Conniston Middle School has a long and proud tradition in the heart of West Palm Beach. Nearly ninety years ago, in the late 1920’s, our school opened as Conniston Jr. High. This was an exciting time as ritzy Palm Beach, just across the bridge, was a popular resort destination for the wealthy and famous during the Roaring Twenties. Just a few years earlier, Henry Flagler connected our region to Jacksonville and St. Augustine by bringing the railroad down the Atlantic corridor. West Palm Beach, then a small, sleepy town, quickly developed its own identity as a commercial center for local families.

 

Students from Conniston soon became the pillars of our community. Generations of teachers, doctors, attorneys, and entrepreneurs spent their early teenage years learning and playing on the same grounds we enjoy today. Countless legislators, judges and other community leaders proudly share our Alma Mater.

Many of the friendships forged at Conniston have lasted decades. Recently, a group of alumni from the 1950’s met for lunch at a local restaurant and then visited the school to look at the old championship plaques in the gym and to reminisce. I was reminded by one of the gentlemen that many people love our school.

 

Changing Tides, our theme for this year, honors the traditions of the past while recognizing that we are entering an era of unprecedented change. Science and technology have ushered in a new paradigm that will forever alter how we live. Our new mascot, the Blue Marlin, embodies the qualities that we strive for as a school: tenacious and graceful even under the greatest duress. The Blue Marlin also celebrates our local marine environment and reminds us that we must be great stewards of our resources.

Let’s continue together Conniston’s tradition of sending forth trailblazers and leaders!

Best regards for a bright future,

Oscar Otero

Principal

(Class of ’81)