Garland High School - Current Location
Funded by Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal 
         Works Progress Administration
December 29th, 1935 - Ground breaking Ceremony Included
         Cafeteria, Gymnasium, Auditorium
September 11th, 1936 - Formal Dedication Ceremony
1936 - GA Wing was built (Garland Avenue) Served all grade levels
         until 1945 Ex-Students Association Formed First Homecoming /
         Parade
1937 - First Graduating Class - 65 members
1938-1940 - Deb gym was built
May 30th, 1939 - Athletic Field hosts GHS first outdoor graduation
         ceremony
1940 - Moved the Handley School to GHS and made it the Band Hall
1946 - Dashing Debs established
1947 - Owl’s Eye Newspaper founded
1950 - AD Wing was Built (Avenue D)
December 11th, 1950 - Garland Junior High
          - Later became renamed Bussey Junior High
1953 - Adopted the Alma Mater Written  for GHS by Band Director
          Carl Bolin Old Alma Mater became the Fight Song
          School Board wanted a different tune than the other schools
1954 - Williams Stadium Built
October 7th, 1954 - First game at Williams Stadium won by 9th
          grade Jr. High team
1955 - First Popularity Ball
October 10th, 1956 - Birth of Ollie Owl - year end edition of the
          Owl’s Eye School Paper
October 1958 - GHS has first Homecoming game, dance  and
          crowns first Homecoming Queen
1960 - Ollie owl becomes the official mascot of GHS
April 29th, 1960 - Dashing Debs officially approved as GHS marching
​          organization
February 6th, 1961 - Gold Jackets Organized
May 1961 - Courtyard created - Semi circular walkway and shrubs
          surrounding a fountain
1961 - 9th grade added to GHS
1962 - GHS Cannon - purchased by a group of students 
         Tiled Owl in the front foyer of the school
​1963 - Owl Guard Established
1963 - Class donated the 2 brick walls that guard the entrance of
         the school     “Garland High School, Home of the Fighting Owls”
1964 - new band hall (built on the old playground next to the boy’s
          gym)
December 4th, 1964 - Victory Bell donated by the Santa Fe Railroad
          replaced the Victory Cannon
​May 1965- Ag Building fire (electrical short)
1971 - GHS gets Air Conditioners
1976 - Old Cafeteria converted to the Library Student Commons
          area built
1978-80 - Construction tied the campus together under one roof
1979 - GHS gets computers
September 24th, 1979 - Commons area destroyed by arson
1980 - Williams Stadium changed from grass to turf
1980 - “Owl Guards” changed to Bell Guards
1981 - Old Agriculture building converted to Art building
September 9th, 1983 - Victory Bell Cracked
1983 - Student Council purchased Marquee
1983 - AP Courses offered at GHS
January 27th, 1984 - New Victory Bell purchased and presented to
          the school
December 1986 - Fire destroyed most of the administrative offices
          and surrounding area
August 1987 - School Board votes to remove smoking area from all
          GISD schools
1989 - IB Program - GHS becomes the Magnet school of Garland
1996 - Ollie Owl gets a new look thanks to the Class of 1995
1996 - Billie M. Nickols’ Science Building Added
1997 - GHS add Homecoming King to the Court
1998 - Dallas Tax Building removed from the side GHS Parking Lot
2005 - Art / History Building Added, Auditorium rebuilt, Tennis
​          Courts removed from back parking lot
2008 - Victory Cannon stolen from GHS 
          - Cut into pieces and thrown into Lake Ray Hubbard
          - Ag. dept. built a replacement in less than a week for the
​             Homecoming Game
          - Pieces were recovered and cannon was put back together.
          - Never displayed out front again
2018 - AVAPA at GHS established
​          - Academy of Visual and Performing Arts Diploma