Barnes Junior High School is one of the lesser known schools of Corpus Christi, Texas which has been forgotten. This news article will explain and explore the history behind Barnes Junior High School.
Barnes Junior High School was named after a female teacher named Ella Barnes who was quite influential. She was a wonderful educator in the Corpus Christi Independent School District. That is why the school was named Ella Barnes Junior High School.
Ella Barnes Junior High School opened one block off of Ruth Street at the corner of Highland Avenue and Francesca Street in 1956. This school educated grades 7 and 8. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/21055493/)
The population explosion problem of North Side Junior High School was solved with the opening of Ella Barnes Junior High School in 1956. The opening of Ella Barnes Junior High School alleviated overcrowding. Barnes Junior High School would feed into Miller High School and Corpus Christi High School. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/24163444/)
Ella Barnes Junior High School and Cunningham Junior High School telecasted the first junior high school football game in Texas which was telecast live to a viewing audience as a public service on Saturday, October 11, 1958. Immediately after KZTV announced the premiere game, the switchboard was flooded with calls from fans asking if games of their particular schools would be televised. (Ref: https://www.uiltexas.org/files/leaguer/leaguer-archives/LE-1959-01.pdf)
Ella Barnes Junior High School had a new shop class which included a three-hour industrial arts course by 1963. (Ref: Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Ella Barnes To Have New Shop Class, Page 12, Friday, August 23, 1963)
“Ella Barnes Junior High School will be the junior high with a three-hour industrial arts course in 1963-64. The new shop class will be similar to the pre-vocational shop program which was instituted at Miller High School last year with some training in auto mechanics, metals and machine shop, as well as woodworking and mechanical drawing.”
In the late 1960s, Ella Barnes was classified as an underprivileged school according to federal guidelines and received federal funding. Ella Barnes Junior High School was one of two economically deprived minority schools by the early 1970s. Many students were economically disadvantaged. Ella Barnes Junior High School predominantly Mexican-American school (Mexican school). The student makeup was 90% percent Hispanic and 10% percent African American. (Ref: https://repository.tcu.edu/bitstream/handle/116099117/17493/White_tcu_0229M_10789.pdf?sequence=1)
Barnes Junior High School was shut down by Corpus Christi Independent School District in 1977 due to the student population being racially unbalanced.
“The plan calls for ninth graders from Driscoll, Barnes, Martin and Cunningham to be transferred to Miller and Moody high schools. In addition, Barnes Junior High School would be closed and the seventh and eighth graders divided between Driscoll and Martin junior high schools. These students are more than 90 per cent minority and will increase the minority enrollment at Driscoll. Williams said that Barnes was chosen for closing because it was one of four junior high schools which exceed the 75:25 ratios set by the court. Reducing this number will favorably affect the plan, he said. Cox has required the 75:25 ratio for the elementary schools but said he is not requiring a "precise-ratio" for junior highs. The number of elementary students bused across town will jump from 1,575 this year to 1,903 next year.”
Ella Barnes Junior High School would be closed with those students either going to Driscoll Junior High School or Martin Junior High School. (Ref: https://tamucc-ir.tdl.org/bitstream/handle/1969.6/87829/Jones_Jamie_Thesis.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y)
Barnes Junior High School would be demolished in 2008 during the 2008-2009 school year.
Barnes Junior High School was located at 3102 Highland Avenue, Corpus Christi, Texas, US 78405.
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