Club Boulevard
Elementary School was built in response to the baby boom following World
War II. Overcrowding at George Watts and North Durham Schools, coupled
with rapid development in the Northgate area, made the 5.6 acre site at
Glendale Avenue and Club Boulevard a desirable location for a new school.
Club first opened its doors in November 1950, with Principal Baxter Ridenhour, nine teachers,
and 321 students. The original building which cost $300,000 and was the
first one-story school in the county, consisted of what is now the primary
wing, the library, the auditorium and the cafeteria. The rear section of
the school was added on in 1954, at a cost of $125,000.
In 1970, Club
Boulevard was paired with East End School. Children in the primary grades
attended East End and grades 4-6 were taught at Club. Twelve years later,
the school grades were reorganized, and since then Club Boulevard School
has been a Kindergarten through fifth grade School.
School enrollment
peaked in 1966 with a total population of 607 students and 20 teachers.
For the last school years Club's population has maintained a student body
of 450 - 525 students.
In 1973, Mr. Ridenhour
retired and Fenner Boyd was named principal. Mr. Boyd retired in 1987,
and Darryl Powell served as Acting Principal for the remainder of the year.
Mr. Powell was named Principal of the school in June 1988. Mr. Powell served
as Principal until June 1994. He saw the school through the merger of Durham
City and Durham County Schools.
In June 1994,
Club Boulevard Elementary School was designated as one of the Durham Public
School's nine Magnet Schools. It was renamed Club Boulevard Humanities
Magnet. Mrs. Carolyn Ridout was named Principal and charged with the task
of opening a new addition and developing the magnet school. In April of
1995, the new addition, two Kindergarten classrooms, a media center and
an office complex was opened. In the fall of 1995, Club Boulevard Humanities
Magnet School opened with 471 students in grades Kindergarten through fifth.
It is hailed as a model Magnet in the areas of art, music, dance, technology,
literature and the humanities, most recently being named one of the top
15 Magnet Schools in the nation. The focus on quality of life and the humanities
based school wide, year-long themes has attracted many families. The summer
of 2001 Club Boulevard Humanities Magnet School was selected by the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to be one of their Professional Development
School Sites. This five year collaboration will provide research opportunities
for both sites and pre-service placement for the university's student teachers.
The 2001-2002 enrollment is at building capacity of 520 students and the
school presently has a waiting list for this school year. Our school and
our programs are thriving.