*I don't know why, but I feel like I'm taking up more space than necessary by posting a whole, new thread to the forum. But, isn't that kind of the point of the forum? I've been able to explore a ton of awesome places (and meet tons of awesome people), so I decided to share the latest one with you guys. I'm sure more will soon follow this one. Almost all of mine will probably be picture heavy, so consider yourself warned.* This was one of those places that I lucked into with the Google satellite, a glorious invention indeed. It's located just outside of the DFW metroplex and has a pretty interesting story that goes with it. Some of the teachers in this ISD (Independent School District) were caught intentionally helping students basically cheat on their TAS tests (one of those standardized tests that determines the minimal skill level required to move on to the next grade - or graduate. They also determine many other things, like financial and other incentives/penalties to the school as a whole). When this came to light, the issue was heavily covered by the local media and ultimately ended with the dissolution of the entire school district after they received the lowest "unacceptable" rating that a district can receive.
Practicing What You Already Know by
Dee Ashley, on Flickr
The district was incorporated into the Dallas ISD at that time (I think HS Seniors went to South Oak Cliff and the rest were dispersed more broadly throughout the district). Many of the reasons for this appear to be politically based and not completely based on the TAS tests. Although, the cheating on the test was the major factor.
The result of this decision was the closure of many schools in the area in the 2000's, at least 5 or 6 physical schools, as well as a handful of related buildings.
by
Dee Ashley, on Flickr
by
Dee Ashley, on Flickr
5 of these schools are already known here on UER, but I'm not certain if the one I stumbled on is a 6th school, or if the one I found was simply pinned at a inaccurate location. I'll have to look a little harder to decide on this, but I'm guessing that "my find," is probably not completely new here, especially given its large size and the addition of all the other schools in the database.
Anyways, this school consisted of several structures, the first of which were built in 1945. As is the case with many US schools, buildings - particularly those of the "portable" variety (think trailers for schools kind of), were slowly added on over the years as the population of students grew. This resulted in a total of 6 or 7 main structures that included: 1. A police station (this one puzzles me a lot. This was not a large school by urban standards. I went to a school many, many times larger (we had student numbers in the thousands) and we did not have a police station on our campus!
Chain of Custody by
Dee Ashley, on Flickr
2. There was also a main building that included the library,
by
Dee Ashley, on Flickr
home economics, shop, most of the classrooms, etc. 3. A separate gymnasium (by far the most fun!)
We Had a Ball by
Dee Ashley, on Flickr
with a second story for music classes. 4. A building that was used as a cafeteria and also had a stage area. 5. Several of the aforementioned portable buildings that were full of books, supplies, and learning materials. These were likely classroom and teacher additions. One of these also included a warehouse-type structure and the Nurse's Station. This last portable building was also the most secure - the only one that we were unable to get inside of the entire structure. 6. There were also two or three large warehouses that were a bit puzzling, as they are not a standard addition to most North Texas schools. One of them was basically a shed, and the other looked very much like a large garage belonging to a mechanics shop. Both were filled with an assortment of items, mostly seemingly random. My only guess was that they used it to make bus and school vehicle repairs. All of these buildings, except the warehouses, are connected via outer, covered walkways and sidewalks.
There is also a structure in the very back of the property next to what was their track and bleacher area that I did not have time to check out.
So there's the overview, just to give an idea of the place. From an architectural standpoint, this location was unremarkable (but I'll throw in a couple exterior shots just to give a feel of the property). The most interesting part of this location was what was inside. Basically, a shitload of
stuff. I find that at least half of the people active on this site, explore in part, as a continuation or evolution of their photography. I am one of those people, so taking photos at a location is usually my primary objective. This was one of those rare places that I found myself hardly taking any photos. Mostly, because the interested was in each of the items for me rather than the aesthetic quality of the place. In general, each room as seen from a photo would just look like a room full of disheveled junk:
Untitled by
Dee Ashley, on Flickr
by
Dee Ashley, on Flickr
by
Dee Ashley, on Flickr
Although I did try to get creative with some of this junk:
by
Dee Ashley, on Flickr
by Dee Ashley, on Flickr
by
Dee Ashley, on Flickr
I'm ashamed to say, I even turned Ken, from 3rd period Science lab, into a smoker:
I turned Ken into a smoker. by
Dee Ashley, on Flickr
The budget must have been really tight around here, judging by the archaic nature, by educational standards, of much of the material:
Behind the Times by
Dee Ashley, on Flickr
by
Dee Ashley, on Flickr
I will continue to add on to the photos and the story in the next day or so. This is a lot of work! In the meantime, here's a few of my favorites minus the narrative:
History Repeats by
Dee Ashley, on Flickr
Gravity Always Wins by
Dee Ashley, on Flickr
by
Dee Ashley, on Flickr
Etch(a-sketch)! by
Dee Ashley, on Flickr
Thanks for the history. 
