dr. Gladys Field Polk who served many years in the
Brazosport I.S.D. as the Director of Elementary Education, as a
school principal, and as a classroom teacher. Dr. Polk had
a great love for school children and respected all her teachers
who taught in the elementary field knowing most of them by name.
Dr. Polk served public education
in many positive ways. One very vital contribution was the fact
that she was instrumental in establishing the Kindergarten
Program in the state of Texas.
Polk Elementary opened its doors
beginning with the 1980-81 school year. The city of Richwood
was very proud to have a school established in their community.
Rasco Middle School
Grady B. Rasco Middle School
opened as a 5th and 6th grade campus in 1995. The campus is
located at 92 Lake Road in Lake Jackson. The campus is adjacent
to MacLean Park and the Lake Jackson Recreation Center and is
surrounded by community soccer and softball playing fields. The
average yearly enrollment is 925 students.
The school was named after Grady
B. Rasco, who was a principal for many years in Brazosport ISD.
Clute Intermediate
Clute Intermediate School has had
some interesting changes in its history. Records on Clute School
date from 1893, but the information is limited. The first
salaried teacher on record was Miss Lena Hunter. She was paid
$40.00 a month for five months and was hired on September 1,
1907.
Clute was part of the Evergreen
School District in 1914 and was one of three schools:
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Clute Building (old church)
-
Evergreen School
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Eagle Island School
In 1920 District 14 was called
Evergreen and had one teacher and one school.
Prior to 1945 the school was
known as the Clute Common School with grades one through eight.
The original building is still located on our campus.
For many years it was known as
Clute Junior High. Then in 1969, the ninth grade moved to high
school, and it became Clute Intermediate School.
Brazoswood High School
Brazoswood High School opened its doors in September of 1969.
The first graduating class from Brazoswood was the class of 1971
(since the first year had no senior class).
