1925–1928
The construction of the new Clemmons School began in 1925 and was opened later in the Fall of the year. Clemmons School’s first basketball team formed in 1925–26, playing on outdoor courts. By 1927–28, the first baseball team was established, and a lunchroom was built.
1930s
The school’s culture flourished with class plays, Halloween carnivals, and the creation of clubs such as the Key Club, Keyettes, FFA, and FHA. In 1931–32, Theodore Rondthaler became principal, founding a student orchestra with his wife, Alice. In 1932, he introduced the Christmas Pageant, a cherished tradition lasting until 1961. The orchestra went on to win six consecutive Class C State Championships (1932–1937). Around 1933, two clay tennis courts were built where the Broyhill Annex (Old Public Library) is located today. The sports program grew to include track, soccer, and tennis. By 1936, the girls’ track team had captured the county championship, and in 1938, the first cheerleading squad was formed.
1940s
A WPA-built gymnasium was completed in 1940, its basement serving as a community cannery during WWII. The school newspaper, The Chatterbox, began publication. Clemmons fielded its first (and only) 11-man football team in 1941; however, WWII prevented them from having a team during the subsequent war years. In 1944, the baseball team won the Class C Western State Championship. In 1945, the state mandated the addition of a 12th grade, and T. Ray Gibbs became principal. Clemmons was reclassified to Class B in 1946, as Class C was eliminated.
1947–1950
Clemmons launched its first six-man football team in 1947–48, and the baseball team captured the Class B State Championship. That same year marked the first issue of the Clemmemories yearbook, which continued until 1956. The 1948–49 school year brought more success: the football team won the Six-Man Class B State Championship, while the baseball team earned a second consecutive Class B state title. In 1949, a cafeteria, four classrooms, and a shop/agriculture building were added. A new athletic complex—with a football field, baseball diamond, grandstand, and lights—was built for $30,000, making it the second lighted stadium in Forsyth County. In 1949-1950, the Clemmons football team was the Six-Man Class B State Runner-up, the basketball team won the Forsyth County title, and the baseball team claimed its third straight Class B State Championship.
A Look Back at Our
School Years
1950–1956
Clemmons was reclassified to Class A when Class B was eliminated before the fall of 1950, with principals George Lester (1950) and Robert Chilton (1952) leading the school. W. Frank Morgan became principal during the 1955–56 school year, when the football team was the Six-Man Class A State Runner-up. On May 25, 1956, the last graduating class of Clemmons High School walked the auditorium aisle to while singing the hymn God of Our Fathers. George Ed Wilson was the last student to walk down the aisle. In a touch of symmetry, the first student to walk the aisle in the graduating class of 1926 was Lena V. Brewer (cousin to George’s mother). In the fall of 1956, the high school merged with Lewisville and South Fork to form Southwest Forsyth High School, and Clemmons transitioned into an elementary school (grades 1–8).
1964–1981
Clemmons Elementary adjusted to grades 1–6 in 1964, and by 1971 it served grades 1–4. After decades of shaping young lives, the school closed its doors in 1981. Later that year, Edgar Broyhill saved the school from demolition by purchasing and repurposing it into the Edgar B. Furniture Plantation.
1995–Present
The building was once again repurposed as the Historic Broyhill Office Suites and Event Center, preserving its legacy while serving new purposes. In 2011, the newly built W. Frank Morgan Elementary School on Harper Road was named to honor the Clemmons School’s final principal. Alumni have continued to commemorate its history, including a principal’s plaque (2017), a memorabilia display (2021), and celebrations of its 100th anniversary in 2025.
Orchestra - Class C State Champions (1932-1937)