Pompano High School The town of Pompano formed in the year 1908 and as such, the need for educational facilities was answered with the building of a Grammar school (through sixth grade) on NE 4th St. The Jr. High and High School students attended Ft. Lauderdale High until the town added to the Grammar school and the High School was formed. All students attended classes in both buildings S.C. Fox was the first principal hired for this facility. The first class to graduate was in 1928, there were twelve graduating seniors that year and as of 2001, two of these graduates are still living. They are Myrtle Darsey Ritter (valedictorian) and Gretchen Raines Robertson. The 1929 graduating class numbered twelve members of which there are two still living The following years saw a slow but steady increase in students and that number continued to grow along with additional buildings constructed on NE 6th St. that was used for Grammar Jr. and Senior high classes.After completing the 12th grade you had attended classes in the same building you started first grade in plus the two story building fronting on NE 4th St. I remember very clearly my first day at school in 1933, the first grade class of Miss Hattie Banks. Her room was on the ground floor at the east end of the building on 6th St. Our classroom had wood floors and a cloakroom at one end. This cloakroom was to be my "escape route" later on." We had a playhouse in the middle of the classroom plus tables that were used for activities, and if you were "good" you might even get to play with the "modeling clay." I never got to use the clay, although my better-behaved classmates, did so almost everyday. This is not to say I was always bad, but my first day at school was a disaster. My mother drove me to school that day, deposited me in my class and left. Believe it or not, I beat her back home and was waiting for her when she drove up. I informed her I didn't like school and I wasn't going back. That was the second mistake I made that day. After she tanned my hide," she put me in the car and back to school we went. I waited until she had time to leave the school and I scooted into the cloakroom again, out the door and down the front of the building. I ducked down in order to pass under the windows of the Principal's office and again nearly got home before my mother the second time. I guess I wasn't the smartest kid in the class, but I did learn some lessons. After we repeated the procedure, I just didn't run right home So school went on, second grade teacher, Miss Gillis, and on through third grade, Miss McQueen, and Miss Gladdin and Miss Kelly. Keep in mind that we were in "Grammar School." The dividing line arrived when you passed from the 6th grade to the 7th grade. Then you were in "High" school, (now you got to change classes every hour.) All grades above 6th shared classrooms in both buildings. We in "grammar" school had to be extra cautious because we had to avoid the Grammar School "bullies" plus dodge the "big boys" (and girls) in High school. I think I began to understand how "bait fish" in the ocean must feel something always chasing after you. Mr. Baer was the truant officer. He was responsible for the entire county, consequently we never had to deal with him, he had too much ground to cover. The first attempts at publishing a school paper was sometime in the early years and there surfaced a copy of some of these papers about a year and a half ago ;The name of that publication was "SEA-SPRAY "and it eventually gave way to the publication in later years of the school paper, 'THE ORACLE."The first attempts at publishing a year book was undertaken by the Photographic Club and all the material was type written and the pictures taken by and incorporated in a folder type manuscript. The first published annual was in 1942 and it was the first one to have the name "THE BEANPICKER." Basketball and football was the major school sports in the formative years, also known as "The Beanpickers" the schedules were hard to make because of the number of boys that were interested in playing and the means of transportation to games that were out of necessity, played during daylight hours and in close proximity to the town of Pompano. Pompano had its first ever undefeated football season in 1941. It was marred by one tie game with Eau-Gallie. Pompano played 6-man football which was popular in these times because of small schools and limited players. The year 1944 saw another undefeated, untied football season and at this time it was 11 man football and playing larger and stronger schools. Pompano fielded many good basketball teams, the 1942 team playing a 16 game season won thirteen games and lost three. The year, 1942 saw thirty three former Beanpickers serving in the armed forces of The United States with many more to follow before hostilities ceased in 1945. Six former Beanpickers died in WW II. three of which were members of the undefeated football team. Eleven boys returned to enroll and graduate from Pompano High School from military service in WWII. Some attending on the GI Bill. One was a former prisoner of war, his plane shot down, wounded and parachuted out of his plane, taken prisoner.and released at wars end. Pompano High School had many good teachers, men and women. The Broward County School board would not hire a married female teacher. Many reasons were given for this policy, the most prevailing one was the possibility of a teacher having to go on maternity leave ( a term that was not even coined at that time.) Eventually, as class sizes grew and public opinion changed this policy was revoked and today would be classified as archaic and illegal to say the least. Teachers were paid a minimum salary of $1750. per year and a maximum salary of $2000. This was for a ten-month period beginning in August and culminating in June. ;Only one year contracts were given. Year round schools ,(The Fox plan) was discussed and rejected even back then as unfeasible. It is being reviewed today as a means of overcoming problems that have plagued school boards since day one. The face of Pompano Beach High School (changed from Pompano High in 1947 after merging with the Beach.) expanded, with a new facility being constructed further East on NE 6th St. Many new and exciting things happened after the move. A new football field and better stands, a new gymnasium and then, in 1958 a name change for the school, no longer were they called "BEANPICKERS," now they were The "GOLDEN TORNADOS" and the school was at last coming into its own with a full range of offered courses, sports , civic organizations and clubs. Pompano Beach High School was closed in 1985 and has once again been re-opened as a High School. The Pompano traditions have remained strong and especially, the "BEANPICKERS "who have banded together, published a member directory that is up-dated several times a year. "A BEANPICKER" reunion is held once every three years on Memorial day weekend in Pompano Beach and is attended by hundreds of former students from all around the country and World. The last up-date of "BEANPICKERS" shows   Class members----------1072 Discovered--------------333 Unknown status---------116 Accounted for-----------623   Pompano/Pompano High students remain fiercely loyal to their school. The words of our fight song tell it all. It goes like this: "For we are students of old Pompano High, To show our love for her will never die, For we are fighting for old PHS, We count on everyone of you to do your best, For we will fight, fight, fight whenever we can, For she's the best old school in all the land, For POMPANO HIGH SCHOOL'S rep we never fear So give a cheer. Rah! Rah! Rah,! Bud Garner '48