The Mice Years
at Newport News High School
3100 Huntington Avenue, Newport News, VA 23607


THAT EXTRA YEAR OF SCHOOL
Transitioning from eleven to twelve years in the Newport News School System

The Feb. 1946 Anchor shows an 8th Grade Class. This indicates the beginning of the twelve year span in Sept. 1945. The stretch to 12 years was begun by injecting what was called an 8th grade into the high school. The choice at that time was to put these newly ordained 8th graders in with the high schoolers. Perhaps there was a long term vision of revising the schools into an elementary, junior high, and high school pattern. Hampton (and E. C. Co.) started down that road when they built George Wythe Junior High School in the late 1930s.

I think the track of that original 8th grade (mice) class would be:

Feb. 46 - 8 low
June 46 - 8 high
Feb. 47 - 9 low (upper classes shown as 2 high through 4 low).
June 47 - 9 high ( upper classes shown as 3 low though 4 low).

1948 - The 1948 Anchor was the first consolidated one including classes finishing in Feb. and June. Apparently there was only the single graduation ceremony in June. There is a stunning announcement on page 33 that there will no longer be Feb. entering classes. As a result there is no junior class listed in this Anchor. Also there is no 10 low. Those original mice have magically become high sophomores.

1949 (my last Anchor) The original mice are now listed as "low seniors."

1950 - I think this is the graduation year for those original mice. Will check with Ralph Wicke, Class of 1950 to confirm and check terminology.
 

- Fred Field (June '45) of CA - 03/24/10
Thanks so much, Fred!

Fred,
 
I was in the "first 8th grade class".

I went to Wilson Elementary School near Pear Avenue for 4 years - Miss Bush (1st grade teacher). From there it was to Walter Reed School in the East End on 25th Street, then to NNHS for grades 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.
 

I remember being upset that Charles (Wicke - June '45) did not have to go through the 8th grade and I did.

The first 8th grade class graduated in 1950.

David Topping was in the class. The Anchor listed the following information for David -
DAVID M. TOPPING, General Course
Band; Home Room 309
 
Send me your mailing address and I will send you a copy of the page where David is listed.
Peace - One of the original Mice.

- Ralph Wicke (50) - 03/25/10
Thank you, Ralph!

(This page was created on 11/10/10.)

Mouse clip art courtesy of http://ngfl.northumberland.gov.uk/clipart/Animals/pages/mouse_jpg.htm - 11/10/10

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