An elementary school rose on Edinburg’s east side in 1926 and its purpose during times of segregation was made clear.
“The Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District established Stephen F. Austin Grade School for Mexican students,” states a Texas Historical Commission plaque that was recently placed in front of the century-old school. “They chose a site at E. Kuhn and N. 21st Streets near many of Edinburg’s Mexican families.”
Stephen F. Austin continues to the present in an era of vastly different times and societal beliefs. A just-retired Edinburg schools superintendent – Mario Salinas – attended the school as a youngster. He is a living testament to how times have changed. Salinas spoke of the inspiration Stephen F. Austin provided him and so many others who have walked its hallways.
“My story started here,” Salinas said in mid-May to a large gathering on hand to celebrate the school’s Centennial. “And this will be one of my last acts as a superintendent.”
The occasion was a special one as the state historical plaque was unveiled to the public. It was a festive event. Mariachi musicians provided a lively vibe. The young voices of Austin’s choir carried through the morning air. Retired teachers and administrators returned to their old school as did many former students who gathered around pictorial exhibits chronicling Austin’s history.
“To see the community show up like this represents just how much this place means to this community,” said Gabriel Ozuna, the chairman of the Hidalgo County Historical Society. “They remember all of the people who have come and walked these halls, the leaders, students, all of that together makes up the history of a place like Stephen F. Austin Elementary.”
Honoring Memories & Challenges
It’s a school history that in many cases is personal to those who attended Stephen F. Austin.
Edinburg Municipal Court Judge Hector Bustos recalled his days at the school and how teachers and coaches lifted him up during challenging times as a youth.
“It was alright not to have a father,” Bustos said a coach and teacher told him. “I can be your father.”
The judge said he “was surrounded and praised by a group of people called Stephen F. Austin.”
The harshness and ridicule Mexican-American students endured is also part of the school’s story. One former student, Gilberto Ortiz, praised “the significance of hearing mariachi music” performed at the Centennial celebration. It was on those same grounds where in “the early years we were not allowed to speak Spanish,” and Hispanic students were mocked for eating tacos and tamales on playgrounds, he said.
Those memories of distant years have given way to the better times of today at Stephen F. Austin, which historically is referred to as “one of the oldest continuously operating elementary schools in the state.”
“We are preserving more than history,” said Salinas, the outgoing superintendent. “We are honoring the hundreds of teachers, staff, students and leaders who have poured their hearts into this campus.”
More Than A School
The historical reach of Stephen F. Austin Elementary School reaches beyond Edinburg.
In the 1950s, it was one of the pioneering elementaries in Texas that were among the “Little Schools of the 400.” The program was launched by the League of United Latin American Citizens, (LULAC), in 1957 and was designed to teach Spanish-dominant Mexican-American children a basic 400-word English vocabulary.
The Little Schools operated on the philosophy that building the self-confidence of Mexican-American students in their native culture and language made it easier to learn a second language. Stephen F. Austin was one of those “Little Schools.” The program was deemed a success and would inspire the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson to use it as a framework for what would become Head Start.
Locally, Stephen F. Austin became more than a school to its community. The state historical plaque states that “for many years, Austin Elementary served as a gathering place for Edinburg’s Mexican-American community, including bailes, (dances), folk festivals and cultural theater performances.”
On the school’s 100th birthday, Ozuna of the county’s historical commission society, says the state’s historical recognition serves as an institutional acknowledgement of what Austin Elementary has meant to Edinburg.
“To be able to give that official historical marker is like putting in something permanent,” he said. “It’s a story that existed in reality and now we get to put it into something physical.”