Celebrating Austin High's 125 Years (published 2007) 125 Years (pp 1-24) | Page 26

" Old Makes you Different "
Sometimes we get carried away when we brag about being an " old " school . Certainly there is a sense of pride one develops when one is associated with something old and good . Austin High IS old , and it HAS been " good ".
But that doesn ' t necessarily mean we ' re " good " today . A school tradition beginning in 1881 doesn ' t mean you automatically are the " best in town " in anything . Those of us who inhabit the building have to do our best to " be the best ". Being old doesn ' t make you better , but it does make you " different ".
" Different " how ? You might ask .
What difference does it make to attend an " old school "?
First of all , the accumulated lives of 44,000 Austin High graduates make a statement . Many of them have led happy , ordinary lives , with home , career , children and grandchildren . Austin High was there for them beginning in September 1881 . It was their stage , their launching pad , and their laboratory for life .
Some traveled across the country , across the world and into space . They invented color television and wrote " The Kentucky Cycle ". They served in the U . S . Congress and the State Legislature and as Mayor of Austin . Austin High has been a good place to be .
Jacquelyn McGee , Principal from 1975-1986 , had a little slogan she presented to the faculty . Reflecting the idea that the school stood at a crossroads - " the belt buckle of the School District ' s integration plan " - she impressed on us that " Everybody is Somebody " at Austin High . In a society where Hispanics , African Americans , and even women were struggling for equal chances at education , Miss McGee challenged all of us to make it possible for all students to succeed .
And secondly , the faculty at an " old School " knows when something is " good " and when something is " sorry ". Most Austin High teachers don ' t tolerate " sorry work ". And that sense of " good and bad " often comes from their experience in our " Tradition of Excellence ". We ' ve been able to produce more than 300 National Merit Scholars since 1970 . Whether a person is aiming for college or career , a veteran faculty can challenge students to do their best , because they know " good " when they see it .
Lloyd Doggett U . S . Congressman
Robert Schenkkan , Jr . Playwright , Pulitzer Prize for Kentucky Cycle
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