When you’ve taught at one school for more than four decades and have handled nearly every publication that has come out of that building during that time frame, there’s a good chance there’s been some accumulation of items. Such is the case with Bridgeport High School journalism teacher Alice Rowe.

 

During her 40-plus years teaching at the school, she’s not only been responsible for dozens of yearbooks that are dubbed the “Ki-Cu-Wa,” but she also is responsible for the school’s newspaper “The Shawnee Powwow.” As one might imagine, she has a few extras of each lying around.

 

Starting this Friday and taking place at every home Bridgeport High School football game, some excess yearbooks and newspapers will be sold at the Bridgeport High School Alumni & Friends building just inside the gates at Wayne Jamison Field.

 

“We’re selling them in our Alumni & Friends building, which is the same place many that attend games may recognize as the play to buy Indian apparel and gear,” said Rowe. “This is a chance for someone that didn’t get a yearbook during certain years to get one.”

 

For those anticipating 50 year-old yearbooks, you will likely not find what you’re looking for. Rowe said most of the initial yearbooks go back into the 1990s.

 

“It’s a work in progress because I’m going into our storage areas and when I find duplicates, or multiple duplicates, I set them aside to be sold. What that means is that you may come back to the second home game or the last home game and find new yearbooks that haven’t been placed up for sale yet,” said Rowe.

 

Another thing you won’t see are yearbooks from 2005 through the most recently completed yearbook. Rowe said it wouldn’t be fair to sell a newer yearbook for less than half of the $70 a student recently spent on one.

 

The yearbooks that will be sold are going to cost $20. The newspapers will be $1. Rowe said most are in mint condition.

 

The yearbook sale is also good news for the BHS Alumni & Friends Foundation. Rowe said that all proceeds will be benefitting that organization as opposed to the funds going into the school’s journalism account.

 

“The books will only be available at the game and won’t be able to be purchased during school hours,” said Rowe. “I decided to do this when I was trying to clean things up and realized that it wouldn’t make sense to throw away these items when there are families out there, alumni, which would probably like to have these if they never got one or lost one. I do know there is a demand for the yearbooks because we get calls every year from individuals wanting them; particularly the older ones. These aren’t the older ones, but they’re ones that I’m sure many will want that are newer.”

 

Rowe said the books will be available starting at 6:30 p.m. in the Alumni & Friends building. She also said there will be plenty of BHS apparel for sale as well.

 

Editor's Note: Mrs. Alice Rowe, Noah Hall and Kryssie Wertheim select old newspapers and yearbooks to be sold at the football games at the BHS Alumni building. Photo by BHS student Preston Zirlkle.