I went to the best high school on the planet. You might say the same thing about yours. I hope you do. Parkersburg High School itself is older than 100 years, but the current building opened its doors on August 29, 1917. It is a gorgeous building that looks much more like a college campus than that of a high school. When the old school became woefully inadequate, the person charged with purchasing land for the new building ruffled a lot of feathers when he bought nearly thirty acres of swamp, cattails, and quicksand. The swamp was filled in and the building went up, without the wings. They were added later.

I was given many gifts at my alma mater. I was exposed to such sports as fencing, handball, and gymnastics. I enjoyed art and actually met Mr. FixIt when I was painting the backdrops for a play and he was on the stage crew. I took all the typical college prep classes even though I didn’t go to college. I went to x-ray school after I graduated. I was offered Home Economics and Latin and Typing. I had a well-rounded education. But the greatest gift I received from my high school years was the gift of music. While I was not selected for the elite A Capella Choir, I did participate in the Girl’s Choir and loved it very much. Some of my sweetest memories involve performing in front of the large crowds in the auditorium or the field house (pictured here).

We were the Big Red Indians…Big Reds for short. When the Centennial Celebration was being planned a year ago, the call went out for former A Capella Choir members to join in a combined Alumni Choir to perform with the current choir members. Tuesday night, I had the pleasure of attending this performance and it was wonderful. I saw friends I hadn’t seen since we graduated. The music was amazing. When I went to high school, the band took pride in being an All Male Military Marching Band. I graduated in 1971…girls were not allowed to wear pants to school until my senior year. It’s a different world now, and the changes are much for the better. The band was top notch. The Drum Major led them with precision and a practiced professionalism far beyond her years. My favorite part of the program was the final two songs…The Hallelujah Chorus and The Alma Mater. I cried and my heart burst with Big Red Pride.

Is it odd to feel such intense loyalty to a high school? I didn’t have the college experience so I don’t have that to compare it with. But I do know, a great sense of pride was instilled in us when we first stepped foot on that campus. The first day of our sophomore year, when we finally got to be a Big Red student, we were ushered into the stadium and learned about this revered school. It was an honor and a privilege to attend this school. We were informed we were “sophomores”…that’s pronounced with three syllables, not two. We were taught The Alma Mater by Mrs. Jean Singer…The A Capella Choir Director (who joined another former director and the current director in last night’s performance). We were taught how to enunciate the words and not slide them together. This was heady stuff to a teenage girl full of wide eyed innocence.

Yes, we are proud of our school. She’s the “Grande Dame” of Dudley Avenue. And one thing every graduate will tell you…

“Once a Big Red, Always a Big Red”! ❤️

“Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭21:21‬ ‭NIV‬‬