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HISTORY
OF BARRICK ELEMENTARY
Barrick
Elementary School opened its doors on March 21, 1949. The
“new school” was referred to as the Alber-Canino Elementary
school and was designed to facilitate expansion, with each
wing consisting of three rooms. The wide middle portion was
a combination auditorium and lunchroom. The land itself was
acquired through the help of Mr. and Mrs. John Alber.
The
six-room white frame building was constructed to relieve
overcrowded conditions in the elementary grades at Burbank.
The ten acres of playground spaced proved healthy training
for the children. The red bud trees donated by Mrs. Alber
and all the other trees and green shrubbery promised to
bring a delightful appearance to the landscape of the
school. The faculty consisted of Miss Evelyn Winfrey,
Principal and sixth grade teacher; Mrs. Cook, fifth grade
teacher; Mr. Morgan, fourth grade teacher; Mrs. Wilkie,
third grade teacher; Mrs. Yawn, second grade teacher; and
Mrs. White, first grade teacher. They had a great task
ahead of them for Barrick had an enrollment of approximately
200 pupils that first year.
The
first meeting of the parents and teachers was held on April
7, 1949. It was at this meeting where all present decided
to name the school after Charles Emery Barrick who had been
principal at Burbank Elementary. Mr. Barrick died in August
of 1942, two months after he had completed fifteen years of
service in HISD. Mrs. Barrick demonstrated her appreciation
by donating a picture of her late husband to the school
where it now hangs appropriately in the main entrance
hallway.
At this
first meeting of parents and teachers, a slate of officers
were elected. They were F.J. Wooten, President; Mrs. Alice
G. Frank, Vice President; Mrs. F.J. Wooten, Secretary; Mrs.
A.W. Sherburne, Treasurer; Mrs. Jack McKeeshan, Membership
Chairman; and Mrs. Waters, Historian. These officers held
their positions until May 2, 1949 when the Parent-Teacher
Association (PTA) was organized and new officers were
elected. They were Mrs. R.C. Nolley, President; Mrs. B.P.
Chapman, Vice President; Mrs. Jack Higginbotham, Secretary;
and Mrs. A.W, Sherburne Treasurer. The following chairmen
were appointed: Mrs. Wooten, Historian; Mrs. Stark,
Publicity; Mrs. McKeehan and Mrs. Wolfe, Hospitality; Mrs.
Morris and Mrs. Bozant, Budget; Mrs. Hiram Banks,
Publications; Mrs. K.F. Fisher, Study; and Mrs. Stanley
Young, Health.
Throughout the 1949-1950 academic year, many activities were
conducted. Old-fashioned box suppers, square dances, family
get-togethers, chili suppers, May fetes, paper drives, and
carnivals with costume parades were a few of the many ways
that Barrick Elementary was able to thrive. Close
communication between parents, teachers, and children was
established.
In 1959,
Barrick was once again in the spotlight of progress. The
old Barrick facilities were no longer able to meet the great
demands for space; therefore, in September of 1959, the
students walked into a new $400,000 brick school. In
addition to 18 basic classrooms, the plan included one
kindergarten room complete with its own outside play area.
At one time, the address of the school had been 801 John
Alber Road. However, the entrance to the new structure
faced the short street between Canino Road and John Alber
Road. The road was renamed after the school’s first
principal and now the address of the school is 12001 Winfrey
Lane.
In 1961,
a fire destroyed Cooley Elementary School. Because of
recent expansion at Barrick Elementary, there was room to
hold the population of both schools. Miss Evelyn Winfrey
retired in 1964 after 15 years of service at Barrick. In
1964, a new principal, Mr. Joe B. Brooks, came to Barrick
from DeZavala Elementary. In the spring of 1965, the
cafeteria air conditioning system was installed. It was the
first air conditioning for Barrick.
The late
60’s brought racial integration to Barrick Elementary.
Black teachers were referred to as crossover teachers. The
first crossover teacher in the Houston Independent School
District was Lowa Cook, to McDade Elementary. She was
transferred in September 1967.
During
the 1967-1968 academic year, Barrick reached its highest
enrollment – 1,067 students. In 1968, a $10,000 grant
allowed the teachers and the parents to contructed a
Learning Center and Math Lab. Finally, in the spring of
1972, Barrick Elementary was completely air-conditioned.
After 10
years of service, Mr. Brooks, the second principal retired
in May 1974. He was honored with a reception on Sunday, May
19, 1974. In 1974, Mr. D.F. Funderburk was welcomed as the
new principal. He came from Holden Elementary School. The
enrollment at that time was 1,032. Then in 1980, Mr. Orwin
Mobley, formerly of Scroggins Elementary became the new
principal at Barrick Elementary. In 1988, Dr. Sara Gallo,
formerly dean of instruction at McReynolds Middle School was
named principal. During this period of time, the HISD North
District built three new elementary schools and Barrick’s
enrollment dropped to 700 students. In 1998, Ms. Lupita
Hinojosa, an instructional supervisor from the HISD
Southwest District, was named principal. During the 1998-99
school year, the entire school was wired for internet
access; the computer was furnished with 30 i-Mac computers;
and each classroom was given at least two-four new computers
and a printer. Enrollment continued to increase and two
additional temporary buildings were brought in. During the
2001-2002 school year, the black top was resurfaced, the bus
driveway paved, canopies were placed over the sidewalks in
front of the school, and money was allocated for the
construction of a pavilion. In 2003-2004, a $58,000
pavilion was constructed, mini-blinds were installed in all
classrooms, 2 wireless labs were purchased, and i-Macs were
replaced with XP computers in the computer lab.
In 2004,
Ms. Hinojosa became the new principal at Fonville Middle
School and Mrs. Yolanda Y. Garrido, became acting
principal. Ms. Garrido had been the assistant principal of
Barrick for four years. On October 25, 2004, Ms. Garrido
was named the official principal of Barrick Elementary.
Since 2004, a Classroom Performance System was provided for
every classroom teacher in grades K-5 including the Science
Lab and Library. Each class is equipped with a laptop, LCD
projector and document camera so that teachers can present
their lessons with the most current technology. Barrick
Elementary also operates with wireless internet
connectivity. Also beautifying the school is landscaping,
an $80,000 wrought iron fence, a fresh coat of paint in the
cafeteria, main hallway, and main office area, and bulletin
boards outside each classroom to display the students’ best
work. A new running track is set to be completed by the end
of March 2007.
In the
fall of 2005, a new school, Moreno Elementary, opened its
doors to relieve the high enrollment of Barrick Elementary,
Durkee Elementary, and Northline Elementary. Barrick
Elementary is one of over 300 schools of the Houston
Independent School District. It has a faculty of 46
certified professionals, and 24 paraprofessionals including
cafeteria and custodial staff. Our current enrollment is
730 which is also forecasted for the next school year.
History
of Principals of Barrick Elementary
Barrick
Elementary has had only 7 principals in its 58 years, they
are: |