WOODS CROSS—It’s been 50 years since Woods Cross High School opened its doors in 1972. The octagon shaped building with orange and brown panels was visible from the freeway and became somewhat of a landmark for people exiting I-15 into Woods Cross City.

“I went there in 1972/1973 the first year it opened,” said Woods Cross resident and city councilmember Gary Sharp. “I was a sophomore. There were only freshmen and sophomores. Then everyone went to Viewmont or Bountiful for their junior and senior year. There were 60 or 70 of us.”

Students came from Millcreek and South Davis Junior Highs, he said. “There was this bubble of students going through South Davis. The junior highs and high schools were overcrowded so kids went to Woods Cross for a few years then it started to be a true high school. The first graduating class was in 1978.”

There was some apprehension mixing sophomores and freshmen into one, Sharp said. “We had our sophomore football team and they had theirs. The same with the music department. You were putting people together that hadn’t been before so we had to adapt.”

It was more like a junior high than a high school, he said. “We had three assemblies and the sophomore football team didn’t have a field so we played at Bountiful High. We had six football games. We had the typical stomps and a spring prom of some sort but I didn’t go. I was still only 15.”

There was no auditorium really, just two modules and the gym area, said Sharp. “We didn’t have a cafeteria until October so we brought in sack lunches.They planned to build it in phases to keep down the cost and they didn’t need the space all at once.”

Sharp said the freshman and sophomore class picked the mascot and school colors. “The district made some recommendations and it was either the Wildcats or Lakeshore. The school was multi-colored orange and tan brick. They put the multi color panels in when the auditorium came in. There was the original brown and orange motif then it became a blue motif that mixed into red, white and blue.”

Woods Cross was recently remodeled into what it is now. “They did a nice job on that,” said Sharp. “I’m glad to see the changes they’ve put in.”

Sharp’s children attended Woods Cross too. “There are a handful of teachers that I had that my kids had,” he said. “It’s been interesting to see how long some of them stuck around.”

It was a different experience than other high schools, he said. “We still had a lot of fun. It was kind of challenging because there were no traditions so we had to set those. I enjoyed it and made some good friends.” λ