People pour into the crowded gym, excited for the first pep rally of the year. Numerous teachers and students wear pride shirts, all saying something along the lines of “the Original McKinney High School” or “Home of the Lions.” Yet, in the midst of all of this unity, one thing stands out—the date our school first opened.

Certain shirts say “est. 1877” while others say “1889.” A few even say “1916.” However, journalism teacher Lori Oglesbee confirmed the correct date is none of these. Instead, McKinney High School first opened its doors in 1886.

“Our first class graduated in 1889,” she said, “so some shirts say ‘established 1889.’ I assume they subtracted 12 from that to get 1877. But back then, it was different. They didn’t have 12 grades.”

At first, she believed the correct opening date to be 1883. However, looking farther back, she found a more accurate source.

“I found an article from a 1923 newspaper that specifically talked all about when the school opened,” she said. “I also contacted Arthur McNeil, who confirmed 1886 was the correct date. This shows how important journalism is. Without that article, the beginning of this school’s legacy would’ve been lost.”

She hopes this information will become known enough to where at next year’s first pep rally, every shirt will have the correct date.

“From this day forward,” she said, “let it be known that McKinney High School’s official opening date was September 1886. All T-shirts, all references to that ought to be right from here on out.”