Elmer L. Meyers Junior/Senior High School (commonly known throughout the area as 'E. L. Meyers' or 'Meyers') was an urban, public school located on 341 Carey Avenue, in

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre ( or ) is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, Luzerne County. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in th ...

. It was one of three public high schools in the

Wilkes-Barre Area School District Wilkes–Barre Area School District is an urban public school district located in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The District encompasses approximately 123 square miles. The district includes the city of Wilkes-Barre as well as sma ...

. Meyers was both a

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

and

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

public high school State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary schools that educate all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in pa ...

, offering education to approximately 898 students in grades 7–12. The student to teacher ratio was approximately 12.6 students per teacher. Meyers' sports teams were called "

Mohawks The Mohawk people ( moh, Kanienʼkehá꞉ka) are the most easterly section of the Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois Confederacy. They are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous people of North America ...

History

Located on 341 Carey Avenue, in

, Elmer L. Meyers Junior/Senior High School opened in 1930 and closed in 2021. Both a

and

, it offered education to students in grades 7–12. Meyers provided education to approximately 898 students in grades 7–12, with a teacher ratio of approximately 12.6 students per teacher.

Closure

By the early 21st century, the school was seen to be in disrepair from apparent neglect, with safety structures erected in front of building façade and repairs needed for the attached stadium. On June 10, 2016, the Wilkes-Barre Area School Board voted to consolidate the local schools, merging Meyers and

Coughlin Coughlin ( , or, according to the cases, traditional Irish English: ) is a surname of Irish origin ( or ), meaning 'son of the one with the cloak'. Notable people with the surname include: *Bill Coughlin (1878–1943), American baseball playe ...

into a new 9th through 12th grade school to be built on the Coughlin site in downtown Wilkes-Barre. The 7th and 8th grades will be merged with Kistler Elementary to make that into a K-8th school. The Board was unable to move forward with the plan to use the Coughlin site or another site in Wilkes-Barre. In February 2018, the Board expressed a plan to use Meyers as a

middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

. On March 5, 2018, the Board voted to purchase land in

Plains, Pennsylvania Plains is a census-designated place (CDP) in Plains Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population of the CDP was 4,335 at the 2010 census, out of 9,961 in the entire township. Geography Plains CDP is located in the wester ...

for the merged high school. The plans faced vocal opposition, with some proposing that the school be turned into a

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of auto ...

. The school has been listed as an "At Risk" for

historic preservation Historic preservation (US), built heritage preservation or built heritage conservation (UK), is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance. It is a philos ...

location by Preservation Pennsylvania, who noted that " a

Depression-era The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The Financial contagion, ...

construction project, the school embodies the grand design of early 20th-century public architecture. It serves a diverse neighborhood, and is located in a central location that children can walk to." The school was sold prior to the opening of Wilkes-Barre Area High School, with the intention to become a

assisted living An assisted living residence or assisted living facility (ALF) is a housing facility for people with disabilities or for adults who cannot or who choose not to live independently. The term is popular in the United States, but the setting is s ...

center.

Visits

Meyer has had visits from various famous individuals.

John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era known primarily for American military marches. He is known as "The March King" or the "American March King", to dist ...

performed in the auditorium August 31, 1931.

Amelia Earhart Amelia Mary Earhart ( , born July 24, 1897; disappeared July 2, 1937; declared dead January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer and writer. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She set many oth ...

visited in spring of 1936 after the Meyers High School Women's Club brought her in to talk to students about "Adventures in Flying". More recently, the school had Travis Clark and Hunter Thomsen from

We The Kings We the Kings is an American rock band from Bradenton, Florida. The band's eponymous full-length debut album, released in 2007, included the platinum single "Check Yes Juliet", and went on to sell over 250,000 copies in the US. The group's secon ...

perform an acoustic set in October 2009. After winning a contest from local radio station 97 BHT, the two members performed a free show in the auditorium.

Building

The school's main stairway is made of Giallo d’Istria

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...

with

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other with ...

railings and the main auditorium features a

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

work, including a ceiling with the state seal of the 48 states in the United States at the time of the school's construction. The exterior of Meyers is made of brick walls with

terra cotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta ...

lintel A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented structural item. In the case of w ...

s and

stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...

s, and a number of

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). Whe ...

s—some of which were removed for safety in 2007. The school has space designated as

fallout shelter A fallout shelter is an enclosed space specially designated to protect occupants from radioactive debris or fallout resulting from a nuclear explosion. Many such shelters were constructed as civil defense measures during the Cold War. During ...

. It was flooded in 1972 from

Hurricane Agnes Hurricane Agnes in 1972 was the costliest hurricane to hit the United States at the time, causing an estimated $2.1 billion in damage. The hurricane's death toll was 128. The effects of Agnes were widespread, from the Caribbean to Canada, ...

and survived. Attached to the school was Wilkes-Barre Memorial Stadium, which contained a

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

and

American football field The rectangular field of play used for American football games measures long between the goal lines, and (53.3 yards) wide. The field may be made of grass or artificial turf. In addition, there are end zones extending another past the goal li ...

used for all of

's public high schools and

Holy Redeemer High School Holy Redeemer High School is a high school of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton. It is located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, United States. It is currently the only Catholic high school in Luzerne County Luzerne County is a county in th ...

Traditions

The student body of Meyers were collectively referred to as "

". Meyers had many traditions including Moving Up Day, a ceremony that officially marked the junior class move to

status, as well as the senior class moving to the stage for graduation, which happened the day after in the school's auditorium. The school also celebrated senior

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and northe ...

, a tradition that was started in the 1930s.

