History of Star Spencer

Star Spencer High School traces its old roots to the “War Babies” of the Second World War.  When Tinker Air Force Base, just to the south, converted from war to peace time operations, employed many war veterans, and new housing developments went up on every vacant lot, the small country schools of the Spencer and Star communities were inadequate to hold those war babies as they reached school age.  Therefore the elementary schools of Star and Spencer were expanded to include Green Pastures, Telestar, and Willow Brook Elementary School.  As those war babies reached high school age, they were being transferred to the Choctaw, Jones, Midwest City and Oklahoma City schools.  At that time the people were faced with the problem of annexation to the Midwest City school system, which most patrons felt was barely able to take care of the children of their own community.  With the community growing so rapidly, the patrons had a vision of a high school in the future, so the vote to annex to Midwest City was brought up and defeated twice. 

In 1955 ten acres of ground was purchased on North Spencer Road from Mr. W.H. Weinger for $5000.00.  Seven classrooms, a principal’s office, kitchen and cafeteria were built and ready for occupancy by October 1956.  Fred Caviness was the teaching principal and “Spencer Road School” was the beginnings of a dream come true.  The first plan was to begin with a junior high school and gradually grew into a complete high school, but according to state law, an entire high school had to be established, so the seventh and eighth grade students from the elementary schools were sent to the Spencer Road School, with ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grades added the next year.  Mr. William C. Gregory was transferred from Star Elementary as the high school principal.  Because of ill health, Mr. Gregory retired at the end of the school year, and Mr. Raymond Harvey was employed as superintendent, with Mr. C.W. Earnest serving as principal.  In hiring teachers for the new highs school, Mr. Harvey gave preference to those who had high school age children who could play football, basketball, or play an instrument in the band.  

During the year 1958-59 the school was officially named Star-Spencer High School, navy blue and white was the school colors, and a Bobcat was the mascot.  Star-Spencer became an accredited high school and a member of the North Central Association.  Classrooms were still at a premium for the growing number students, and some classes were held in school buses.  In February 1959, Star-Spencer suffered a great loss when the temporary building that housed the band equipment and woodshop burned. A Band Booster club was organized to aid the development of the instrumental music program shortly after the beginning of school, but after the fire, their efforts were directed in helping replace instruments destroyed by the fire. Mr. Lyle Work was the band director. The first class graduate from Star Spencer High School was May 1959, with 25 graduating seniors.

Star Spencer kept up the tradition of growing, and the time had come for more assistance than the County Superintendent could provide, so during the 1959-60 school year, patrons went to the polls and annexed to the Oklahoma City School District, and on January 5, 1960, Star Spencer High School merged with Oklahoma City and became a part of Independent School District I-89.  Mr. Harvey remained as area superintendent, with Mr. C.W. Earnest, high school principal, Mr. Jim Tomlinson, junior high principal and Mrs. Eleanor Lane, Counselor.  Star Spencer had now grown to an enrollment of 1025 with 30 classrooms, an auto mechanic shop, two industrial arts rooms, a special education building, a band room, a girl’s gym equipped with showers and dressing rooms, showers and dressing rooms added to the boy’s gym and a garage repair shop for the 15 buses that transported students to and from school.  Mr. Harvey retired at the close of the school year, Mr. Earnest transferred to another school, and Mr. A.R. Reeder was appointed principal, with Mr. Sizemore Bowlan, vice principal.  The number of counselors was increased to three, and a school nurse, Florene Walker, was hired. 

Over the next two years, more construction took place and the school year 1965-66 closed with 40 regular classrooms, nine temporary classrooms, with three classes held in the auditorium.  The latest additions were band room, music room, auto mechanics, new offices, teacher’s lounge, material center, speech room and the auditorium with a seating capacity of 900.  Mr. Ted Perdue and Mr. Tomlinson were vice principals.  The junior class won first place honors every year until Mrs. Metheny retired in 1977.  The peak enrollment was reached this year with 1,805 students, 189 of those, graduating seniors. 

The year 1967-68 was a winning year for the baseball team who won the state championship.  Mr. Dawkins worked for expansion and beautification of the campus area in 1968-69.  Rogers Middle School for grades six through eight came in to being in the school year, 1969-70.  Carl Twidwell, athletic director and football coach, was made vice principal.  Under the direction of the new football coach, Mr. Carl Smith, the Bobcats shut out two conference foes and became Capitol Conference Co-Champions in football.  The Bobcat cross-country team took runner-up honors in the State 3-A meet for the second straight year.  Bobcat wrestlers retained their Capitol Conference title, crowning four champions, and outdistancing three other high schools in the conference tournament.

The school year 1971-72 welcomed Mr. James Sandage as principal, and a brand new addition, Security Guard, Mr. Bruce Bailey.  Arcadia High School students were transferred to Star-Spencer for the school year 1972-73.  In the fall of 1973 Dungee High School was closed and the students were transferred to Star-Spencer.  Mr. James Nees was principal, with Ollie Cooper and Basil McCollom new vice principals, along with John Moore.  For the third year a student from Star-Spencer was chosen Boy-Of-The-Month by the Exchange Club of Oklahoma City; five for Hi-Lions, and five for citizenship awards.  Math teacher, J.H. Bowman, was appointed the new head football coach and athletic director.  The Counselors were: Seniors-Marge Watters; Juniors-Richard Berry; Sophomores-Hallie Knight, Freshman-Judy Legg. 

The year 1974-75 saw the usual Star-Spencer activities, such as band and choral concerts, class elections, pep rallies, talent shows, Toys for Tots, Walk for Mankind, door and hall decorations, homecoming parade, thespian plays, Powder Puff Derby, modern dance and gymnastics programs, assorted assemblies including the Grambling Band, and an especially interesting presentation by Mrs. Pam Willis, a widely traveled teacher, on her trip to Russia. 

The 1975-76 school year created a sad memory when the Pep Club bus chartered for the Guymon-Star-Spencer game overturned on the way home.  Luckily most of the injuries were minor cuts and bruises.  The Bobcat football team went to the state 3A playoffs for the second year, and being rated number one after winning State was a great experience for the Bobcat basketball squad.  Since this was the bi-centennial year, the History Club toured Washington, D.C. during the Spring Break.  The end of school was most exciting.  There were more banquets, assemblies, the prom, award assemblies, and then—graduation!

The year 1976-77 had for its motto, “The Shape of Things To Come.”  Star-Spencer was in a three-way tie for first place in the football Capitol Conference with Southeast and Douglass and another State Championship was earned by the Bobcat basketball team.  Winner of the Best Legs Contest sponsored by the Key Club was none other than our distinguished band director, Mr. Richard Burrell.

The school year 1977-78 started out with a new principal, Dr. Leon Edd and several new classes including Carpentry, Child Care and Horticulture.  For the third year the Bobcat basketball team won the State Championship. 

Looking back to the beginning, the ebb and flow of students and teachers can be compared to the sands and tides of the oceans.  Teachers that started at the beginning and are still with us include Mrs. Jean Hartis, Mr. Emile Delsigne, and Mr. Ward McCaskill.  Mr. R.C. Poteet is retired, but still substituting.  In the past, Star-Spencer has had three graduates accepted by the U.S. Air Force Academy, and one graduate by the U.S. Naval Academy.  The whole of Star-Spencer can be compared to the melting pot communities of large metropolitan cities:  White, Black, Portuguese, Iranian, German, Indian, Hawaiian, Vietnamese, and French are just a few of the ethnic groups who have graced the halls of Star-Spencer.  1959-2002- the dream goes on…