About Us

About Us
A Brief History

The former high school became Vera C. O'Leary Junior High after the new high school was built.

O'Leary Junior High is named after Vera C. O'Leary, who was selected as principal in 1925 and who held that position for 36 years. O'Leary was born in South Bend, Washington, came to Idaho with her family in 1903, and settled in the Rock Creek area. The family moved to Heyburn in 1906 where they built a homestead. She attended school in Heyburn and Shoshone, but graduated from high school in Topeka, Kansas, where the family moved in 1911. After graduation, she taught school for a year in Kansas before enrolling at Washburn College in Kansas where she graduated in 1917. O'Leary moved back to Idaho, taught a year and a half at Rupert, a year at Heyburn, and was married in 1919. She resumed her teaching career in Heyburn after the birth of a son. In 1922, she moved to Twin Falls and taught mathematics and related subjects at the high school for three years before being named principal of the junior high.

After thirteen years in planning, the present junior high building was dedicated on March 11, 1979. Principal Carl Snow and Idaho State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jerry Evans addressed a crowd of some 300 persons and praised the foresight of the people of Twin Falls for supporting the educational goals of the school district. The original three-building complex included 121,000 square feet of floor space. In addition to the academic building with classrooms, library and other study facilities, the school included a 500-seat auditorium, a gymnasium, cafeteria or hot lunch facility, and industrial arts, agriculture, and home economic study areas.

In August 2009, Vera C. O'Leary Junior High has changed from a junior high to a middle school configuration. On the 24th of August, O'Leary Middle School will welcome for the first time in its history- grades Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth. Ninth grade students will now join the high school population.