The Hooper-Renwick Alumni
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The first school for African American students was built in 1871 in Lawrenceville. The school educated children from grades 1-7 only. A tornado destroyed the school in 1924 and students were relocated to Pleasant Hill Church, Lawrenceville to continue their education.
In 1944, Renwick High School was built on three acres of land donated by Mr. Renwick. Students attended grades 8-11. It was the first and only public African American High School in Gwinnett County. Students throughout Gwinnett County had to provide their own transportation to attend Renwick High. Later in 1951, Hooper-Renwick School was built. |
The name honored schoolteacher Mr. Hooper, and Mr. Renwick. There were twelve classrooms (one for each grade), two bathrooms, and a Principal’s office. Two school buses were allocated to bring black students from all over Gwinnett County to this school. During the 1956-57 school year, there were 421 students (287 Elementary and 134 high school) from 1st thru 12th grade that attended and were taught by 15 teachers that year. Athletics consisted of male and female basketball teams that played on outdoor dirt courts. The school was supported by the Pleasant Hill Baptist Church that allowed its sanctuary to be used for plays, graduations, and other group gatherings.
A group of concerned Alumni met to consider actions necessary to save the school. The Hooper-Renwick Preservation Committee (HRPC) was formed to preserve the Hooper-Renwick School structure as a historical site. The HRPC met with Lawrenceville City Officials several times to expressed their concerns about the destruction of the school. As a result of those meetings, Mayor Judy Jordan Johnson and Lawrenceville City Council, with nominations from the HRPC, appointed the twelve member Hooper-Renwick Legacy Preservation Committee (HRLPC). On September 28, 2017 in front of Hooper-Renwick, the Lawrenceville City Council and the Hooper-Renwick Legacy Preservation Committee announced during a press conference the results of the preservation of Hooper-Renwick.The original twelve rooms will be used as a civic space and museum that will be connected to the new library.
A group of concerned Alumni met to consider actions necessary to save the school. The Hooper-Renwick Preservation Committee (HRPC) was formed to preserve the Hooper-Renwick School structure as a historical site. The HRPC met with Lawrenceville City Officials several times to expressed their concerns about the destruction of the school. As a result of those meetings, Mayor Judy Jordan Johnson and Lawrenceville City Council, with nominations from the HRPC, appointed the twelve member Hooper-Renwick Legacy Preservation Committee (HRLPC). On September 28, 2017 in front of Hooper-Renwick, the Lawrenceville City Council and the Hooper-Renwick Legacy Preservation Committee announced during a press conference the results of the preservation of Hooper-Renwick.The original twelve rooms will be used as a civic space and museum that will be connected to the new library.
We, the life-long members of the African American Community and sons and daughters of Gwinnett County Georgia, while looking forward to the future assemblage connecting the City and the County's history as it relates to African Americans, do carry within our hearts, the remembrance of the historic pains of rejection, insults, even the lack of documentation of not only our trials but also of our accomplishments. Now, we acknowledge that our beloved Hooper- Renwick, functioning with less than its institutional peers was able to produce greater than expected. Hooper-Renwick graduates and their offspring filled the World with Educators/Professors, Pastors, Judges, Authors, Homemakers, Federal and Civil Servants, (Secret Service Agency and Pentagon), Business Owners, Managers, Decorated Military Persons, Policeman, Firefighters, Architects, Engineers, Ph.D. (Medical and Academic), Chefs, Nurses, Nurse's Assistants, Factory Workers, Automobile Workers, Entrepreneurs, some of the greatest Musicians and Singers, and Professional Athletes just to name a few! We are proud!
Theresa Bailey, former student and the Hooper-Renwick Legacy Preservation Committee Chair