June 22, 2000 – Bruce High School was erected in 1928. It was a consolidation of ten different community schools. The communities- Sarepta, Antioch, Ellard, Old Town, Banner, Loyd, Mt. Moriah, Lantrip, Reid and Pittsboro- were scattered across the county.
On March 1, 1929, a special election ordered by the Board of Supervisors, was held to issue bonds amounting to $20,000 for the purpose of building a school in the Bruce school district. This election carried substantial support and the school bonds were issued and sold March 1, 1929.
After the sale of the bonds, the construction of the Bruce High School commented in the 1929-30 school term, and was completed during the 1930-31 school term. During the 1929-30 term, the school held classes in the Bruce City Hall.
When the school building was completed, many parents and students spent the day cleaning the building and the campus. This was a community effort to save money.
The high school was located on property where the middle school by Zack Hasting, grandfather to Gaye May.
The Bruce-Houlka highway was the only way a car would get to the new high school. The only other route was a “cow path” by the First Baptist Church.
At this time there were two high schools— one for black students and one for white students. The high school for blacks was called North Calhoun. It was located on property where Bruce Elementary School is now.
During the first term, the main building was the only part that classes were held, but by the next term, 1931-32, the school was complete with two rooms added on to both sides of the main building.
The school started its first football team during the 1931-32 term, bu they didn’t have a name. My grandfather John E. Bagwell, who was a teacher from 1948-1951, explained to me how Bruce got its team name.
“One day in the fall of 1950, the principal Brad White called an assembly in the auditorium and said, ‘Our football team needs a name’”
Granddad was standing in the back and when White asked for suggestions granddad said he suggested “Bulldogs.”
“No” Mr. White said, “We won’t name it that.”
Granddad said, “He wouldn’t accept the name because he was a Rebel fan.”
White had been the principal at New Hope high School where their football team was known as the Trojans. So he decided to name the team Trojans, as well.
By the next term a new building was erected. The “White Building” still stands today. By the time the faculty had grown from 12 to 23 and the number of enrolls had tripled. Bruce High School continued to grow, and in the past 71 years has been the largest in the county. The U.S. Supreme Court ordered Southern white schools to allow black students into their school in 1970. Bruce integrated during the 1907-71 school term. Elementary grades were integrated the first year and middle school and high school integration followed in subsequent years.
During the integration, students from North Calhoun and Bruce High School merged into the largest high school in the county.
Bruce only had minor problems during the integration of these two schools.
Vera Brown said, “During that year I was a student there were a lot of threatening letters sent to the school. We never knew where they came from. While the town had segregation, there wasn’t any in the school, but you could tell the parents didn’t want us in the same school as the children. There were a few fights between blacks and whites, but it was just like a regular school year.”
During this period some schools in Mississippi had National Guard Troops stationed to keep the peace between students. Bruce didn’t have soldiers posted in the school.
In the spring of 1976 the auditorium burned down. It was ruled as an electrical fire.
In 1977 the auditorium was rebuilt. A plaque outside the auditorium tells who designed it and the Board of Education members were during the period. As we enter the new millennium, it is important to remember the past. For to know where we are going, we must know where we have been.
Bagwell just completed his freshman year at BHS (in 2000). He conducted interviews and read old newspapers as part of this project, which he said he did because he was bored. Bagwell is the son of Mary Bagwell of Bruce.