History of Ramsey Middle School

Ramsey Junior High, located on a 48 acre site at the corner of Jenny Lind and Dallas, opened September 8, 1954, with a student enrollment of 632 students and 36 classrooms. During the first two school years, six of these rooms were occupied by elementary classes.  In August 2021, Ramsey opened its doors for the first time as Ramsey Middle School serving 6th through 8th grade students.

The auditorium, which consists of a music and lecture hall seating 1,050 persons, a band room and a choral music room, was constructed during the 1954-55 school year at a cost of $237,645.83. This acreage was formerly the old fairgrounds, often the location of fairs, circuses, carnivals, and even harness racing. Since the completion of the Ramsey building, a portion of the remaining acreage has been utilized for the Fort Smith Public Schools Service Center and Fairview Elementary School. On September 26, 1952, Fort Smith citizens voted a bond issue for the building of Ramsey Junior High School, and a bond was issued July 1, 1953. The total cost of the main building was $1,006,692.81. In 1966, a stadium, seating 3,400 people, was constructed on the Ramsey property. This stadium was to serve all of the Fort Smith junior high schools in competitive football. A computer lab equipped with networked Apple computers was added in the fall of 1989. Two classrooms were combined to create an Industrial Technology Lab during 1989. By the 1994-95 school year, eight new science classrooms, one science lab, one art classroom were completed.  The new band room and media center addition was completed in 2002. A new secure main entry and administrative office suite was completed in 2021.

There have been seven principals at Ramsey: Mr. M.P. Riedel (1954-64), Mr. Jess Hunter (1964-83), Mr. Howard Pearson (1983-93), Mr. Michael Heffley (1993-2002), Mr. Dennis Siebenmorgen (2002-2016), Dr. Amy Manley (2016-2022), Dr. Jennifer Crawford (2022-present). Student Council officers, elected during the spring of 1954, met with faculty members and chose the school colors of blue and gold. The Ramsey Ram mascot was chosen by the Student Council during the fall of 1954. The school flag design was created in a contest held by the Student Council among Ramsey students during the 1959-60 school year. The alma mater was selected in the same manner during the 1960-61 school year. The Student Council purchased a mascot uniform during the 1991-92 school year, and the Ramsey Ram mascot performs at all home athletic events. The school was named after J.W. Ramsey, former superintendent of the school system from 1923-1954.

Ramsey students not only enjoy a wide range of course selections, but they are also offered a great variety of extracurricular activities as well. In addition to football, basketball, track, volleyball, tennis, and cross country, our students may also participate in Fellowship of Christian Athletes, band, cheerleading, choir, drill team, journalism, National Junior Honor Society, orchestra, Quiz Bowl, STEM Wars, and Student Council.