Students may think they have stepped back in time when they enter the halls of Lawton High School when school resumes in August.

The time warp is thanks to a project instigated by Principal Travis Pool which will showcase Lawton High’s 116-year history. The project, which was funded through a Leave a Legacy grant from Lawton Public School Foundation, pairs old photos with more recent photos printed on calendar vinyl and displayed on the transom windows in the main north-south downstairs hallway.

“The idea is to beautify the school, to show students snapshots of Lawton High history,” Pool said. “We are trying to shine a snapshot of student life at Lawton High from different decades and eras.”

Cody LaRoche and Eugene Sappington, employees of Lawton Public Schools Media Center, said they will spend several weeks this summer installing the 64-inch by 36-inch panels.

Victoria Orndorff, LPS graphic designer, was tasked with putting the project together. She said Pool wanted to showcase Huey the wolverine and the year the photo was taken. All of the photos were printed in black and white for consistency. In some cases, Orndorff could find the exact year the photo was taken; in some cases only the decade.

Orndorff was instrumental in selecting photographs and designing the 113 panels. She said she drew upon several resources for the photos: Pool sent her several, as did yearbook adviser Kelley Bass; she scoured old yearbooks and looked at social media sites; and she looked through online archives from the Museum of the Great Plains. Orndorff said the museum was especially helpful, scanning in the photos she selected.

“Looking through those photos made me envious, like I was experiencing FOMO for a time when I didn’t exist,” Orndorff said. “It was cool to relive that history. A lot of people don’t realize how old Lawton High really is.”

Orndorff said the panels are not necessarily in sequential order. Rather, the panels are designed to showcase the changes at Lawton High; however, some subjects are on the same panel. For example, a recent photo of the Highsteppers is paired with a photo of the Highsteppers from 1955.

One panel shows the original Lawton High; next to it is a picture of the building taken last year.

“It is cool to see it come from one to another,” Orndorff said.

Orndorff said she wanted to stagger the photos to show the diversity of student life, pointing to photos that were taken before and after desegregation and one from 2020 which shows students wearing masks during the pandemic.

“Those were key points in time,” she said.

For all their differences, she said some things have not changed over the decades, citing Huey the wolverine being roped off on game days. She also points to photos of students from yore showing off a new camera juxtaposed with a photo of students taking pictures with their cellphones.

Of the more than 200 photos selected, does Orndorff have a favorite?

She points to three photos, each taken about 20 years apart — one from the 1960s, one from the 1980s and one from 2001-02. The photos are of students at the time at a game or pep rally holding up their thumb and index finger to make a big L.

“They are all 20 years apart, but they are the same thing. It doesn’t matter what year it is, it is all the same stuff,” she said, adding it is nice to see the different fashion trends.

Pool agrees.

“In going through the old yearbooks, kids are kids. Fashions change, but kids still do the things kids do,” Pool said.

Orndorff said she also discovered that Lawton High truly is the Home of Champions, which is its motto. She discovered photos of the football teams in 1909 and 1920, both of which won state titles.

Another photo shows a graduating class in the early 1900s. The photo shows a young man with a high-neck collar, tie and dark suit surrounded by five girls in white dresses.

It is that history of Lawton High that Pool said he hoped to capture with the project.

“I thought it would be neat,” Pool said. “It is the oldest school with a rich history. As a history person, I like to play on that. Part of what I like about Lawton High is the history. It will give students an opportunity to see different eras.”

Pool said he hopes students will realize just how steeped in history Lawton High is.

“Hopefully they will see a pep rally picture from the ‘70s and recognize we have been doing this for a long time,” Pool said. “I hope it instills some more pride in their school. Appearances go a long way.”

Pool said he anticipates that former students will enjoy the panels as much, maybe more, than current students. He said during high school reunions, students often tour the school and will have the opportunity to view the panels, maybe finding themselves among the photos.