#BlackHistoryMonth: Historic Westside School turning 100 years old this year

News 3 LV

By Andrew Nomura

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — The oldest standing school in the valley is turning 100 years old this year. The historic Westside School was one of the first schools to integrate this side of the Mississippi River.

The Westside School opened in 1923 at the exact location where it currently sits today on the corner of D and Washington Streets.

3 years later it opened its doors to Black students, making it one of the first integrated schools in the Western United States.

News 3 got the chance to speak with school alumni and its impact on the City of Las Vegas. Brenda Williams attended the school in 1949 from kindergarten up to the 4th grade.

"Well, it was the only school we knew,” said Williams who is the former interim councilwoman of Ward 5. “It was an exciting time. It was our school. It was our gathering place.”

The campus now serves the community in a multitude of ways. It houses a radio station, stem training, and a workforce development center is in the works.

“When you talk about the different schools that have come out of this community. the rich history of schools and the rich history of people who have gone to school here like Brenda Williams, it just reiterates the fact that our community has always and will always be leading the forefront of our community,” said Ward 5 Councilman Cedric Crear.

“Now we can give this history to our young people to inspire them from once we came. If we could do what we did under those circumstances, then look at what you can do now,” said Williams. “This is not a westside story this is a Las Vegas history story,” she exclaimed.

You can find more about the future of the Westside School by checking out the city’s “Hundred Plan”