Concord High School has traditions that date back 80 years. Many students, staff, and community members are tied strongly to those traditions. Within these, there has been much change in technology, student involvement, clubs, teams, and much more. What is truly changing within the school, and why might this be?
The building has had immense changes made to it since the creation of the school. The original school building was built in the 1850s and was located on the corner of West Center and Maple Street, which is now known as the Keefer Apartments. By 1881, the building that occupied this premise was the second Concord school’s building; in the early 1900s, the second building was remodeled. At this point, the elementary, middle, and high schools were all located in the same building. In the year 1943, the building was burned down by a disastrous fire. The students were temporarily moved to many places, the main one being the old opera house in town. Around 1945, the current school site was purchased, and shortly after, the school building was constructed. Since then, the building has had many changes made to it, such as the gymnasium, lockers, and much more.
Not only has the building undergone multiple changes, but so has the school structure itself. Now, the form of learning taught is in the modern classroom, which is where students move at their own pace. Most of the time, this is learned through the computer. When the school first began, the students were taught through lectures. They sat at their desks, taking notes and reading through textbooks, while the teacher taught at the front of the classroom.
The school’s programs have also undergone an immense change. In the year 1963, many clubs existed within the school that no longer exist. These include the debate team, majorette team, varsity club, color guard, rifle club, F.H.A. club, F.F.A. club, radio club, chorus, rocket club, and more. Not only did these clubs exist, but they had around 20 members each. Over the years, these clubs have slowly had fewer and fewer members, leading to their not existing anymore. Though these clubs are no more, we have started some new ones. This year we have clubs such as the National Honor Society, Quiz Bowl, and Robotics.
The staff and classes at Concord have also begun to shrink. In 1963, the school had a total of nineteen teachers. Now we have sixteen teachers. Classes have also begun to shrink. In 1963, the yearbook staff had a total of 24 students on it and the paper staff had 14 students on it. This year, the yearbook staff and school paper are combined into one class and consist of eight students.
The sports teams at Concord have not seen much change. They have always had a decent number of people on them and have been successful. The main difference that has occurred in the sports programs is the number of girls who play. There used to be only a few girls, if any, on many of the teams; now that is completely different. Title IX, the federal civil rights law adopted in the United States as part of the Education Amendments of 1972, maybe the cause of this. This is a law that forbids gender discrimination in sports. Throughout the years, the teams have gone up and down in size, but they have mostly stayed the same and had constant success. In 1930, the track and field team were champions; in 1913, the baseball team were champions; and more.
Mr. Couling is the second art teacher ever at Concord High School and has been working at the school for the past 27 years. He says that the biggest changes he has seen while here are the improvements in the media center and Hive. He explains that they are “both great places for students to study.” Mr. Couling adds that the weight room has been a wonderful upgrade for our student-athletes. In terms of student artwork, he thinks that the student’s artwork has continued to get better. He says, “We have always had a strong art program, but over the more recent years, I have seen more students overall creating better artwork.” Overall, he shares that the building has seen some upgrades in the doors, floors, graphics, and more.
Mike Jurasek is a teacher and coach here at Concord, but he is also an alumnus who graduated in 1974. Being at the school for this amount of time has allowed him to see the changes that have occurred. He shares that the biggest change he has seen is the girls’ sports opportunities. He says, “When I was in school, there were a lot fewer sports for girls. The only ones there really were volleyball and cheer. We did not have full girls’ cross country or track teams, and not a full wrestling team.” Jurasek shares that he does not see a difference in student involvement: “There are always motivated students and unmotivated students.” He does feel that the staff’s involvement has changed, though. He thinks that the staff has always been good, but this year, especially, the staff has been able to get involved much more than they did in the past.
Mrs. Lehman is another long-time staff member who is an alumnus. She began kindergarten in 1974 at Concord and graduated in 1986. She was very involved, playing volleyball, basketball, and softball in high school. She was also on the prom committee and graduation committee and helped with all the fundraising. She shares, “Back then, each class worked the concession stand, and I was very involved in that. We also hosted chili dinners before home basketball games as our biggest fundraiser.” Mrs. Lehman adds that the biggest change she has noticed is the change in school spirit. She noticed this not only at the school but in the community as well. During that point in time, almost everyone was involved. “The bleachers were packed for all boys’ home games. Our band was good-sized, and the sports teams all had a solid number of students. We also had FFA, FHA, chess club, radio club, yearbook, and student council.” She feels that they were more connected to the school and each other, but they did not have phones or computers to connect them. To connect to others, they had to “physically get out and talk and visit to feel connected.”
Overall, there have been significant changes throughout the history of Concord High School. There could be many reasons for this change in student involvement. Transportation can be an issue for some students, as can having to buy equipment and put a lot of time into an activity. Other students might just not want to put in the effort that these activities require. For some, the social aspect is not appealing; while for others, they might think they do not have the skills that a certain activity requires.
The school is always changing, and student participation is always going up and down. To keep the programs we have right now running, we encourage students and community members to support them!
