Paragouldians may know it as South School, Cotton Boll Technical Institute, or just that old school on the way to Jonesboro. Whatever you know it as, you won’t be knowing it much longer.

The Greene County Tech School District is building a new high school on that site – but before they can do that, the old South School building has to be demolished.

The official word came down on Thursday from the GCT Board.

As legend has it, that school fell out of favor as an economically struggling Paragould tried to bring in jobs. Caterpillar, Inc., who was long courted by the city for a number of industrial developments that never materialized, saw the old school and its wooden floors and assumed that this dusty delta town wasn’t serious about education.

When Caterpillar announced it didn’t select Paragould as the site for its project, the school soon closed in favor of a unified Greene County Tech School District campus on the west side.

Since the closing of the elementary school, the building has served as a nursing school and a general purpose vo-tech school, but for the past three years or so it has been vacant. Greene County Tech continued to hold the property.

The demolition of the school will be a sad occasion for many who attended it over the years, but having a beautiful new high school on the bustling south side will further bolster Paragould’s ability to attract industry and families.

Rest in Peace, South School.

Arkansas Catholic has a interesting special report on the plight of the Catholic education system in the Natural State.

It notes that of the 31 Catholic schools in Arkansas, only four exist in Northeast Arkansas. St. Mary School in Paragould is cited as a prime example of how a small Catholic school can survive with the support of the community.

The support of parents and parish leadership also is a major factor in a school’s viability, even if it has a small enrollment, Bowen said.

St. Mary School in Paragould is a good example: “The parish wants this school to survive,” she said. In addition to the parish subsidy, both school parents and parishioners support the school’s fundraisers.

Bowen said the goal for a school is to effectively operate with the least amount of financial support from the parish.

The Ridge Writer had siblings and friends who attended St. Mary. Hit the picture above for the complete report from Arkansas Catholic.