Buckeye Union High School District
Encyclopedia
The Buckeye Union High School District #201 (BUHSD) is a school district
serving the town of Buckeye, Arizona
and the far southern section of the city of Goodyear, Arizona
. Situated approximately 30 miles west of Phoenix, Arizona
the District serves approximately 3710 students in three traditional high schools and one alternative school
. The District was founded in 1913 as Buckeye School District #33 and was later renamed to its current Buckeye Union High School District in 1930.
It operates Buckeye Union
, Estrella Foothills
, and Youngker
high schools, as well as The Learning Center, an alternative school. Dr. Beverly Hurley has been the Superintendent
since 2003.
or at another accredited institution.
In February 1928 the Buckeye Board of Trustees authorized a bond
election for a new high school to be built at another site in Buckeye. Land was donated by local residents and, in September of 1929, the doors of the new high school building built by Buckeye School District #33 opened at 902 Eason Avenue with approximately 60 students enrolled. At the same time a movement within the community advocated for the creation of a union high school, and a proposition was presented to voters living in the local school districts
to establish a new and separate union high school district. The proposition reportedly had widespread support in all districts except one and the measure passed with little opposition.
The new Buckeye Union High School Board
was certified in a joint board meeting on June 24, 1929. The new board held an election, was organized and soon earned its accreditation from North Central Association of Secondary Schools
. In the first year of the newly christened Buckeye Union High School
, about 100 students worked under five teachers. Subjects taught were restricted to three years of English (taught every other year) with the teaching of English IV as an alternative, two years of math, language and history, and one year each of typing, shorthand, bookkeeping, government, and biology. No vocational work was offered.
Many school traditions began in 1925 with the inclusion of most interscholastic sports teams, although the first football team was organized in 1923. At the time, the athletic teams were known as the "Wildcats”, but in 1929, the BUHS Mascot became the "Hawks" narrowly defeating the “Farmers” in a school wide vote. Also in 1925, the first yearbook was published and called "El Ocotillo", followed by "The Buckeye"" in 1929. It was not until 1935 the student body changed the name to the "Falcon" to distinguish it from the school newspaper, the “Hawk". In 1924, the school song "Hurrah for the Blue and Gold" was written. The BUHS Fight Song, "BUHS, Hats Off To You" became the more popular school song in the mid-1960's.
Additional facilities soon became necessary as the student population expanded from 60 students in 1929 to 229 in 1941. . The auditorium, the east and west wings, and the gymnasium were added to the original Eason Avenue facility during the summer and fall of 1929. During the Depression years, with the assistance of the Works Progress Administration, a shop and garage were built, plus additional auditorium dressing rooms, tennis courts, and a football field with lights and bleachers.
Throughout the 1950s growth and a need to update aging facilities spawned a period of growth to the school’s physical campus. In 1950, with enrollment growing to 280 students, the District completed the “B” wing of the school, and a new football field was built in its present location, just north of the school. The middle of the decade witnessed the old gymnasium torn down and a new one built while the front part of the shop area was rebuilt in 1959. The baseball field in Buckeye Park was also finished in 1959 and was later named Ellis Field on April 23rd, 1960 in honor of Principal Alvin E. Ellis who had died the previous school year.
Beginning in 1960, with an approximate enrollment of 550, Chester D. McNabb was hired as BUHSD’s first superintendent
. During his twenty-year tenure, the District saw unprecedented growth both in enrollment and the physical campus. The “C”, “D”, and “E” wings were added to accommodate the student body, as it increased to 832 students by 1975. A library
was completed in 1975 and quickly became the hub of the educational system on campus. There were also multiple additions to the football stadium, and the campus was landscaped with numerous palm and mulberry trees. The size of the faculty nearly doubled by 1975, and new programs in vocational education began. With the passing of the Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972
by the United States Congress
, the girls’ athletic program
began to evolve beyond a simple tennis
program into a full interscholastic athletic department.