Extracurricular activities

The school offered many sports and activities for students to participate in. Traditionally having a similarly sized student body that pitted them against each other in numerous activities, Meyers and G.A.R. High Schools enjoyed one of the longest standing sports rivalries in the

Wyoming Valley The Wyoming Valley is a historic industrialized region of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The region is historically notable for its influence in helping fuel the American Industrial Revolution with its many anthracite coal-mines. As a metropolitan are ...

Sports

Meyers offered sports in the Fall, Winter, and Spring. Those sports included; cross country, field hockey, football, golf, boys' and girls' soccer, girls' volleyball, boys' and girls' basketball, swimming & diving, wrestling, baseball, softball, and track & field.

Clubs

Meyers offered year-round clubs for students. The clubs ranged from Meyers-specific clubs, such as the Elmprint Club (newspaper) and Colophon Club (yearbook), to national clubs and organizations, such as F.B.L.A. and National Honors Society. Other clubs offered include the Art Club, Chess Club, Computer Club, Diversity Club, Drama Club,

Envirothon NCF-Envirothon is an annual environmentally themed academic competition for high school aged students organized by the NCF-Envirothon a program of the National Conservation Foundation. The competition is held by the United States and Canada on a ...

, F.B.L.A., Key Club, Math Club,

National Honors Society The National Honor Society (NHS) is a nationwide organization for high school students in the United States and outlying territories, which consists of many chapters in high schools. Selection is based on four criteria: scholarship (academic achi ...

, Scholastic Scrimmage, Ski Club, Spanish Club,

Speech and Debate Debate is a process that involves formal discourse on a particular topic, often including a moderator and audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for often opposing viewpoints. Debates have historically occurred in public meetings, a ...

, Stage Crew, Student Council, and Watershed Project. In terms of musical groups, the school offered

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

jazz band A jazz band (jazz ensemble or jazz combo) is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. Jazz bands vary in the quantity of its members and the style of jazz that they play but it is common to find a jazz band made up of a rhythm section and a ...

marching band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ofte ...

, and

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

STEM

The school obtained grants to start a

STEM Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

lab in 2014, which includes a

3D printer 3D printing or additive manufacturing is the Manufacturing, construction of a three-dimensional object from a computer-aided design, CAD model or a digital 3D modeling, 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is ...

and machine. Additionally, it hosts Adam Iseman's BES
Awards
a popular STEM competition which has produced a working phone, arachnoid robot, and 3D printed Lazarus hand.

Speech and debate

E. L. Meyers High School was known across the country for its

speech and debate Debate is a process that involves formal discourse on a particular topic, often including a moderator and audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for often opposing viewpoints. Debates have historically occurred in public meetings, a ...

team. Founded in 1997, Meyers hosted the

Martin Luther King Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

Open Speech and Debate Tournament every January. The team was tied for a national championship with four other schools in 2009 at the

National Catholic Forensic League The National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) is a speech and debate league that was formed in 1951. It is organized into regions that correspond to Roman Catholic dioceses. Member schools include both public and parochial high schools. The NCFL r ...

championships held in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...

. The team offered students a host of events to choose to compete in. Some of the events that the team hosts include Lincoln–Douglas debate,

policy debate Policy debate is an American form of debate competition in which teams of two usually advocate for and against a resolution that typically calls for policy change by the United States federal government. It is also referred to as cross-examinat ...

public forum debate Public Forum debate is a widespread form of middle and high school competitive debate which centers on current events and relies on both logic and evidence to construct arguments. Invented in the US, Public Forum is one of the most prominent Americ ...

extemporaneous speaking Extemporaneous Speaking (Extemp, or EXT) is a speech delivery style/speaking style, and a term that identifies a specific forensic competition. The competition is a speech event based on research and original analysis, done with a limited-prepar ...

declamation Declamation (from the Latin: ''declamatio'') is an artistic form of public speaking. It is a dramatic oration designed to express through articulation, emphasis and gesture the full sense of the text being conveyed. History In Ancient Rome, decla ...

oral interpretation Oral Interpretation is a dramatic art, also commonly called "interpretive reading" and "dramatic reading", though these terms are more conservative and restrictive. In certain applications, oral interpretation is also a theater art – as in rea ...

original oratory {{Multiple issues, {{No footnotes, date=November 2017 {{Notability, date=May 2020 Original Oratory (often shortened to "OO") is a competitive event in the National Speech and Debate Association, Stoa USA, National Catholic Forensic League, and o ...

, duo interpretation of literature, and

dramatic interpretation Dramatic Interpretation (often shortened to "Dramatic Interp," "Drama" or just "DI") is an event in National Speech and Debate Association (and NSDA-related) high school forensics competitions. In the National Christian Forensics and Communicatio ...

Notable alumni

Qadry Ismail Qadry Rahmadan Ismail (born November 8, 1970), nicknamed "the Missile", is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round (52nd overall) of the 1993 NFL draft. He played college football at S ...

– NFL Analyst, Former NFL wide receiver *

Raghib Ismail Raghib Ramadian "Rocket" Ismail (born November 18, 1969) is an American former American and Canadian football wide receiver and kick returner. He played college football at Notre Dame before moving on to both the Canadian Football League (CFL) ...

– Former NFL wide receiver *

Edward B. Lewis Edward Butts Lewis (May 20, 1918 – July 21, 2004) was an American geneticist, a corecipient of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He helped to found the field of evolutionary developmental biology. Early life Lewis was born in Wi ...

– Geneticist, Nobel Prize Winner (1995) * Phil Ostrowski – NFL player * Gary Dale – United States Air Force * Dan Chariton - Screenwriter

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elmer L. Meyers Junior Senior High School 1930 establishments in Pennsylvania 2021 disestablishments in Pennsylvania Public middle schools in Pennsylvania Public high schools in Pennsylvania Schools in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania Educational institutions established in 1930 Educational institutions disestablished in 2021