DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about public education in Anna, Texas — and friend, this is a story about folks who decided, from the very beginning, that their kids were going to have every chance in the world. Anna was founded in 1883 with a population of twenty people. Twenty.
You could've fit the whole town in a single church pew and still had room for the collection plate. And yet, right out of the gate, those earliest citizens were determined that their children should have the best educational opportunities possible. That's not ambition — that's stubbornness, and I mean that as the highest compliment a Texan can offer.
Now, the town itself was named for the daughter of a Houston and Texas Central Railroad official. Twenty people, a railroad connection, and a whole lot of resolve. By 1885 — just two years in — Anna had sought and been granted Collin County School District Number 23.
A former teacher and future mayor by the name of J.L. Greer deeded a two-and-a-half acre tract of land on this very site for a hundred and twenty-five dollars. That man had one foot in the classroom and one foot in city hall, and he put both of them to work for the children of Anna.
A small frame building went up and served as the school for the next couple of decades. Now I want you to sit with that for a moment — a little frame schoolhouse, out on the Texas prairie, holding every dream this young town had for its young people. It did its job.
But in 1909, the school district became one of very few incorporated school districts in all of Collin County, and these folks were not about to let that distinction go unmarked. They erected a more visionary three story edifice. Three stories.
In a town that started with twenty souls. That building was a statement. Time kept moving, as it tends to do.
By 1939, the younger students were being taught in small wooden buildings, and enrollment had climbed all the way to three hundred and fifty. So a new building went up — W.L. Roper High School, named in honor of a longtime educator who had served the schools from early in the century all the way through 1943 as principal and superintendent.
W.L. Roper's devotion to those students ran so deep that two of his former students followed in his footsteps and became educators themselves. That right there is what a life well-spent looks like.
The story doesn't stop with Roper. A new elementary school went up in 1974. A new high school was built in 1987 — complete with a cafetorium, a library, offices, and a gymnasium.
The community and its educational system, the marker tells us, continue to grow. From twenty people with a frame building and a borrowed two-and-a-half acres, to three stories of ambition, to a high school built for the future — Anna, Texas never once stopped believing its children were worth the investment. Some towns talk about their values.
Anna built them in wood and brick and kept building, one generation at a time.
What the marker says
The earliest citizens of Anna were determined that their children should have the best educational opportunities possible. Founded in 1883 with a population of twenty, Anna was named for the daughter of a Houston & Texas Central Railroad official. In 1885, the town sought and was granted Collin County School District Number 23. Former teacher and future mayor J.L. Greer deeded a 2.5 acre tract of land on this site for $125. A small frame building served as a school until 1909, when the school district became one of very few incorporated school districts in Collin County. In keeping with their new status, the citizens erected a more visionary three story edifice. The younger students were taught in small wooden buildings by 1939. Since enrollment had reached 350, a new building, W.L. Roper High School, was opened in honor of a longtime educator who served the schools from early in the century until 1943 as principal and superintendent. His devotion inspired two former students, who followed in his footsteps. A new elementary school went up in 1974; a new high school was built in 1987 and includes a cafetorium, library, offices, and a gymnasium. The community and its educational system continue to grow. (1997)