Northeast Legacy Committees Form To Help Honor Historic OKC School

Oklahoma City public school administrators are looking to preserve the Northeast legacy at the new Classen SAS at Northeast. A pending lawsuit says the school board did not follow proper protocol in renaming the building, but three projects aim to alleviate concerns. 

The signage is already gone from the front of the building, but engravings are a reminder of the school Northeast used to be.

“Northeast High School started in 1937…so we want all that history,” pointed out the district’s new Executive Director for Equity and Innovation, Dr. Marsha Herron. 

Meantime, Classen SAS students are adjusting to their new historic home.

OKCPS Communications Director Coutney Morton explained, “One of the key things that we kept in mind the whole time was to expand programs that were working really well in the district.”

The Northeast Alumni Association along with school board member Charles Henry are currently suing the district over the renaming of the facility. OKCPS will not comment on the litigation, but Herron is a graduate herself.

She said, “We don’t want, as schools evolve and change, the life and legacy of Northeast to be buried in everything that’s going on.”

So three legacy committees are forming to tackle three legacy projects, one of which is Viking Plaza at the school's entrance. Administrators are looking for current students to serve on that committee.

“The students will be the ones who use it,” explained Herron. “We want to hear their voices, and we want to know what needs to go out there, so they will work very closely with our facilities department.”

Behind the school, administrators want to name a stretch of street leading to the athletic facilities after a prominent Northeast graduate. They are also looking for name nominations for the media center. One committee of alumni and community members will submit names for both.

The district will also install an alumni room to house memorabilia from the past. That committee will identify and collect items to store there.

Herron said, “I think that this is our chance to do something right when it comes to how we look at Northeast and how we preserve its history.”

To submit your name or nomination for one of the committees, click here.