Texas State Historical Association - My Texas

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School in the Family

I am not very familiar with the Alief School District area because I have lived within the boundaries of the Houston ISD all my life. Even though I have not attended an Alief ISD school, I still feel in a way that members of my family, primarily my mother, father, and grandfather, link me to the district. Each and every one of them attended an Alief school, but even though they all attended the same school district, their experiences at these schools varied significantly. My grandfather recently told me that in the 1960s he attended what was at the time the only school in the Alief School District. Actually, at the time it was called the Dairy School District because it was located along Dairy Ashford, which was nothing but a dairy farm. He believes that it is what is now Alief Middle School, by Hastings and Elsik High School. He explained to me that school back then was very different than it is now; since it was the only school in the district, all grades attended, from elementary to high school. He also explained that unlike schools today, the school he attended was primarily Caucasian and throughout his school years he was one of the few Hispanics who attended the school. I later found out that it wasn't until 1964 that a separate elementary school was built and became the second school in the district. My mother and father also attended an Alief school. My dad graduated in 1984 and my mom in 1986. They attended schools that were right beside each other, my dad at Hastings (which my aunt also attended) and my mom at Elsik. Even though they attended different schools their experiences were very similar. They both explained to me that there were only about twelve Hispanic people that attended the school throughout all grades, and that at the time only about ten African Americans attended. This definitely affected their experience, and the way they lived, because they were the minority, and in order to fit in they had to adapt quickly. My mom explained to me that because her peers were all white, she felt like she had to change herself, and she adapted in various ways. "I had to change the way I talked, so I could fit in," she explained. The school she attended not only affected her way of life, but eventually affected my younger brother and me, and we now attend schools that vary significantly in race and culture. When I learned this from my family, I was very surprised, because when I visit my grandparents' house (which is in the Alief ISD) I pass all of the schools that members of my family used to attend, and I am able to witness firsthand how much has changed. My mother even comments on how different it is from when she was my age, and how weird it is to see the school that she used to attend look so different than when she went to school there. My family's experiences at school were all very different, but one thing they have in common is that the schools they attended are now very different.

Orianna DeMontoya
Houston, Texas
Published: May 31, 2006