Gresham Middle School (Tennessee)

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Gresham Middle School's logo.

Gresham Middle School is a grades 6-8 middle school in the Fountain City neighborhood of Knoxville, Tennessee. Its enrollment is approximately 1,000 students from ages 10-14. The school's motto is "It's all about YOU!"

1 History
2 Current
3 Gresham in Pop Culture
4 Notable Gresham Alumnus
5 Athletics
6 External links

[edit] History

Gresham Middle School was established in the fall of 1971 in a building that had previously housed Central High School, which was re-constructed on Jacksboro Pike about two miles from Gresham's current location. The name was chosen to honor Hassie K. Gresham, the school's first principal (from 1919-1947). Legend has it that the ghost of Miss Gresham resides in the last column of the mural on the wall of one of the school's hallways.

Gresham is one of the oldest public school buildings in Knox County, and is situated on a beautiful, campus-like site. There has been an educational institution at this location since the turn of the century, and the historic Auditorium wing was constructed in 1930-31. Newspaper accounts from the time tell that even though it was during the Depression, Miss Gresham convinced county officials to fund a new building by conducting a tour of the older building on the site. During the tour she told the officials that the old building was such a firetrap that she had dreams of children being trapped in it and burning to death.

[edit] Current

Gresham's current principal is Mrs. Donna Parker. The assistant principals are Mr. Jeff Castleberry and Mr. Charles "Chuck" Bolus. There are three sixth grade teams, 6A, 6B, and 6C. There are two teams in both the seventh and eighth grades, 7A, 7B, 8A, and 8B, respectively. Gresham's feeder schools are Fountain City Elementary (which is located just across the street from Gresham), Inskip Elementary, Shannondale Elementary, and Sterchi Elementary.

[edit] Gresham in Pop Culture

The 1999 major motion picture, October Sky, which starred Jake Gyllenhaal, had its football scene shot at Gresham's combination football/soccer stadium. The stadium bleachers were repainted for the movie, then repainted back to the Gresham colors. The scene also included members of the Central High Band, and another scene of a hospital room was shot in a set constructed in a Gresham hallway.