Keith High School celebrates 100th anniversary with gatherings, 'prom': photo gallery

Keith High School in Orrville celebrated 100 years in a centennial celebration on July 1 by inviting alumni to return for an all-day celebration.

They started the day giving out T-shirts, arm bands and a copy of Keith’s history, followed by a picnic, games, and a school tour. 

The celebration was followed with a prom with a welcome speech from current Principal Tommy Tisdale, greetings from Mayor Louvenia Lumpkin, and centennial celebratory remarks by District #67 state Rep. Prince Chestnut, Superintendent of Dallas County Schools Anthony Sampson, Dallas County Commission Chairman and District Judge Jimmy Nunn, Dallas County Schools Board President Mamie Solomon, and guest speaker former Principal of Keith Middle High School W. W. Steele. The event was co-chaired by Joe James Williams and Mamie Williams Solomon, and hosted by Judge Maggie Drake-Peterson. 

“We are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the existence of Keith High School," said Drake Peterson, who is also a descendant of the founder of Keith High School.

The Centennial Celebration was also one of two fundraisers for Keith High School to have a baseball field and possible track field. The second known fundraiser being homecoming on Nov. 3.

"If those pioneers in 1923 could raise the funds to build this school, surely in 2023 we could raise enough money to build this school a baseball field," Drake-Peterson said in an interview referring to how the community had to raise $1,000 in 1923 to start Keith High School. Drake-Peterson is also a descendant of Page Keith, the founder of Keith Middle High School. 

Several alumni during the celebration events mentioned their excitement to reconnect. One alumni was Mel Flanagan Brown, secretary for the centennial celebration and a member of the Dallas County School Board.

“We are celebrating our 100 years. It's a blessing to be able to come back and do this celebration, to be able to mingle with others with classmates ahead of us and behind us,” he said. Brown also mentioned being glad to see fellow alumni had made their way across the U.S. to further their studies and careers. 

“It's wonderful that we've gotten back together,” said Vera Allen, who said because of the small community in Orrville, siblings from different families and ages know each other.

“A hundred years for anything is monumental and so I'm just happy that they invited me to take part in this event because there are a lot of astounding people that came through from growing up on a farm, getting educated, and just going all over the country to accomplish incredible things,” Rep. Prince Chestnut said. “I find it interesting that there’s so many people here who made their mark in education. And education is such a key, I think, in the American dream and being able to accomplish the American dream, having a foundation, and Keith High has delivered that foundation for its people.” 

Superintendent Sampson agreed. “It’s so exciting to be able to join in the celebration of Keith High School as they celebrate 100 years of proud, productive graduates of Dallas County Schools and Keith High School served as the epitome in the celebration of this 100 years, so congratulations to the alumni for a job well done.”