SAN ANTONIO — Kids in five area school districts are waking up for their first day of class on Tuesday.
In San Antonio ISD, 45,000 students will return to school and of those, and several hundred will start the new year at Hawthorne Academy.
Hawthorne Academy is celebrating its centennial anniversary this school year. That’s one hundred years of serving students in San Antonio.
It opened in 1923 and the school is still open at its present site on Josephine Street. The site is not only historic, the campus is also notable for being part of the first system of junior high schools in the nation.
While the first junior high opened in 1909 in Ohio, the concept of junior schools was slow to spread to other cities.
Then in June of 1922, San Antonio passed a $2 million dollar bond that created a whole new junior high system.
This was done all at once for the city schools, which later became San Antonio ISD.
Because of that bond, junior highs were built and San Antonio would claim the distinction of being the first city in the country to build the junior high system from the ground up.
Deputy Superintendent Dr. Shawn Bird says the campus has a lot planned to mark the milestone anniversary.
The first bell rings at 7:45 a.m. and kids from Kindergarten to 8th grade will officially kick off the new year.
MORE LOCAL NEWS
Learn more about KENS 5:
Since going on the air in 1950, KENS 5 has strived to be the best, most trusted news and entertainment source for generations of San Antonians.
KENS 5 has brought numerous firsts to South Texas television, including being the first local station with a helicopter, the first with its own Doppler radar and the first to air a local morning news program.
Over the years, KENS 5 has worked to transform local news. Our cameras have been the lens bringing history into local viewers' homes. We're proud of our legacy as we serve San Antonians today.
Today, KENS 5 continues to set the standard in local broadcasting and is recognized by its peers for excellence and innovation. The KENS 5 News team focuses on stories that really matter to our community.
You can find KENS 5 in more places than ever before, including KENS5.com, the KENS 5 app, the KENS 5 YouTube channel, KENS 5's Roku and Fire TV apps, and across social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more!
Want to get in touch with someone at KENS 5? You can send a message using our Contacts page or email one of our team members.