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Omega School History

Omega’s first school started out, as did many early schools, in a church. However, the town and surrounding area filled the one-room church/school with forty students. Omega’s first teacher was Miss Beulah Watkins. She taught school for $18.00 a month. The first actual school was a two-story, wooden structure built in the early 1900’s on one acre of land that was given by G.W. Ridley. However, the Omega School District was not established until 1906. The top story of the building was used as the Masonic Hall and classroom, and the lower floor was used for two classrooms. The Masonic Hall later sold their part of the building to the school which only housed the first through eighth grades. However, in 1920 two more grades were added (Williams & Grimes, 1947).

This building was used until 1923 when a new brick building was erected on six acres of land, given by Russell Patrick, on the northwest side of town. This building is still used today. Off to the side was a separate tin building which was used as the lunchroom (Omega Cookbook, 1995) and is now used for storage. By 1947, two more rooms had been added along with a four-room wooden structure to house the primary grades. Likewise, the pump house was converted into a classroom (Williams & Grimes, 1947).

A.J. Ammons was elected principal of Omega School in 1912 and received a salary of $60.00 a month. He remained at Omega as principal for five years. He was elected as county superintendent in 1917 and served in that position until 1929. At that time, he went to Chula for two years before returning to Omega as principal. He remained at Omega for another nine years. During his principal-ship, Omega School qualified for the award known as the Victory School (Atwater, 1972).

According to Grimes (1947), a ball shell was built in the 1930’s and remodeled in the early 1940’s. A brick agricultural building was also added to meet the needs of the high school students. The school enrollment at that time was 451 with twelve teachers and two busses. The school boasted of having a “fine Vocational Agriculture and Home Economics Department” and there was also a large music class. By 1947 the school had also built a nice home for the principal.

In 1955 a breezeway was added on the south side of the brick building, along with two new classrooms, a principal’s office, teacher’s lounge, and a lunchroom. In 1963 Omega’s High School was moved to Tifton leaving only grades 1-8 in Omega. In the 1970’s the ball shell was torn down, and the old wooden classroom building was sold and moved from the school grounds. In 1978 the eighth grades were moved to Tifton, and a new wing (the front wing) was completed. Then in 1996 yet another wing added a music/band room and nine classrooms to the school as well as a new gym. The office was remodeled and the kitchen was enlarged.

The year 2000 brought still another change for Omega School as the seventh grade was also moved into town, leaving only Pre-K through sixth grades at Omega. However, in the fall of 2003 the Pre-K began going to the Pre-K Center in Tifton leaving Omega with grades K-6.

Construction began again in 2007 with the addition of 6 classrooms and a media center. Renovations during this time include the complete remodeling of the original 1923 building and some of the administrative offices. The lunchroom will also undergo expansion with an addition to the cafeteria area for more seating.

Because of the fact that Omega is a rural town with several plant and produce companies and nurseries, Omega School has a large migrant Hispanic population. The school population consists of around 400 students with about 40% Hispanic, 8% African American, 48% White, and 4% Multi Racial.

Omega School is the only school in Tift County that is outside of Tifton. At the present time the school employs 43 teachers, 15 paraprofessionals, a nurse, a counselor, two on the office staff, 3 janitorial staff, and 5 lunchroom workers.

Program from the First Graduating Class