we-got-this-cruen-main-version-01-05-19039

In 1975, the residents of Jay County, Indiana consolidated their high schools to form Jay County High School. Initial discussions about consolidation began in the 1960s, but faced resistance due to the importance of small schools in their communities. Ultimately, a single high school was approved and construction began in 1971. The school's mascot, the Patriot, was chosen to coincide with the U.S. Bicentennial in 1976. This information was sourced from editorials by Jack Ronald. The next episode will explore student and faculty reactions to the new school. 🎵 The winds of change blew strong in the fall of 1975 for the residents of Jay County, Indiana. An event over ten years in the making had finally arrived when, in the first week of September, over 1,600 students who had previously referred to themselves as owls, bulldogs, wolves, speedcats, and panthers merged through the doors of their newly built, consolidated high school and became Patriots, an occasion that would change the fabric of the community from that day forward. You are listening to Golden, 50 years of Patriot pride, and I'm your host, Melanie Stockton. In this podcast, we will be strolling down memory lane as we revisit a half-century of Jay County high school history. 🎵 While the doors of Jay County High School may have first opened in September of 1975, initial conversations about consolidating the county's existing high schools were held in the early 1960s. At that time, there were eight high schools in the county – Poling, Bryant, Red Key, Dunkirk, Penville, Portland, Madison, and Governor I.P. Gray. These eight schools were represented by just two school districts. But in 1964, a single school district was formed as the result of a special election. This newly formed Jay School Corporation, with an eye to the future, decided to contract with Indiana University to study the corporation's enrollment and facilities. A key recommendation of the study was the, quote, construction of a new senior high school for all Jay County students in grades 10 through 12, end quote. Of course, this recommendation was met with significant resistance. Those small schools were, after all, viewed as the heart and soul of their small towns. In response, stakeholders developed a sort of compromise, an alternate plan that would call for two high schools. But this proposal was shot down by state officials, who believed the plan would place an undue burden on taxpayers. Ultimately, the stage was set, and a week after receiving the state's decision, the board approved the plan to build a single, consolidated high school with a narrow 4-2 vote. So, on December 6, 1971, the architectural firm hired by the corporation presented drawings and proposed that bid letting begin at 7 p.m. on January 11, 1972. Jay County High School was on its way. I hope you've enjoyed hearing about the earliest history of Jay County High School. On our next episode, we will take a look at student and faculty reactions to the new school. But before we wrap up Episode 1, let's take a moment for some Patriot trivia. Did you know that the big bell that is wheeled out for every home basketball game came from one of the original high schools? That's right, the bell came from Bryant High School. Do you know why a Patriot became the mascot? Students on the selection committee recognized that the first class would graduate in 1976, the year of the U.S. Bicentennial. Thanks for listening to Golden, 50 Years of Patriot Pride. I hope you'll join us again next time. The main sources for this episode were a series of editorials by the late Jack Ronald. These editorials ran in the Commercial Review newspaper each Saturday in July and August of 2015. I hope you've enjoyed hearing about the earliest history of Jay County High School. On our next episode, we will take a look at student and faculty relations.