Avalon Independent School District

 

One definition of the word “tradition” reads: a long-established action or pattern of behavior in a community or group of people, often one that has been handed down from generation to generation (Bing). Traditions can be within families such as on holidays, communities such as Founders Day, groups such as sorority or fraternity rituals, or even between two friends on special occasions.

 

During my 18 years here at Avalon ISD, I have come to know the traditions within our school and within our community. As we have gone through the renovation of the J.P. Griffith Gymnasium, I have come to more dearly understand another time, another era, of this district’s history. We are having a special ceremony on February 11 to dedicate the gymnasium once again to Mr. J.P. Griffith. The gymnasium was originally dedicated to him upon his retirement in 1961 after serving Avalon ISD for 35 years as superintendent. It was in my search of learning about Mr. Griffith that I gained a more personal sense of what our school community is all about.

 

The main thing I learned: although times change, it is the heart of the people who have walked these halls that has lived on and is evident in the heart of the people who are here today.

 

Mr. Griffith came to Avalon in 1925. The school was a wooden structure situated where the Griffith Gymnasium is now. It was what was called a “common school” and the Board of Trustees and Mr. Griffith made it their mission to see that Avalon had a state accredited school system. To do that required many things, including a library, cafeteria and gymnasium. It was during the time of the Great Depression that Avalon was chosen through the Works Progress Administration for a new school to be built. That school is now our elementary school. Once the new building was completed in 1938, the old school was removed and a new gymnasium was immediately built – the Griffith gymnasium. The dining area of the gymnasium served as the school cafeteria well into the 1970s.

 

This building would not only host basketball games and serve during the day for physical education and student breakfast and lunch, it would also be the center of activity for the district. Queen coronations, banquets, plays, graduations and award dinners were also held in this school facility. As we have heard from many alumni, this gymnasium holds many special memories of student life at Avalon ISD. It is a place of tradition that was carried on from year to year, class to class, generation to generation. It was one part of the “heart” of Avalon ISD. That is why it was important to restore and preserve the J. P. Griffith Gymnasium. 

 

The past six months have gone by quickly as we have seen the transformation of this historic building. Restoring the J. P. Griffith gymnasium has been a labor of love for all of us involved. The new coats of paint, the new roof and siding, the new floor, and that magnificent “Flying Eagle” on center court, each filled us with a new sense of pride in the history of our school.

 

In this process, we have developed a Facebook page dedicated to the history of Avalon Independent School District. We have gone back through all of the editions of the school yearbook, the “Avilion”, and have posted hundreds of pictures there. Documenting the history of our school district is one that will continue and expand as we learn more through documents and from our alumni. Join us there! Search for Avalon ISD – A Historical Perspective on Facebook and click “Like” to receive updates as we continue to work on this project.

 

We hope to see you here at Avalon ISD on February 11 when we open the doors to a new generation of tradition for the J. P. Griffith gymnasium.