While the District’s enrollment stabilized and averaged just over 800 students throughout the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s, the community showed their support for the school passing bonds in 1980 and 1990. The funds raised through the issuance of the bonds allowed BUHSD to expand and update its facilities, including the construction of a campus fully networked
by computers to meet the current and future education needs of its students. As a result of these measures, when the BUHS’s enrollment boomed from 830 students in 1993 to 947 students in 1995, the District was prepared to handle the quick influx of new students. BUHS saw its enrollment cross the millennium mark with 1,029 students, and it has remained above that mark ever since. Eventually, enrollment plateaued at 1,646 students during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 school years.
Because of consistently high growth within the District’s boundaries, a new school had to be built to alleviate the pressure on the District’s lone high school, Buckeye Union
. Groundbreaking for Estrella Foothills High School (EFHS)
was held Sept. 20, 2000, and opening ceremonies and classes began on August 31, 2002. Foothills, as it is commonly called, opened with approximately 150 freshmen, a new mascot the “Wolf”
, and is located at 13033 S. Estrella Parkway in Goodyear, Arizona
.
The District’s third school became official in the fall of 2003, with the establishment of the Buckeye Academy. This alternative school is designed for students who have had difficulty succeeding in a traditional high school setting. Approximately 30 students were enrolled at the campus located in the old Masonic Lodge building on 4th Street and Narramore in Buckeye. The school’s lead teacher was Johnny Ray. In 2011, a new facility was built at 751 N. 215th Avenue in Buckeye. The new facility, now named the BUHSD Learning Center, focuses on a dual role of accommodating special needs students living within BUHSD’s boundaries and neighboring communities and computer based instruction for students seeking an alternative learning environment.
During the 2001-02 school year, plans were made through Student First Legislature Plan to renovate the school, whose main building was built in 1929. Construction for the new facilities began on January 24, 2003 with the footprint of the new BUHS campus located just east of the football stadium. Plans also called for the original building on Eason Avenue to become District offices. On December 19, 2003, movers came to the old campus and on January 5, 2004, students began the New Year on the new campus. The demolition of the old B-C-D-E wings and of the Maintenance, Industrial Arts and Agriculture areas began as construction continued and the new campus began to take shape over the next two years with a new gymnasium, tennis courts, and parking lots. BUHS finished the renovation of its current campus by adding a new Performing Arts Center and refurbished Ellis Baseball Field in 2008.
The district continued to grow with the ground breaking of Youngker High School
on April 17th, 2006 located at 3000 S. Apache Road in Buckeye. Youngker officially opened in August, 2007 with approximately 300 students, and a new mascot, the “Rough Riders”
. Johnny Ray, formerly the lead teacher at Buckeye Academy, was called on to be YHS’s first principal. Because of Youngker’s close proximity to BUHS, Buckeye Union’s student enrollment decreased to 1,499 in 2009 and has since fallen to 1,136 for the 2011-12 school year.
The historic A Wing of the original Buckeye Union High School, now owned by the Town of Buckeye, received national historic designation
on December 30, 2009. As a result, the official street address for BUHS and the District’s offices changed to 1000 E. Narramore instead of 902 E Eason Ave.
In 2011, BUHSD celebrated the 90th anniversary of its first graduating class from Buckeye High School (now Buckeye Union High School
) in 1921.
School district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
serving the town of Buckeye, Arizona
Buckeye, Arizona
Buckeye is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States and is the westernmost suburb in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The population of the town as of Census 2010 was 50,876, a 678% increase from the 2000 population of 6,537.-Geography:...
and the far southern section of the city of Goodyear, Arizona
Goodyear, Arizona
Goodyear is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 65,275...
. Situated approximately 30 miles west of Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
the District serves approximately 3710 students in three traditional high schools and one alternative school
Alternative school
Alternative school is the name used in some parts of the world to describe an institution which provides part of alternative education. It is an educational establishment with a curriculum and methods that are nontraditional...
