The History of Daleville High School
The first school building in Daleville was a two-story frame building erected in 1860 south of Old Newton Road near the present location of Lee's Steak House. Only the first floor was used for school purposes. The upper story was used for a Masonic Hall.
In 1891, the old building was replaced by a one-story, two-room building. It was used until larger facilities were needed. In 1907, a larger building was constructed on a lot west of Daleville Avenue. This lot was given by Professor A.B. McLeod. The old school lot was not sold, but was designated as a hitching ground for public use.
In 1929, the old frame school building and lot were sold to Joe Edmondson. A new and larger school site was made available when Judge W.W. Morris and H.T. Donnell each gave two and one-half acres of adjoining lands, a total of five acres, located a short distance from the previous school. A brick nine-classroom building was constructed on this property.
In the spring of 1931, this structure burned. The insurance paid for a ten-classroom building at a cost of $18,800. This school was built in the summer and fall of 1931 and remained in use until the construction of the present facility in 1958.
In 1964-65, the Daleville City School System was established and the facilities previously owned by the Dale County Board of Education were transferred to the new school system. Students were admitted through the tenth grade. The following year, 1965-66, the first graduating class of seventeen students graduated from Daleville High School.
In 1969-70, construction began on offices for the superintendent and a new football stadium. War Hawk Stadium was dedicated in the fall of 1970 and by 1970-71 enrollment grew to 1,605. The 1971-72 school term saw much progress with the initiation of a JROTC program. A new classroom wing was added during the summer of 1972. In October of 1972, the high school suffered extensive damages from a fire set in the principal's office. The damage forced the school to close for three days and the relocation of the school offices for several months. New construction continued in 1974 and 1975 with a grant to build a JROTC building. However, enrollment began to decline with the end of the Viet Nam War. In 1976, the school system began a self-study evaluation to receive accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and on December 15, 1977, the system received the Certificate of accreditation from the regional association.
A Vocational Education building was completed in 1980. Enrollment was 1,250 and the first computer was purchased for use in the high school. Throughout the 1980s, enrollment began a steady increase and the system received state and national recognition for its academic programs. Recognition included the U.S. Department of Education Secondary School Recognition Program, U.S. Department of Education Chapter 1 Program of Excellence and the FFA Chapter was featured in an article in the" U.S. News and World Report."
To provide for the needs of the elementary school students, in 1988, A.M. Windham Elementary School, named after a prominent citizen and settler who served as Head Teacher in early Daleville, was completed. In 1989, the system revised the grade structure of the schools from K-6 and 7-12 to a middle school concept of K-4, 5-8, and 9-12. Expansion and renovation of the schools continued throughout the 1990s, with four additions to Windham Elementary School and a $1.3 million dollar renovation of the middle and high schools. By 1998, enrollment was 1,880 students with a faculty and staff of 200. The schools offered a progressive academic curriculum featuring a four-block schedule, a year round school extended calendar and had established an alternative school, Nova Learning Center, housed in the Community Center. At the turn of the new millennium, Daleville City Schools provided a modern curriculum with technologically advanced facilities and infrastructure.
Superintendents of Education for the Daleville City Schools have been: 1964-65 Billy Adkins; 1965 Phillip Granger; 1965-68 S.L. Griffin; 1968-1973 Jimmy H. Baker; 1973 - 1981 Bobby B. Moon; 1981-2000 J. Frank Moore III.
* Submitted by J. Frank Moore III, Former Superintendent of Daleville City Schools for the publication, "The Heritage of Dale County, Alabama."