The history of Rogers School is a story of the continuing effort to bring education to the community's young children. It began in an old one-room school in a log house located about a mile north of the present school site.

Sometime before the summer of 1879, Jerrie D. McCluskey, a merchant at Green Hill, built a schoolhouse on the opposite side of the road from the log building. On July 4, 1879, the Green Hill Masonic Lodge asked Mr. McCluskey to build an upper story on the school house and rent the room to the lodge for a term of years. This upper room was built, and about January, 1894, the building was sold to the Masonic Lodge. The school continued to operate on the first floor.

Next to the Masonic building, a two-story, four-room school building was erected with a two-room wing added later. In its early years, this school was known as Green Hill Academy and became one of the most up-to-date schools in the county and state. Professor Frank Powers was the first teacher, and his assistant was his sister, Miss Anna Powers. Many young men and women from different places came to Green Hill to attend the Academy.

After Professor Powers, Captain A.D. Ray took charge of the school. He was assisted by his two daughters, lda and Mollie. He taught for several years until he was elected County Superintendent of Education. Captain Ray served as superintendent from 1883 to 1902.

The next principal was W.R. (Bob) Harrison, who first introduced state-approved textbooks in the school. Other principals were John Wilkines, J.J. Moore, Robert Simpson, and James White. All were splendid teachers who helped to make Green Hill Academy one of the best schools in Lauderdale County.

In 1936, T.M. Rogers, Sr., (of Rogers Department Store), donated ten acres of land about a mile south of the Green Hill school for a junior high school. With the aid of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a brick building, including five classrooms, an office, library, and auditorium was built. Grades six through nine were moved to the new school, leaving the first grade through the fifth grade in the old frame building. The new school was named T.M. Rogers Junior High in honor of its founder.

In 1947, the tenth grade was added, and in 1948-49, the eleventh grade. In 1948, the remaining grades at the Green Hill Sch061 were moved to the campus of T.M. Rogers Junior High. In 1949-50, the twelfth grade was added, making it a campus of grades one through twelve. There were twenty-one seniors in the first graduating class in May, 1950. There were twenty-one teachers in 1950.

When the school became a senior high school, an additional ten-acre plot was given by the Rogers estate making a total of twenty acres of level ground.

In the early 1950's, the name was changed to Rogers High School. Full accreditation was granted in the fall of 1958. In the late 1950's, it had the distinction of being the largest twelve grade school in the state of Alabama.

The first principal was Mr. John R. Murray. Mr. Alvin Braly, Mr. Arnold Young, Mr. John D. Hawk, Mr. Gene Prestage, Mr. Larry Smith, Mr. William Valentine, Mr. William Carson, and Mr. Tim Tubbs have all served the school well as principals.

NOTES:

The school has had a basketball team since its junior high days. The 1938 junior high team won the county championship.

In April, 1947, the board voted to purchase and remove from Courtland Army Air Base some 19

barracks at 5% of actual value. In May of that year, the board agreed to place two barracks and one latrine at Green Hill School.