Wenonah High School

Wenonah School Wenonah School #1 was located in Wenonah # 9 mining camp at the current site of the East Brownsville Park. Wenonah High School has experienced a rapidly changing history. Formal education in the Wenonah area was provided by the Tennessee Coal and Iron Company (TCI), now U.S. Steel, as early as 1917.

Free schooling was provided at Wenonah School # 1 for students in grades one through nine and grades one through five at Wenonah School # 2 in Browns Station as a service to its employees and their dependents. After completing grade nine, students who wished to continue their education either went to Powderly School, Miles Memorial or Parker High School. Education of Wenonah children was taken over in later years by the Jefferson County School System.

In 1946, Wenonah School under the leadership of Principal Mabel Buffin was destroyed by fire. People of the Wenonah area requested and received permission to hold classes in the old Galilee Baptist Church. Beginning in the fall of 1946, students of the destroyed Wenonah School attended classes at the Galilee, Bryant Chapel and Mt. Olive Baptist Church and Riley and Powderly Schools.

Wenonah High School (I) After Wenonah School was destroyed by fire in 1946, the TCI Company donated a large parcel of land consisting of approximately 16 acres to be used to construct a new elementary and high school. Construction began in late 1946.

In the fall of 1947, students in grades 8-12 from Galilee Baptist, Mt Olive and Bryant Chapel Baptist Churches and Riley Elementary School began classes in the downstairs classrooms of Wenonah Elementary School while construction was being completed upstairs and on the high school.

The school plant was built at a cost a cost of $500,000.00 and included 15 classrooms, administrative office, lunchroom, athletic room, shoe repair, upholstery and radio repair shop, cosmetology, foods and clothing labs.

In January 1948, the 9-12 grade students at the elementary school, Powderly School and students from surrounding areas of Jefferson County as far away as Shades Valley area in McCalla area, attended classes in the current building led by Principal Leon Kennedy. In May 1948, the first senior class graduated from Wenonah High School.

In 1956, seven classrooms, a library and gym were added to the school plant.

In August 1968, the dream of having a Wenonah Area Vocational School became a reality and its doors were opened to students in September 1968.

In the spring of 1970, a new facility was erected by the Jefferson County Board of Education at a cost of $300,000.00 to house the Wenonah Area Vocational School. The building is located on the southwest side of the Wenonah High School campus, which provides an ideal situation for faculty and students.

In 1973, Wenonah High School was annexed into the city of Birmingham. Administration of Wenonah was taken over by the Birmingham Board of Education.

In 1981, a new gym was constructed and equipped at a cost of more than $1,000,000.00.

Wenonah physical plant is now valued at approximately $3,500,000.00. It is considered a vital part of the Wenonah Educational Complex which also includes the elementary school, a state technical school and a junior college.

The school has won many honors, both academically and athletic during its 59 years of existence.

Wenonah High School (II) In 2005, construction was begun of Wenonah High School (II). The site of the new school is located northeast of Wenonah High School (I). Students, faculty and staff of Wenonah High School watched as their new school at 2800 Wilson Road was built next door to the old school. As of August 13, 2007 they started classes in the new $40,000,000.00 school.1 2

The new Wenonah High School replaces the inadequate 1948 building with a 183,000 square foot facility that is built for 1,200 students.

The new school includes a 750 seat auditorium with theatrical lighting and sound systems. The main academic building features a state-of-the art media center, computer laboratories and classrooms for science, math, social studies, English and other subjects.

The career-technical wing contains an electronics classroom with lab areas, a classroom and fully equipped commercial kitchen for the schools well-known culinary arts program and a family and consumer science classroom. There are also classrooms and labs for welding and cosmetology.

Band and chorus classrooms also are part of the career-tech wing, which includes the cafeteria.

The new school includes a gymnasium for practice and physical education classes. The "new gym" that was part of the old school, a free-standing building, has been renovated and expanded to be a 1,400 seat competition gym.

The school will include a football stadium with a six lane track, concession stands, restrooms and irrigation system. The stadium, which will seat 4,500, is scheduled to be completed in December 2007.

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