. The District was founded in 1913 as Buckeye School District #33 and was later renamed to its current Buckeye Union High School District in 1930.
It operates Buckeye Union
Buckeye Union High School
Buckeye Union High School is a high school in Buckeye, Arizona under the jurisdiction of the Buckeye Union High School District. The first students in the town of Buckeye graduated in 1921....
, Estrella Foothills
Estrella Foothills High School
Estrella Foothills High School is a school located in Goodyear, Arizona. The school mascot is the wolf. Estrella Foothills is a part of the Buckeye Union High School District....
, and Youngker
Youngker High School
Youngker High School is a high school in Buckeye, Arizona under the jurisdiction of the Buckeye Union High School District.Its roof sustained damage in the 2011 Phoenix dust storm, causing water damage to several classrooms. Debris shattered two windows....
high schools, as well as The Learning Center, an alternative school. Dr. Beverly Hurley has been the Superintendent
Superintendent (education)
In education in the United States, a superintendent is an individual who has executive oversight and administration rights, usually within an educational entity or organization....
since 2003.
History
As early as 1913, Professor L.O. DuRoss, principal of Buckeye Grammar School published in the local newspaper, the Buckeye Valley News, the need for all nearby school districts to combine resources to form one substantial high school that benefited residents of each district. The Buckeye School District gradually worked toward this goal by adding 10th and 11th grades in 1914 and 12th grade in 1920. By 1921, the Buckeye School qualified enough of its educational program to grant diplomas to two senior students. Then, beginning in 1922, a class graduated each year from the facilities shared with Buckeye Elementary School. It is important to note that prior to 1922, high school seniors had to complete their last year at Phoenix Union High SchoolPhoenix Union High School District
The Phoenix Union High School District is a school district based in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It is one of the state's oldest school districts and its largest high school-only district, serving 26,000 students in 17 schools and employing more than 2,800 people...
or at another accredited institution.
In February 1928 the Buckeye Board of Trustees authorized a bond
Municipal bond
A municipal bond is a bond issued by a city or other local government, or their agencies. Potential issuers of municipal bonds includes cities, counties, redevelopment agencies, special-purpose districts, school districts, public utility districts, publicly owned airports and seaports, and any...
election for a new high school to be built at another site in Buckeye. Land was donated by local residents and, in September of 1929, the doors of the new high school building built by Buckeye School District #33 opened at 902 Eason Avenue with approximately 60 students enrolled. At the same time a movement within the community advocated for the creation of a union high school, and a proposition was presented to voters living in the local school districts
School district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
to establish a new and separate union high school district. The proposition reportedly had widespread support in all districts except one and the measure passed with little opposition.
The new Buckeye Union High School Board
Board of education
A board of education or a school board or school committee is the title of the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or higher administrative level....
was certified in a joint board meeting on June 24, 1929. The new board held an election, was organized and soon earned its accreditation from North Central Association of Secondary Schools
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools , also known as the North Central Association, is a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states, that is engaged in educational accreditation...
. In the first year of the newly christened Buckeye Union High School
Buckeye Union High School
Buckeye Union High School is a high school in Buckeye, Arizona under the jurisdiction of the Buckeye Union High School District. The first students in the town of Buckeye graduated in 1921....
, about 100 students worked under five teachers. Subjects taught were restricted to three years of English (taught every other year) with the teaching of English IV as an alternative, two years of math, language and history, and one year each of typing, shorthand, bookkeeping, government, and biology. No vocational work was offered.
Many school traditions began in 1925 with the inclusion of most interscholastic sports teams, although the first football team was organized in 1923. At the time, the athletic teams were known as the "Wildcats”, but in 1929, the BUHS Mascot became the "Hawks" narrowly defeating the “Farmers” in a school wide vote. Also in 1925, the first yearbook was published and called "El Ocotillo", followed by "The Buckeye"" in 1929. It was not until 1935 the student body changed the name to the "Falcon" to distinguish it from the school newspaper, the “Hawk". In 1924, the school song "Hurrah for the Blue and Gold" was written. The BUHS Fight Song, "BUHS, Hats Off To You" became the more popular school song in the mid-1960's.
