Westside Grammar alumni recall their time at historic school

Otis Harris said he can still remember walking to the Westside Grammar School with mud up to his knees whenever it rained along the dirt roads surrounding the West Washington Avenue school.

“We were a part of a unique history,” he said. “And we excelled academically because our teachers insisted there was nothing we couldn’t do.”

The school’s history includes being the first attended by Native American students from the Paiute Indian Colony as well as the first to welcome African-American students into its classrooms in the 1940s.

The 453-square-foot school was built in 1923 and a 12,600-square-foot annex was added 25 years later.

On Saturday, another chapter in the school’s legacy unfolded as a groundbreaking ceremony was held to mark the beginning of the school’s $12.5 million rehabilitation. Several hundred people, including alumni, attended.

The city of Las Vegas is seeking to create a community space, add professional office and retail spaces, as well as add new landscaping, lighting, fencing and parking areas to the 2.6-acre property. Completion is expected in 18 months.

Ward 5 Councilman Ricki Barlow attended pre-kindergarten at the Westside Grammar School and has been a prominent figure in the fight to secure funding for the project since he was elected in 2007.

“This is a huge day for the community,” he said. “We want to bring back activity to this location because this is a major thoroughfare.”

Barlow added that the city has already interviewed several business operators who are interested in being included in the rehab of the school.

KECP-FM, a 42-year-old music and public affairs radio station, has its studio inside the original school building and is scheduled to move next door into a new space on the property in September or October, according to Business Manager Diane Lubak.

“It’s exciting for us and the community,” she said.

The school was phased out of the district in 1967 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places 12 years later.

Harris, who attended the Westside Grammar School for five years beginning in kindergarten in 1946, said he was instrumental in adding the school to the register.

“It’s important to preserve the history of the school,” he said. “A lot of people have a true heartfelt love for this school.”

Zanira Al Amin attended kindergarten in KECP-FM’s building in 1957 and she can still remember her various classrooms and the school’s playground.

“I used to live across the street so this was my focal point growing up,” she said. “I always brag about my elementary school and I’m glad to be able to hold onto it.”

Like Al Amin, Las Vegas resident Alphonso Eason can remember his schoolmates, teachers and the playground. He said he’s anticipating preserving a piece of history.

“I’d often pass through and wonder what they were going to do with the property,” he said. “I’m excited that they’re preserving it so I can show my grandkids where I went to school.”

Mitchell Sayles said the groundbreaking ceremony was rewarding.

“This is what it should be, a historic event,” he said. “I have such fond memories here and I’ve kept in touch with a lot of my former classmates.”

Sayles added that community members always looked after one another.

“Everyone was caring and protected each other,” he said. “We had a mindset to stay out of trouble and do the right thing.”

The sense of community is also what Donald Anderson remembers the most about when he attended the Westside Grammar School in 1949.

“Everybody knew everybody,” he said. “We were close and everyone looked out for each other. Our teachers cared and they always communicated with our parents to make sure we were doing the right thing.”

Anderson said seeing the community continue to prosper makes him proud.

“I can’t describe my feelings,” he said. “The legacy has gone on and on and it’ll continue to be passed to the next generation. It’s a great day.”

Contact Ann Friedman at afriedman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4588. Find her on Twitter: @AnnFriedmanRJ.