Our high school years are a time of change. We
change friends. We change opinions. We change our plans for our futures. Many
of us become very competitive in sports and academics. In academics there are
always people fighting for the “smartest kid”.
Any sports fan knows that all teams have their “rival” teams. In high
school, we have “rival” schools. History
has assumed that Osbourn High School and Osbourn Park High School are “rival”
schools. There has always been a lot of excitement when these two schools go
head to head. This has always been
interesting because it is almost like we are fight against ourselves. Many
people did not know that Osbourn High School and Osbourn Park High School were
at one time the same school. Let’s go back to where it all began.
The
first high school building in Manassas was actually an addition to the Ruffner
building. The Ruffner building stood on the corner of West Center St near the
intersection of Peabody St. The high school wing was added in 1908 when high
school classes were established. It remained the Ruffner School Building
Manassas High School until 1926.
The
new Manassas High School was built in 1926. It stood near the present day
County Court House on Church St beside the old Bennett Building. In and around 1928, it was renamed Osbourn
High School in honor of Miss Eugenia Osbourn. She was an educator,
administrator, and civic leader. The
building remained Osbourn High School until 1953. In the fall of 1953, a new
high school was built on Tudor Lane. This was the new Osbourn High School and
the students were moved there.
Eventually
Manassas became a city and withdrew from the county. They began to set up their
own system. In 1975, all of the students attended the new Osbourn Park High
School on Euclid Avenue. Students from Manassas Park were the first to be moved
into their own schools. In 1977, the city bought the building on Tudor Lane and
students attended school there. They used the previous name of Osbourn High
School. The first class graduated from Osbourn in 1978. Today, we still have
both Osbourn High School and Osbourn Park High School, but we originated from
the same place all those years ago.
The
one thing that has remained the same is the Osbourn / Osbourn Park Alumni
Association. This association was formed in 1906. There were 6 members that
started this association over a dinner meeting.
We still meet today; 106 years later. We are the oldest high school
association in Virginia. Anyone that has attended Osbourn High School or
Osbourn Park High School is welcome to join. We hold a banquet every June and
present a $3000 scholarship to an eligible graduate from OHS and OPHS. We also
present an award for an Outstanding Alumni. If you are interested in joining
us, please visit the schools website or find us on facebook.
