The Paris News

POWDERLY — Parker Elementary School will observe its 70th anniversary Saturday with an open house in the old rock building that has a colorful past.

It wasn’t always an elementary school.

In the early days, it was a full 12-year school, and many spent their entire secondary education experiences there.

In the early days of Lamar County, scores of tiny school districts dotted the landscape, some small enough to be in the homes of county residents.

Then as times changed, the focus turned more toward education.

One by one, the smaller school districts began to merge, and most in northern Lamar County merged into the Parker School District.

The Powderly school was initially located about 100 feet south of its present location and was used until about 1940.

There also were four other schools located in Powderly.

The unique “rock school” building that housed Parker school was constructed by the Work Project Administration (WPA) in 1938-1939, in the height of the depression.

It consisted of 12 classrooms, the main office and a hallway.

The office was located in what is now a small storage room.

Powderly school opened for its first year in 1940, heated by huge potbellied stoves vented through massive chimneys on the building.

Darrell White, who later became assistant superintendent of the North Lamar Independent School District, recalled: “The potbellied stoves became so hot, kids had to make sure they did not get close in fear of burning themselves.”

Electricity did not arrive until 1942, and the school children used outdoor toilets.

The outhouses were on the playground, and the cafeteria also was outside the main building in an old Army barracks.

Two other buildings dotted the landscape, an agriculture classroom and a homemaking classroom.

The Powderly school was re-named Aaron Parker in 1945, in memory of a teacher and school superintendent who died from burns in an explosion of a school bus.

Frank Stone became superintendent in 1946, and one by one, the smaller schools began to merge with Parker School.

In 1947, Amherst, Givens and Frisco consolidated, causing Parker School to add more classrooms, bathrooms and a new superintendent’s office.

In 1953, an additional 24 feet was added to the school building to accommodate its steady growth.

In 1962, Lone Star consolidated with Parker, and still more classrooms were added.

In 1964, Lamar High School, Trickem and Bradley Hill schools were integrated into the Parker campus and Reno joined the district in 1966.

The small schools began to consolidate rapidly in the ’60s and ’70s.

From 1966 through 1968, the school changed dramatically.

It became part of the North Lamar Independent School District in 1970, and a new high school was built.

The final graduation class of Parker School received their diplomas in 1969. After that, it became Parker Elementary School.

Its most tragic moment came in 1995, when the annex building was vandalized and burned.

Portable buildings were brought in as temporary classrooms while the annex was being rebuilt.

The current principal of Parker Elementary, Billie Paskin, and her two predecessors, Jackie Neugent and Raymond Allen met at the school last week in Powderly to recall some of the old days and to prepare for the upcoming 70th anniversary.

Allen, who was principal from the late 1970s until Neugent took over, said the Parker school has always had a family-oriented tradition.

“It was my experience to have a fine staff and people working here,” he said. “We were like family and I think that became a tradition at the school. It became family.”

Paskin said: “When I became principal, it was my goal to continue that family atmosphere. This is the center of the Powderly community, and I wanted to make sure when I got here I made sure I opened the doors to the people to come to the school and use our gym and lunchroom facilities. We open the school up to the community if there is a need for people to use it. We have allowed churches and church youth groups to meet here. We have parents and grandparents come for lunch on the day of our Thanksgiving dinner, and we had a back-to-school bash that was attended by 200 parents.”

Neugent recalled some of her first experiences as principal.

“We had two weddings here,” she said. “A couple got married in the gym, and once when I was working on the landscaping outside the school a couple was getting married under the trees in front of the building.”

Neugent recalls the days the annex was burned.

“I remember they rebuilt it in 57 days, in time for the following school year,” she said.

One of Allen’s memories involves the first time students and parents who did not speak English began coming to the school.

“We had a fourth grade student who spoke Spanish and English,” he said. “When someone would come to the school who did not speak English, I would just say, ‘Go get Rosie.’ She became my interpreter.”

Allen said the school has a lot of bilingual students these days, but not so in the early days when he was principal.

Paskin said Parker Elementary is a special school, unlike any other.

“There are high expectations here,” she said. “We have teachers who do a lot of things for the community out of their own pockets. I have seen teachers get furniture for people who do not have furniture. School employees have helped people move who could not afford to do so. We know about the community and we take care of our own. If people need help, this is one of the most giving schools.”

Neugent said there were times mattresses and beds were stacked outside the school for people who needed them.

“I bought a vacuum cleaner for a family that did not have one,” she said.

“When I came here 27 years ago, I called a lot of people to see where I should settle,” Paskin said. “Almost all told me I would be happier if I came to Powderly.”

Paskin came from Oklahoma,where she had been teaching, but she had no intention of teaching locally. “They offered me a job as a substitute teacher,” she said. “That was 27 years ago, and I have been here since.” Paskin said since she has been at Parker, she has hired four of her former students as teachers. “They are doing an excellent job,” she said. “Many of the former Parker students who have become teachers have requested they come back here to do their student teaching, and we open our doors to them.” She said the school doors are also open to members of the community who want to come back to look at the old school. “Many things are still the same as they were years ago,” she said. “We still have the same old built-in wood lockers that were built with the building.” White remembers the old wood lockers. “When I started school, we had individual lockers,” he said. “Then we grew so much, we had to share lockers.” White attended all 12 years of school at Parker, and graduated there in 1958. He later became assistant superintendent at NLISD. He has since retired. “I remember when I was in school at Parker, they had high ceilings and transoms that when opened created a breeze in the school to keep it cool in the summers,” he said. “And the old potbellied stoves and the plaster walls kept it warm in winter.” The school will have its 70th anniversary celebration Saturday, when people can come to the school from 2-6 p.m. to remember the old days. Students have decorated their classrooms with stories and drawings of the school. “We had a contest last year with students drawing pictures of the school. Those pictures will be displayed for visitors to see Saturday. Fourth grade student Kevin Dawson’s drawing was chosen to decorate the school yearbook last year. During the 70th anniversary celebration, the old Parker school’s first yearbook produced in 1947 will be on display. “People can come by and remember how it was in the old days,” Paskin said. “The gym is the same, many of the classrooms and the lockers have been here since the building was built.” “There is an old basement cellar under the stage,” White said. “It is probably sealed off. I don’t think it has been used in years, but much of the school is as it was years ago with its old rock walls and chimneys.”

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