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Magnolia Avenue High School Building and the Administrative Structure of Schooling



Magnolia Avenue High School
The school was renamed Bowman High School during the 1945-1946 school year
in memory of its beloved principal, J. G. H. Bowman.

Mr. Bowman was instrumental in purchasing land adjacent to the school,
in order to provide a playground for the students.

                   


Louise Murray Stewart

“Magnolia Avenue High School was a remarkable educational and social center for the African American community of Vicksburg. In addition to giving us a wonderful education, the school provided activities—social gatherings—every Friday night. We would have dances in the hallways at the school. A safe place for us to meet became an important function for the school.”
Louise Murray Stewart

      


from Secondary School Study documents:

Magnolia Avenue High School, Vicksburg, Mississippi
J.G.H. Bowman, Principal to 1944
Katie M. Washington, Principal 1944-


 "Magnolia High School is a combination public four-year high school and six-year elementary school located in Vicksburg, the county seat of Warren county. It is the only senior high school for Negroes in the city. There are twenty-two teachers, including the principal. Twelve of these are high school teachers. The total enrollment of the school is more than 800. About 300 of this number make up the high school department. The high school courses offered include science (chemistry, biology, general science); algebra, first and second year; social studies, economics, sociology, World, American, and Negro histories; civics and problems of democracy; English (through the four years); clothing; foods; typing and shorthand, and shop work for the boys. The shop classes are conducted in a separate building. School begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 3:50 p.m. The periods are 60 minutes long. There is a lunch period, a recess period, and an activity period each day. On Friday the latter period is used as an assembly period for all classes in school above the third grade. Our present set-up is conducted along semi-traditional lines. A large part of the responsibility for providing the plant and facilities has been taken by the Negro community. Citizens equipped the science room at a cost of $2,000, equipped music room, orchestra, and the business department and bought the playground space used by the school."

from W. H. Brown & W. A. Robinson,
Serving Negro Schools: A Report on the Secondary School Study (1946)
                   
   


“There seemed to be no tracking in the high school curriculum. If students had a special interest in an occupation, they would be encouraged to pursue this topic. Now, there were courses in math for those who were not interested in that subject—so some took calculus and others took business math. But students seemed not to be assigned tracks according to intelligence or socio-economic levels.” Edgar E. Smith

Edgar E. Smith
                     
   

Note: We have yet to find a true period photograph of Magnolia Avenue High School. If any alumni own a photograph of the school from the 1940s, please contact Dr. Kridel [craig@sc.edu] so that duplication may be arranged.

       

The Museum of Education hopes that someday the site of this magnificent school could be restored and serve, once again, as a source of pride for the Vicksburg community.

 


       
         


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