"My Old School"
Raleigh, NC - December 2008 (Click to embiggen)
Through those trees sits the oldest high school in Raleigh that's still standing, and my alma mater. Needham B. Broughton High School, home of the Capitals, bedecked in royal purple and gold, and scene of much craziness back in the day.
The original building, which is what you can see from here, opened in 1929 and has been expanded several times probably tripling in size. The rumor among my classmates was that the site was selected because one M. Davis, my 20th Century American History teacher sophomore year, had been teaching on that spot since 1925 and they simply found it easier to build the school around her.
While the rumor may not be wholly accurate (the dates are still in dispute I'm told), I can tell you that the school was named in honor of Needham Bryant Broughton (1848-1914), a Raleigh printer who apparently coughed up great wads of cash to the Wake County Public School System. The school is now an International Baccalaureate Magnet School, a classification that came well after my high school days.
Arguably the most famous Broughtonite (Broughtonian? Broughtoner?) to pass through these hallowed halls was "Pistol" Pete Maravich, former basketball star who passed up playing for his dad Press Maravich at NC State to take his show to LSU and later to the NBA. But while The Pistol may be the most famous individual, the 170-member marching band was one of only six high school bands invited to participate in the 2008 Tournament of Roses Parade. They were the fourth band from North Carolina and the first from Raleigh to be invited in the parade's history.
Athletics was a thin spot for the Caps in my day. The men's basketball team had some success, advancing to the state final four in two of my first three years there. The football team was ... how to put this?... abysmal in those two years, but picked up steam my senior year just as the basketball team was fading. The soccer, cross country and tennis teams were somewhat competitive, but who cares?. (Hint: We didn't, other than the few dozen who participated in these sport... and their parents.)
Holliday Gym, where the aforementioned basketball team played, was at that time the largest high school gym in the state. Now, I understand, it's been replaced.
It wasn't my favorite place, but I did spend three years of my life there. You'd think I'd remember more about it. It's hell getting old.
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23 comments:
Interesting look into the past that's Mojo! LoL! Have a good one!
Love it.
We have a IB school here which looks like that, beautiful old building. But quality of school deteriorated a little as they started to shuffle kids from this zone to that zone!
gotta love our high schools. enjoyed your post. so pistol pete was an alumnus...great.
have a greet week.
I also like to see and look for a long time on my alma mater. So many memories come in mind.
Haha - love the story about the building (or extensions) of the school around the teacher ;)
What a beautiful building. Lucky you - it looks like a beautiful area to sit outside and eat lunch or hang out with friends. My schools were all very bland and institutional looking.
Nice looking school. I enjoyed reading about your school. Took me back to memories of mine - blue and gold. :-)
Great post, Mojo! Really enjoyed reading about your high school! A fun look back -- only problem with me doing that is it's such a LONG way back!!! Have a great week! And thanks for sharing a bit of Your World!
Mojo: What a fun post from your youth. Pistol Pete was quite the player.
They knew how to build them back in the day.
Thanks for the walk down memory lane.
Mojo - don't be bashful - I think you are the most famous Broughtonite! Great fun story.
Well Mojo, at least your school was beautiful too look at! Mine was a rectangular box from the 60s and the inside was not much better.
Beatiful, love your entry today.
Mary Elizabeth @ Now and Then
Thanks for sharing this Mojo! And a beautiful school - mine was something....well, nothing really! Walls and a roof I guess! :)
You guys sure have alot of beautiful locations in Raleigh, great photo. Oh yeah, big game coming up, I'm cheerin for you guys over the Devils even though I am now rooting for the Blackhawks since my Habs are toast.
Have a great week.
Guy
Regina In Pictures
Beautiful locations is right Guy D. Too remember one's school so fondly is a fabulous idea for a my world. Very descriptive narrative. Those were the days.
Thank you for sharing an interesting post and photo!
And thanks for visiting me. =)
Lovely building tho. I know those competitive parents! My daughter is only in elementary school, but it already seems like World War III to them ;).
You must have missed HS. Nice shot.
Oh what memories our school days dredge forth. Beautiful school.
I don't think it ever came up that we both went to Broughton. I went there the fall of 1972 and was there until the fall of 1974 when I went away to a boarding school for my last year of high school. Going away to school made me appreciate that there were worse places than Broughton, ha. It was my choice to go away to school and wasn't one of my brightest moves.
very cool, everything where I live even my school is Spanish style its nice to the beautiful stone work in this!
http://aguthrieimages.wordpress.com/2009/04/27/thats-my-world-ruby-tuesday/
It's a stately old building. Funny about the rumor of the school being built around the history teacher!
And how do you feel about turning the front lawn into a parking lot? I haven't seen much about it lately, but there was sure a firestorm there for a while.
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