Additional facilities soon became necessary as the student population expanded from 60 students in 1929 to 229 in 1941. . The auditorium, the east and west wings, and the gymnasium were added to the original Eason Avenue facility during the summer and fall of 1929. During the Depression years, with the assistance of the Works Progress Administration, a shop and garage were built, plus additional auditorium dressing rooms, tennis courts, and a football field with lights and bleachers.
Throughout the 1950s growth and a need to update aging facilities spawned a period of growth to the school’s physical campus. In 1950, with enrollment growing to 280 students, the District completed the “B” wing of the school, and a new football field was built in its present location, just north of the school. The middle of the decade witnessed the old gymnasium torn down and a new one built while the front part of the shop area was rebuilt in 1959. The baseball field in Buckeye Park was also finished in 1959 and was later named Ellis Field on April 23rd, 1960 in honor of Principal Alvin E. Ellis who had died the previous school year.
Beginning in 1960, with an approximate enrollment of 550, Chester D. McNabb was hired as BUHSD’s first superintendent
Superintendent (education)
In education in the United States, a superintendent is an individual who has executive oversight and administration rights, usually within an educational entity or organization....
. During his twenty-year tenure, the District saw unprecedented growth both in enrollment and the physical campus. The “C”, “D”, and “E” wings were added to accommodate the student body, as it increased to 832 students by 1975. A library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
was completed in 1975 and quickly became the hub of the educational system on campus. There were also multiple additions to the football stadium, and the campus was landscaped with numerous palm and mulberry trees. The size of the faculty nearly doubled by 1975, and new programs in vocational education began. With the passing of the Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972
Title IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a United States law, enacted on June 23, 1972, that amended Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 2002 it was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, in honor of its principal author Congresswoman Mink, but is most...
by the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, the girls’ athletic program
Student athlete
A student athlete is a term used to describe a participant in an organized competitive sport sponsored by the educational institution in which he or she is enrolled, a term primarily used in the United States. It is used to describe the direct balance of a full-time student and a full-time athlete...
began to evolve beyond a simple tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
program into a full interscholastic athletic department.
While the District’s enrollment stabilized and averaged just over 800 students throughout the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s, the community showed their support for the school passing bonds in 1980 and 1990. The funds raised through the issuance of the bonds allowed BUHSD to expand and update its facilities, including the construction of a campus fully networked
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
by computers to meet the current and future education needs of its students. As a result of these measures, when the BUHS’s enrollment boomed from 830 students in 1993 to 947 students in 1995, the District was prepared to handle the quick influx of new students. BUHS saw its enrollment cross the millennium mark with 1,029 students, and it has remained above that mark ever since. Eventually, enrollment plateaued at 1,646 students during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 school years.
Because of consistently high growth within the District’s boundaries, a new school had to be built to alleviate the pressure on the District’s lone high school, Buckeye Union
Buckeye Union High School
Buckeye Union High School is a high school in Buckeye, Arizona under the jurisdiction of the Buckeye Union High School District. The first students in the town of Buckeye graduated in 1921....
. Groundbreaking for Estrella Foothills High School (EFHS)
Estrella Foothills High School
Estrella Foothills High School is a school located in Goodyear, Arizona. The school mascot is the wolf. Estrella Foothills is a part of the Buckeye Union High School District....
was held Sept. 20, 2000, and opening ceremonies and classes began on August 31, 2002. Foothills, as it is commonly called, opened with approximately 150 freshmen, a new mascot the “Wolf”
Gray Wolf
The gray wolf , also known as the wolf, is the largest extant wild member of the Canidae family...
, and is located at 13033 S. Estrella Parkway in Goodyear, Arizona
Goodyear, Arizona
Goodyear is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 65,275...
.
