NAHS Campus 2011
This fall celebrates the 50th year of New Albany High School (NAHS) in its current location. The previous location for the high school was on Apple Street, the current site of New Albany Middle School. At that time, the junior and high school students were housed in a common building.
Crowded conditions at the Apple Street location convinced members of the School Board that a separate high school building was needed. Discussions for the new high school began in the late 1950s. The new high school campus would be located on Highway 15 and include classrooms, an auditorium, a cafeteria, and a practice gymnasium. It was decided in May of 1960 that the high school be named W. P. Daniel High School in honor of Mr. Daniel who eventually became the longest serving superintendent of the school district with more than thirty years of service. A home for the superintendent was also built on the high school campus during this time.
The school was not completed when classes began for the 1961-1962 school year. Due to the delay in construction completion, classes met in First Baptist Church and First Methodist Church. Former New Albany School District Administrator James Bryson recalls teaching math in a Sunday school room in the Methodist church and moving into the new high school building in late fall of 1961. “Mr. Percy Daniel bought the seats in the auditorium on credit from Mississippi School Supply since the money for the building had all been used,” he remembered. The building was formally dedicated in April 1962. The Class of 1962 was the first graduating class to graduate from the high school located on Highway 15. Fifty-eight students graduated from W.P. Daniel High School on June 3, 1962.
Since that time, the high school has experienced many renovations and additions to accommodate larger student bodies. In 1969, a wing of classrooms was added that now serves as the English Wing at the high school. The cost of the addition was approximately $82,000 with Union Lumber Company serving as the contractor and B.A. England as the architect.
In the late 1960s school officials from the New Albany School District (NASD) and the Union County School District joined together and began efforts to create a vocational center on the campus of W.P. Daniel High School. The total cost of the project was approximately $400,000 with 80% of the funding coming from the Vocational Education Act and Appalachian Act Funds. The local contribution of the NASD was 20%. Classes began there in 1971 and the Career & Technical Department of NAHS has continued to offer career, vocational, and technology courses to prepare students for higher education and real work experiences.
Discussions for a new stadium and athletic field began in the Spring of 1969. There was a bond election for the athletic project held in May 1970. The bond was defeated with 56% of the voters against the bond and 44% for the bond. Although the bond was defeated, many volunteers kept the dream alive to provide an athletic field and track for the youth of New Albany at no cost to the school district. Hundreds of individuals, businesses, and civic groups donated time, money, supplies and equipment to make the football field a reality. What was believed to be a $150,000 facility at that time cost about $50,000 to cover the expenses of fencing, lightning, the press box, and other needed supplies.
At the recommendation of then School Board Member Joe K. Robbins, Jr., the field was named Kitchens Field in honor of Ben Allen Kitchens and Poodle Kitchens who provided equipment, oversaw the day to day operations of the clearing and construction of the football field, and made sure that a completed field became a reality.
At the October 25, 1975 homecoming ceremonies, the current football facility, Kitchens Field, was dedicated to Ben Allen and Poodle Kitchens. In addition to the Kitchens men, Bobby Coltharp, Joe K. Robbins, Jr., and James Criddle were recognized for their contributions to the building of the field. Kitchens Field continues to serve as a reminder that the New Albany Schools and its athletic programs are certainly supported by our community.
In the early 1990s, then Superintendent Kenneth Quinn and members of the school board envisioned a state of the art Science and Math Complex at the high school. School Board Member Dr. Bruce Bullwinkel approached local banker Bo Collins to lead the capital campaign to raise $300,000 for the furnishing and equipping of the building. Collins contacted the Stephens families of New Albany to see if they would be interested in serving as a matching donor. The Stephens families agreed to match $1 for every $3 the committee raised up to $100,000.
Collins and his committee of twenty members recruited families to give $1,000. Many of the 100+ families who contributed this amount chose to have their bank accounts drafted at $42 for 24 months or $84 a month for 12 months. In addition, the committee recruited industries and individuals to donate $15,000 to furnish a science lab or $10,000 to furnish a math lab. Science lab contributors included HMC Technologies, Piper Impact, Hillcraft Furniture, and Charlie and Lisa Carr. Math lab contributors included CREATE, Northeast Mississippi Coca Cola Bottling, the children of Herbert Graham Rogers, Jr., and Bank of New Albany. Bank of New Albany was the second highest donor contributing funds for two math labs.
In August of 1994, an open house was held to showcase the 8,700 square foot state of the art building that added four science combination laboratory-lecture rooms to the high school. In addition six former science classrooms were converted into a modern math complex. The capital campaign committee had raised over $360,000 to furnish and equip the Science and Math Complex.
“We are fortunate to live in a community that supports our school system,” Collins said. “The efforts of the committee and the generosity of so many individuals, industries, and businesses proves the outpouring support of and dedication to the New Albany Schools.”
In 2002, significant renovations and reconstruction at the high school campus included the addition of a counseling suite, a media center, a new band hall, a science lab, and several classrooms. The football stadium was renovated during this time as well. Funding for this renovation project came partly from public school building money and from the approximately $10 million dollar bond issue that was used to construct New Albany Elementary School and make major renovations to New Albany Middle and NAHS.
Over the past 50 years, NAHS has enjoyed many successes in the areas of academics, athletics, and extra-curricular activities. In fact, NAHS has the distinction of being accredited through the Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools for more than 100 years. NAHS was the third school in the state to receive SACS accreditation in 1907.
“We are very proud of the accomplishments that our high school has made in each of its 50 years at its current location,” said Dr. Charles Garrett, Superintendent. “And we are extremely proud of the small role the high school has played in the successes of so many graduates over the years.
W.P. Daniel Class of 1962
