| Auburn High School is located in Riner, Virginia,
a very rural, but expanding community in Southwestern Montgomery County.
The Auburn population is relatively homogeneous, with a limited amount
of ethnic and racial groups. This lack of diversity however, does not keep
students from possessing a wide range of opinions and lifestyles. Auburn
students live in several small surrounding communities consisting of, but
not limited to, Bethel, Chestnut Ridge, Childress, Dry Valley, Little Montgomery,
Pilot, Plum Creek, and Walton.
The first school was located in a one-room log
cabin (the Weaver building) in 1873. In 1898, a two-room building
was constructed with contributions from members of the community. Both
of these schools depended on old-fashioned potbellied stoves for heat.
By 1912, a third building was constructed and this made a four-room school.
The school was upgraded from a junior high school to a state accredited
senior high school in the 1916-1917 school session. The first graduating
class consisted of four members. Transportation to the school was by covered
wagaons and private horses up until 1920 when public school buses began
to be used. In 1924, Auburn became an agricultural high school, creating
the need for more space. To accommodate this need, new rooms were added,
and water fountains were also installed, even though there were still no
restrooms.
The graduating class of 1928 had nine members.
By enrollment, Auburn High School has had the following pupils by decades:
1929-67; 1939-104; 1949-104; 1949-135; 1959-231; 1969-297; 1979-300; 1989-300;
and 1999-359.
Work began on the current building in 1935 on
land purchased from A. O. Salmons, and was financed through the Works Project
Adminstration. On December 16, 1938, the cornerstone of the $85,000 school
was dedicated. The building consisted of 10 classrooms, a library, principal's
office, and a combination gym/auditorium. The first classes were for grades
one through eleven and held in the 1939-1940 school year. In 1941, as a
community project, the log cabin was built to act as a Community Center.
The cafeteria, the science laboratory, three classrooms and two locker
rooms were completed during 1963-1964. The auditorium, gym, four open classrooms,
and the old gym renovated to a new library were completed in 1974-1975.
In 1981, a new industril arts/agriculture wing and a new band wing were
added. The old agriculture building was renovated into a choral room.
In April 1972, Riner Elementary School, composed
of grades one through five, moved into a newly built facility, leaving
grades six through twelve at Auburn. A little over 20 years later,
construction began on a new Auburn Elementary School, which transformed
the existing elementary school into the middle school. In the 1997-1998
session, the elementary students began attending school at the new building,
and a year later, the middle school was relocated to the old elementary
school. Now only grades nine through twelve are in the existing Auburn
High School building. However, the middle and high school still share several
rooms including gym, band, agriculture, shop and choir rooms.
Beginning in 1911, eleven prinicpals served one
to two-year terms until 1926 when Mr. D.M. Cloyd served four years. From
1930-1946, Mr. L.E. Mosely was principal; from 1946-1971, Mr. Manuel Reynolds
served. From 1972-1977, Mr. Sam Lucas was principal. From 1977-1979, Mr.
Ralph Erwin, Jr., served as principal. Mr. Daniel H. Surface and Mr. Michael
W.Callahan, served as principals in 1979 and 1980. Mr. Robert K. Miller,
served as principal from 1981 until 2001. Mr. Carl L. Pauli became principal
in the fall of 2001. |