The District’s third school became official in the fall of 2003, with the establishment of the Buckeye Academy. This alternative school is designed for students who have had difficulty succeeding in a traditional high school setting. Approximately 30 students were enrolled at the campus located in the old Masonic Lodge building on 4th Street and Narramore in Buckeye. The school’s lead teacher was Johnny Ray. In 2011, a new facility was built at 751 N. 215th Avenue in Buckeye. The new facility, now named the BUHSD Learning Center, focuses on a dual role of accommodating special needs students living within BUHSD’s boundaries and neighboring communities and computer based instruction for students seeking an alternative learning environment.
During the 2001-02 school year, plans were made through Student First Legislature Plan to renovate the school, whose main building was built in 1929. Construction for the new facilities began on January 24, 2003 with the footprint of the new BUHS campus located just east of the football stadium. Plans also called for the original building on Eason Avenue to become District offices. On December 19, 2003, movers came to the old campus and on January 5, 2004, students began the New Year on the new campus. The demolition of the old B-C-D-E wings and of the Maintenance, Industrial Arts and Agriculture areas began as construction continued and the new campus began to take shape over the next two years with a new gymnasium, tennis courts, and parking lots. BUHS finished the renovation of its current campus by adding a new Performing Arts Center and refurbished Ellis Baseball Field in 2008.
The district continued to grow with the ground breaking of Youngker High School
Youngker High School
Youngker High School is a high school in Buckeye, Arizona under the jurisdiction of the Buckeye Union High School District.Its roof sustained damage in the 2011 Phoenix dust storm, causing water damage to several classrooms. Debris shattered two windows....
on April 17th, 2006 located at 3000 S. Apache Road in Buckeye. Youngker officially opened in August, 2007 with approximately 300 students, and a new mascot, the “Rough Riders”
Rough Riders
The Rough Riders is the name bestowed on the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three such regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish-American War and the only one of the three to see action. The United States Army was weakened and left with little manpower after the American Civil War...
. Johnny Ray, formerly the lead teacher at Buckeye Academy, was called on to be YHS’s first principal. Because of Youngker’s close proximity to BUHS, Buckeye Union’s student enrollment decreased to 1,499 in 2009 and has since fallen to 1,136 for the 2011-12 school year.
The historic A Wing of the original Buckeye Union High School, now owned by the Town of Buckeye, received national historic designation
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on December 30, 2009. As a result, the official street address for BUHS and the District’s offices changed to 1000 E. Narramore instead of 902 E Eason Ave.
In 2011, BUHSD celebrated the 90th anniversary of its first graduating class from Buckeye High School (now Buckeye Union High School
Buckeye Union High School
Buckeye Union High School is a high school in Buckeye, Arizona under the jurisdiction of the Buckeye Union High School District. The first students in the town of Buckeye graduated in 1921....
) in 1921.
Schools
- Buckeye Union High SchoolBuckeye Union High SchoolBuckeye Union High School is a high school in Buckeye, Arizona under the jurisdiction of the Buckeye Union High School District. The first students in the town of Buckeye graduated in 1921....
- Estrella Foothills High SchoolEstrella Foothills High SchoolEstrella Foothills High School is a school located in Goodyear, Arizona. The school mascot is the wolf. Estrella Foothills is a part of the Buckeye Union High School District....
- Youngker High SchoolYoungker High SchoolYoungker High School is a high school in Buckeye, Arizona under the jurisdiction of the Buckeye Union High School District.Its roof sustained damage in the 2011 Phoenix dust storm, causing water damage to several classrooms. Debris shattered two windows....
Feeder Elementary Schools
- Arlington Elementary School
- Bales Elementary School
- Buckeye Elementary School
- Estrella Elementary School
- Freedom Elementary School
- Inca Elementary School
- Liberty Elementary School
- Palo Verde Elementary School
- Rainbow Valley Elementary School
- Steven R. Jasinski Elementary School
- Sundance Elementary School
- Westar Elementary School
- Westpark Elementary School