T. Harry Garrett Elementary School

Garrett Elementary School is named after Mr. T. Harry Garrett. Mr. Garrett was known as a congenial man who loved and had faith in education. Mr. Garrett was also a Rotarian, and was a member of the Augusta Rotary Club where he later became the president and then the governor of the local and surrounding rotary clubs. Mr. Garrett was also well-known for a column he wrote for the Augusta Chronicle entitled, “Good Morning”. In 1916, he became the principal at Tubman High School, which is now Tubman Education Center, in Augusta, Georgia. At the time, Tubman High School was an all-girls school, and Mr. Garrett was the only male in the school. However, he was loved by all in the building.

In 1954, after negotiation over a new school and its name, T. Harry Garrett Elementary School opened its doors. Mr. A. D. Gaskin was appointed the first principal of the school. Prior to 1984, Garrett Elementary housed grades third through seventh, and students in Kindergarten through second grade attended a neighboring school called National Hills. Later in1985, Garrett once again changed. They began offering kindergarten through fifth grades. Currently, Garrett houses pre-kindergarten through fifth grade students.

In 1989, Garrett Elementary School became one of three local schools involved in the Arts Infusion Program. This program was developed by the Greater Arts Council as part of the Cultural Action Plan of Augusta. The program is designed to bring the arts to all children within the school setting. This program continues to be implemented at Garrett. Every class receives thirty to fifty minutes of dance and/or drama per week. The continuation of the Arts Infusion program has allowed many students to stay at Garrett instead of leaving for magnet schools that offer similar programs. Garrett Elementary is also fortunate to house the Gifted Program, which also helps to infuse the gifted approach throughout the building.

Most recently, T. Harry Garrett Elementary School has entered into a new era with a new facility that was completed in 2011. The new building has brought about a new structure; however, the high standard of education and the caring demeanor put in place by Mr. T. Harry Garrett many years ago still remains in place.

Harry Garrett Elementary School, one of thirty-three elementary schools in Richmond County, is located at 1100 Eisenhower Drive in Augusta, Georgia. Only .7 miles from the famous Augusta National Golf Course, the site of the Masters Golf Tournament, the school continues to hold its quality and integrity, and it is still considered one the best schools in the county.

Updated as of October 2015

By: Ms. Marlana A. Harris

Garrett Elementary Media Specialist