Oak Ridge Wayside: Oak Ridge Schools

The Oak Ridge Schools wayside.

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Quick Facts

Amenities

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Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Parking - Auto

Subtitle
Build it and they will come (and stay)

Main Text 
The rapidly increasing population of Oak Ridge during the early 1940s led to a high demand for housing. At one point, homes within the Secret City were being completed every 30 minutes. Oak Ridge needed a school system to meet the educational needs of its community. General Leslie Groves, military commander of the Manhattan Project, insisted that the schools be of the highest quality, if he wanted to keep scientists in rural Tennessee. The school system hired the most highly qualified teachers from all over the country and from neighboring communities. How? By paying them more. 

Schools were constructed within walking distance of most homes, and by 1946, three years after Oak Ridge was established, had roughly 7,000 students enrolled in 10 elementary schools, one high school, and one junior high. The building you see before you today was Highland View Elementary, one of the few remaining original Oak Ridge school buildings.  

Photo text: Highland View Elementary School. 1944  

 
Exhibit Panel Description 
A black and white exhibit panel on a black frame approximately four feet tall. The panel has a black band at the top and a title underneath that reads “Oak Ridge Schools: Build it and they will come (and stay).” The center of the panel has a large black and white aerial photo of an elementary school in a neighborhood. The text is located at the bottom of the panel. 

Visit This Exhibit Panel 
The Oak Ridge Schools Wayside is located at a pull-off in front of the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge. The address is 461 W. Outer Dr. Oak Ridge, TN 37830.