The earliest date a school was mentioned in what we know as the Sugar Land area was 1834. This school was held in a little blacksmith shop about a mile south of the heart of the Oakland Plantation at Stafford’s Point on Oyster Creek.
By June of 1860 there were four schools in Fort Bend County. The school at Stafford’s Point had one teacher and twenty students. It received $190 from public funds and $200 from other sources. Financing for the other schools in the County was similar, with some public funding but always funds from other sources.
Isaac Hebert Kempner and William Thomas Eldridge, owners who renamed Oakland Plantation to Sugar Land Plantation, were so dedicated to the welfare of the community that they sent their chief engineer, M. R. Wood, to California to inspect a school plant reported to be one of the finest in the nation. Wood copied the layout and construction at Lakeview was completed in 1918. Graduates of this Sugar Land High School had no trouble competing in college with the graduates of big city high schools.
Education has always been seen as vitally important to the citizens of Fort Bend County and this drives the support of funding for schools from outside sources. Currently we are blessed with the support of the Fort Bend Education Foundation. The mission of this organization is to enhance and enrich the quality of education for all students in Fort Bend ISD. Through activities and fund raising the Foundation raises awareness and money to provide additional support for student resources.
Coming in February the Foundation will celebrate 22 years with their annual gala, an elegant masquerade ball. Enjoy the excitement of picking through items in the silent auction, some of which are put together and donated by staff members in the Fort Bend Schools. Want to be outdoors in the Spring? Sign up for the annual Schlumberger Education Expedition bike ride which also benefits the Fort Bend Education Foundation.
Visit their website and see what you can do. You can be a part of this additional support of Fort Bend students by participating in sponsored activities or simply volunteering your time to the efforts of the Foundation.
We can continue to build an excellent history by keeping our schools at the forefront of educational growth and provide our students with the premium education important to make Fort Bend County and the world a better place.
