H Paul Garland: Closing Historic Zavala School in El Paso

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Closing Historic Zavala School in El Paso

EPISD has considered closing several schools, including Zavala Elementary School. I hope that before such a drastic thing is done, El Pasoans will consider the long history of this school and what it says about the path we have traveled to reach the point we’re at.

Zavala School was constructed in 1922; I have seen a slate chalkboard in the oldest portion of the school with a date from the period. According to a 1951 thesis by Robert Leyva at the UTEP Library, Zavala received its name in a contest of local school children; the winning entry was by Toufic Wardy from Franklin School, and he received the $10 prize for his suggestion to name the new school after the Tejano who had been the first vice-president of the Republic of Texas.

The 20th century version of the KKK had come to El Paso in the summer of 1921 according to Shawn Lay’s War, Revolution, and the Ku Klux Klan, with avowed purposes including promoting white supremacy and Protestantism. Although vehemently opposed by the El Paso Times under its editor James Black, the KKK unfortunately gained some local power, and the School Board became anti-Catholic. School principals said to be Catholic came under suspicion, and three principals were dismissed.

There’s a 1951 thesis by Robert Leyva in the UTEP library called "An Historical Sketch of Zavala School. It relates the story of the school’s naming in a contest of school children; the winning entry was by Toufic Wardy from Franklin School, who won the $10 prize.

It also relates that the first principal of Zavala was Mamie Patterson, who had been principal of San Jacinto School for some time. According to Mr. Leyva, the anti-Catholic School Board fired three principals around 1922-1923 including Miss Patterson, a graduate of Ursuline [Catholic]Academy, but she “had enough influence to get re-elected . . .”

"When the Depression was at its worst and there were thousands in El Paso without work, lunch was served free of charge to about 150 children. The Women's Club and other organizations brought food out already cooked in ten gallon cans. . . Miss Patterson dispensed the milk and food . . . with children from upper grades helping with dishwashing. Every child was given a plate of well cooked beans; two slices of bread spread thick with apple butter or jelly, peanut butter, or sometimes butter; and one-half pint . . . of fresh milk. Every teacher did something to raise money to help pay for this food."

During World War II Zavala students "helped the war effort by bringing paper and scrap during certain drives." The teachers had to work until 6 p.m. to give the citizens their ration books, and they were "all dead tired and irritable."

We have historic districts here in El Paso. We also have extraordinarily historic schools. Wouldn’t closing a school with a history so closely tied to so many aspects of El Paso’s past be a very regrettable loss?