Pawnee Schools

A picture of a brick building with a sign that says Pawnee High School

The following information about the Pawnee School District was submitted by Judy Rush with Weld County School District RE-12.

PAWNEE SCHOOL HISTORY

The town of Grover was bustling by the early 1900’s when a white frame building was built to house the school. As the town and the number of students grew, a bigger building was needed. In 1918 they opened a newly built three story brick building consisting of two stories and a basement where they had the gym. Proudly engraved over the doors it declared, “BUILT BY THE PEOPLE AND DEDICATED TO OUR YOUTH, THE HOPE OF OUR FUTURE!”

The 1918 graduating class from Grover High School had 4 students and held commencement in the Grover Opera House as the construction on the new building was not yet complete. The following year the only senior, Ruby Wagner, graduated from the new brick building.

When the school board wanted to buy busses in the 1920s, the parents said they would vote for the bond only if they would pick up and return the students to each home, not just the county road. The board said yes, the bond passed and the door to door service to each rural ranch house still remains in effect. The deep snows of the ’49 blizzard closed the school for six weeks. As a direct result the Grover school busses were equipped with 2-way radios for the safety of the students. Unknown in those days, Grover school district was first the in nation to have bus radios.

A larger gym and more classrooms for the high school were added on the west side of the school in 1953. The name Grover High was changed to Pawnee High in 1967 to better represent the whole community after the consolidation of schools from the surrounding area. Much discussion was held to make the decision to tear down the old brick building and replace it with a new elementary school. In 1980 the new elementary school opened including classrooms, a library and a large lunchroom-multipurpose room. In 1999 the high school was upgraded for modern technology with a total remodeling of the entire building and gym. This present facility serves the huge 899 square mile school district for grades pre-school thought 12th grade.

Sports have always played a prominent roll in activities of the Grover area. The agile Jackrabbit was chosen as the original mascot in 1918 and remained that until the sports teams of Briggsdale and Grover were combined in 1991. The mascot then became the Crow Valley Falcons. After the sports team separated in 2003 a new mascot was selected. They are now the Pawnee Coyotes.

Each year pictures of the graduating class are added to those of all the past classes proudly displayed in the halls of the high school. For almost a century the legacy of friendliness and quality education has continued at the Pawnee School.

Did You Know?
The Grover school district was first the in nation to have bus radios.