Amphitheater Public Schools facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Amphitheater Public Schools
F. O. Holaway Elementary School, one school part of Amphitheater Public Schools
Address
701 West Wetmore Road Flowing Wells , Arizona 85705
Coordinates	32°17′10″N 110°58′57″W / 32.28611°N 110.98253°W / 32.28611; -110.98253
Information
Type	Public school
Founded	July 3, 1893
School district	10
Superintendent	Todd Jaeger
Enrollment	13,500
Campuses	21
Website	http://www.amphi.com/

Amphitheater Public Schools, often called Amphi or District 10, is a large public school district in Tucson, Arizona. It is the third biggest school district in Tucson. About 13,500 students attend Amphi schools. The district also has around 2,000 staff members.

Amphi was started a long time ago, on July 3, 1893. Its main office is in Flowing Wells. The district serves many areas. These include parts of North Tucson, Casas Adobes, Catalina Foothills, and the towns of Oro Valley, eastern Tortolita, and Catalina. These areas are all northwest of Tucson.

Amphi's History: How It Started

After the Mexican–American War in 1848, more American pioneers moved to the Tucson area. Ranchers and settlers built homes northwest of the city. They settled along the Rillito River. A community called Rillito grew there. By 1889, the Rillito School District was formed. This district later became the Flowing Wells School District.

People in Rillito wanted a local school. They did not want their children to travel far. Kids had to go all the way to the Congress Street School in downtown Tucson. The Rillito School Board suggested a place for a new school. But some settlers thought that spot was still too far. These settlers lived on the eastern side of the Rillito School District.

They asked the Pima County Board of Supervisors for their own school district. So, on July 3, 1893, Amphitheater Public Schools officially began.

Why the Name "Amphitheater"?

The district's special name comes from the land around Tucson. One of the founding members, J. D. Andrews, looked around. He saw the Tortolita Mountains and Santa Catalina Mountains to the north. He saw the Rincon Mountains to the east. To the south were the Santa Rita Mountains. And to the west were the Tucson Mountains. All these mountains around the city reminded him of a huge amphitheater.

Early Schools and Growth

The first Amphitheater School opened in October 1893. It had only 11 students. In 1904, the district built a permanent school building. It was located on East Prince Road and North First Avenue in Tucson. The school closed for a short time in 1910 because fewer students were there. But it quickly reopened as more students enrolled.

A final location for Amphitheater School was chosen. A new school opened in 1913. This is where L. M. Prince School and Amphitheater Middle School are today. It is on East Prince Road near North Stone Avenue.

The school added four more classrooms in 1924. By 1928, the district started the Amphitheater Carnival. This was a fun community event held every year until 1958. By 1934, the district had grown a lot. It had over 500 students, up from just 48 students in 1919.

Building a High School

By the 1930s, people in the district wanted their own high school. Before this, high school students had to go to Tucson High School. That school was in the Tucson Unified School District. It was near the University of Arizona in central Tucson.

Using money from the state and federal government (from the Works Progress Administration), Amphitheater High School was finished in 1939. It was built on East Prince Road. E.C. Nash, the district's first superintendent, led this project. Amphitheater High School became Tucson's second high school.

Amphi Becomes a Suburb

The Amphi district slowly grew. In the 1930s, the Arizona Daily Star newspaper called it Tucson's first suburb. As homes and businesses grew north along Oracle Road, more schools were built. The district's borders and population kept growing with Tucson. By 1942, the district reached north of the Rillito River. It went into the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains.

By 1943, the district's boundaries were set. They stretched north to the Pima County line. In the 1950s, the district changed a lot. It went from a rural area to a more urban one. Marion Donaldson became the district superintendent in 1951. He worked until 1967. He helped the district grow and develop.

Donaldson brought new ideas for school programs. These ideas were recognized across the country. He also pushed for building new schools. This was important because the community did not have a lot of tax money. A new middle school was built using federal funds and later, bond money. By 1956, the middle school on West Yavapai Road became the new home for Amphitheater High School. The old building on East Prince Road then became Amphitheater Middle School.

Growth and New Ideas

After World War II in the 1950s, Tucson grew very quickly. This led to changes in the district. A difference started to appear between the city neighborhoods in North Tucson and the richer suburbs north of the Rillito River. The district also worked to buy land for future schools. Land costs were rising fast in the Santa Catalina Mountains foothills. In 1955, a 20-acre piece of land cost the district $7,000. It was thought to be too far north and too expensive. This land later became the site of Winifred Harelson School in 1960. In 1958, Lawrence W. Cross became the assistant superintendent.

In 1963, Walker School was built north of the Rillito River. This school brought new ideas like the "open classroom" to the district. Evelyn Carswell was the principal. The idea at Walker School was to focus on each student. Students had their own schedules. They learned in small and large groups. The school was also "ungraded". These new ideas brought national attention to the Amphitheater District. But eventually, these changes were seen as too different. The district went back to more traditional ways of teaching.

In the fall of 1962, Canyon del Oro School opened. It was at the base of Pusch Ridge in the Santa Catalina Mountains. It first served as a middle school. Then, in the fall of 1964, it became the district's second high school. CDO's first class graduated in the summer of 1968. The district kept growing as more schools opened. By 2001, the district opened a third high school, Ironwood Ridge High School. This was to meet the needs of growth in Oro Valley and the north side of the district.

Today, Amphi has about 13,500 students. The district covers about 109 square miles. Only Tucson Unified School District and Sunnyside Unified School District have more students in the Tucson area. Amphi is a diverse district. It serves communities with different economic backgrounds. This includes areas in North Tucson and richer communities in Oro Valley and the Catalina Foothills.

Amphi District Schools

Here are the schools that are part of Amphitheater Public Schools:

Images for kids

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  Amphitheater Public Schools logo

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  F. O. Holaway Elementary School, part of Amphitheater Public Schools

See also

In Spanish: Distrito Escolar Unificado Amphitheater para niños