Galena Park ISD’s Woodland Acres Middle School (WAMS) welcomed a group of historical visitors on Friday. Pat (Bowles) Cooper and her entourage, all students at Woodland Acres Junior High as it was known back in the 1940’s when they attended, kept a scrapbook chronicling news articles and other goings on at the school and community.
“There’s just a lot of history here,” Cooper said. “I can’t think of a better place for the book than right here where it all started,” she added. The book consists of numerous photos and news articles, including the first teachers and principal, various extracurricular groups such as football, band and track, and student photos.
Lee Ramirez, principal of WAMS, was grateful for the historical document.
“This is a treasure. We couldn’t buy the history that’s in this scrapbook. That makes it priceless. This will be proudly displayed for all to see, so our Hornets can learn what made this school what it is today,” said Ramirez.
Through the years, to account for growth, safety and various repairs, the building has gone through a number of upgrades and additions; however, upon receiving a tour by Ramirez, Cooper said, “Glad to know the old building is still here… if the walls could talk.”
Well, the walls can’t talk, but fortunately for the Hornets, they now have a book saying plenty about the rich history of their school.