Lomas History

Kyrene School District was established in 1888. Kyrene de las Lomas was built in 1976. The words "de Las Lomas" means of the hills.

In 1888 nine families went to Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and requested that a new school district be established for their 17 children. Schools which were in operation in the area were too far away, particularly when you consider the fact that the roads were very poor and that transportation was by horse.

A new district was established with Guadalupe Road at the north, Pecos Road to the south,56th Street to the west, and it is disputed as to where the east boundary was, which is currently Price Road.

In 1888 the area was already known as Kyrene but it is not known why. It is theorized that Darrell Duppa, who became known as Lord Darrell Duppa, may have been responsible for the name. It is thought that he named Kyrene for a seaport along the Mediterranean Sea; either Cyraen, a seaport in what is now Lybia or for Kyrenia, a seaport on the island of Cyprus.

Today the Kyrene School District lies within five municipalities; Tempe, Chandler, Phoenix, Guadalupe, and Maricopa County. Kyrene district was established in 1888, 24 years before Chandler was founded in 1912.

A small, makeshift school was built but was soon destroyed in a windstorm. A new school was soon constructed on the land at the northwest corner of McClintock and Warner Roads. This site was used until 1920.

At the beginning of the 1972-1973 school year there were only 600 students in the entire district. The student body was 65% Hispanic, most of these students living in Guadalupe and High Town. There were only five school buses and they transported almost all of the students to school each day.

During the 70's the resources of the district were concentrated on building classrooms for students. Bonding capacity was barely sufficient and seldom enough to build a complete school at one time. Additions were made to Waggoner School and Kyrene del Norte was completed. A portion of Kyrene de Las Lomas was first occupied in 1976 and additions were made. Relocatable classrooms were added to all sites. The student population grew from 600 to 2400, an increase of 400% by 1980.

Students entered the 90's in Kyrene with major organizational changes. Those changes included junior highs becoming middle schools, moving sixth graders from the elementary schools. This was done to ease the transition as preadolescents proceed through their schooling and to better meet the academic, social and emotional needs of sixth, seventh and eighth graders.

The changes in the Kyrene School District have been great in recent years. Throughout its history the district has maintained and strengthened a long-standing commitment to being a caring place for students, one in which an educational program and instruction have been marked by quality and integrity.

 

Excerpts taken from "Kyrene History" (kyhistsh.ort)