City View School

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm gonna give it a little room to breathe. Way back in 1889, out on the rolling ground northwest of what would become the heart of Wichita County, somebody drew a line on a map and called it Common School District No. 8. Not exactly a name that rolls off the tongue around a campfire, but it did the job.

Now, the original schoolhouse sat about two miles northwest of where you're standin' today, and from up there, you had yourself a commanding view of the surrounding city. The students noticed. Students always notice the things that matter.

And so, in the way that young people have of cutting straight to the point, they renamed the place City View School. Just like that. The view did the naming.

Now the school carried that name forward, and in 1926 it picked up and moved to this very site. The building it settled into was something to behold, mission revival architecture all the way, the kind of facade that made people stop and stare. Somebody started calling it The Alamo, and that nickname stuck the way good nicknames do.

By 1960, growth had outpaced the old Alamo, and a new facility replaced it. Then in 1961, after years of steady expansion, City View School was officially designated an independent school district. A number of buildings have been added to the campus over the years since.

Started as District No. 8. Renamed by the kids who looked out and saw something worth remembering. That's not a bad origin for a school that just kept on growing.

What the marker says

Created in 1889 as Common School District No. 8, City View School was renamed by its students because of its original site (ca. 2 miles northwest) which featured a commanding view of the surrounding city. The school was relocated in 1926 to this site, in a building nicknamed "The Alamo" because of its mission revival architecture. It was replaced by a new facility in 1960. Experiencing steady growth, City View School was officially designated an independent school district in 1961. A number of buildings have been added to the campus over the years. (1990)