HIGHLAND HIGH SCHOOL

Hi Forum,

Two days ago i asked this question:

"Highland High School contains 44,000 square feet of floor space. When it was completed in 1964, can anyone guess what the cost per square foot was?"


Frank Morris in the Early History of Cherokee Village tells us: $5.90 per square foot! The total cost was 252,000.

What I would give to be able to build a place for $5.90 per sq. foot!

Now how did they do it? The answer will be given tomorrow.

I 100% agree!

Hi Forum,

Highland High School contains 44,000 square feet of floor space. When it was completed in 1964, can anyone guess what the cost per square foot was?

I'll give the answer in two days.

PS Did you know the land for Highland HS was a gift deeded by Mr. Cooper as was Cherokee Elementary School? Mr. Cooper also connected Highland High School to the Cherokee Village water supply.

As Frank Morris ends his entry on Highland High School in the Early History of Cherokee Village:

The fading memory of Cooper's contributions to Sharp and Fulton counties does bother those who were a part of his vision. We should all help to keep the memory of John A. Cooper and his wife, Mildred Borum Cooper, alive. They did so much for this community.

Hi Forum,

This post will also appear in the Insider History of Cherokee Village. It is a reflection by Frank Morris taken from the Early History of Cherokee Village produced by the Cherokee Village Historical Society.

Highland High School

By: Frank Morris

The school site on which this building sits was donated to the school by Mr. John A. Cooper, Sr., then President of Cherokee Village Development Co., Inc. The site covers 72-1/2 acres. Mr. & Mrs. Cooper deeded this land on January 3, 1963. Bonds were sold and construction began. The Building covers approximately one acre of this site. This is one of the best constructed and most conveniently arranged school buildings in North Arkansas. It was built for expansion for the next several years. It consolidated the Hardy and Ash Flat school districts and known as Highland High School.

This post will continue.... What I want to notice here is that Cherokee Village was clearly seen by Mr. Cooper as a part of a larger community. It seems also that Cherokee Village was envisioned to be more than a retirement community itself but one with kids needing schooling. The gift of land is quite generous and shows how Mr. Cooper cared about the area as a whole. I mention this because occasionally one hears charges of insularity about CV. This is not supported by the facts of Mr. Cooper's vision. We would all do well to remember that the whole community has been lifted up by Mr. Cooper's work.