Williams Elementary Campus History

Williams Elementary Campus History
Williams Elementary Campus HistoryIn January of 1958, Williams Elementary opened its doors to 662 smiling children in grades first through sixth. Mildred Vines was hired as the principal in 1958 and remained at the campus until her retirement in 1975. Prior to the opening of Williams, the students had been attending Queens Elementary School. During the 1959-1960 school year,  the bare grounds of the school were landscaped by an area garden club and the PTA helped purchase library books to fill the sparsely furnished library. During the 1960-1961 school year, the students selected the Panther as the school’s mascot with black and gold as the school colors. A new wing was added in 1973, giving students a larger library, two kindergarten rooms, a music room and a speech room. In the 1975-1976 school year, Miles Bozarth became the new principal, moving from Stuch­bery Elementary to Williams. The enrollment for the 1975-1976 school year was 450 students. In January of 1976, a new gymnasium was built. 

Later in 1998, additions and renovations were made to the building, some of which included a new office. Throughout the years, Williams has seen changes in the number of students enrolled in the school. During the 2008-2009 school year, enrollment reached a high of 906 students and has steadily decreased since that time. In 2016, fifth-grade students were sent to the new Sullivan Middle School, further decreasing the enrollment at Williams. A year later in 2017, many portions of the building were damaged due to Hurricane Harvey related flooding. Two years later in 2019, Williams increased their state accountability rating from a F to a C, an accomplishment the campus is very proud of. Now, Williams has 475 students enrolled at the campus.

List of Principals

-Mildred Vines 1958-1975
-Miles Bozarth 1975-1985
-Time Cone 1985-1996
-Mel Capelo 1996-2014
-Mike Hanson 2014-2018
-Christine Coppedge 2018-present