The history of Coppell dates back 150 years, and the Coppell High School Red Jackets have taken to documenting the milestones of this city.

For their annual philanthropy project, the Red Jackets have designed and curated a timeline denoting major events throughout the creation of Coppell and its school district. From coming up with the design for the timeline at the start of winter to hand picking each picture in early spring, members of the Red Jackets played an integral role in every step of the process.

“We started with what events [the timeline] would have and then we shifted more into the design aspect,” CHS senior Carter Kryzak said. “It’s really involved into a project where we’re looking at how to fit the dates into the wall, the best way to organize the dat

es and what will make it look the most visually appealing.”

To get professional input on the visual aspects of the timeline, the Red Jackets visited Corgan in the Dallas Arts District, a design company that has collaborated with Coppell ISD  on multiple projects such as Coppell Middle School West. With this new information, the Red Jackets were able to finalize their blueprint.

The timeline will be located above the student resources office on the south end of CHS and student services central. In total, the timeline will cover 10 specific dates with one or more pictures covering each time period, each being several feet wide.

“We picked the pictures based on the educational milestones,” Red Jacket sponsor Aylor Rix said. “For example, different dates on when Coppell was first incorporated as a district, and when the first school was built.”

Despite being seemingly straightforward, each picture not only needed to accurately document the educational history of Coppell, but also needed to be able to connect with current CHS students.

“Whenever we were looking for the pictures, we wanted things that related to what we have now,” Kryzak said. “An example would be if we were comparing the school from the past and the school now, we looked for a picture that was taken at a similar angle and perspective. This way, you’ll really be able to see the change over time.”

Each picture needed to bring something new to the wall, providing information that would not be seen with any of the other photographs.

“The photographs couldn’t just be ambiguous pictures that didn’t represent what we were trying to discuss in the time period,” CHS senior Pierce Woodall said. “For example, we kept a picture of one of the old graduating classes, but we got rid of a picture that had just a bunch of random people standing in front of a building.”

However, this timeline is more than just a collection of pictures of Coppell’s history. It represents the months of work the Red Jackets put in and ultimately everything the Red Jackets stand for.

Gallery • 3 Photos

Bailey Lai

"This project is important to our school because we need to know where we came from, where the Cowboy culture started. We need to know where our origin is because it’s important to know your background," CHS Red Jacket Almira Rajawni

As ambassadors for the school, Red Jackets have also embraced the spirit of the city. This timeline informs people both in and out of high school about the city in which they live, allowing the Red Jackets to fulfill their role all throughout Coppell.

“Part of this wall shows that the school burned down at one point,” Woodall said. “This lets everyone know there was a time where we could’ve given up on Coppell High School, where we didn’t have the money to repair it, where we could’ve just moved on, but we rose out of the ashes and kept fighting.”

Construction of the timeline will begin in the summer.

“This really just shows the whole community where we’ve come from and how that’s formed us into who we are today,” Woodall said.

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