and an auditorium, and with the motto "Best school south of St. Louis and west of the Mississippi." On March 4, 1886, the school was named in memory of its benefactor. Early years The Class of 1887 represented the first graduating class of Ball High School. The school served students in grades eight through twelve. Early curriculum for Ball High School students included English, history, algebra, arithmetic, physical geography, Latin, civil government, trigonometry, physics, political economy, chemistry, mental philosophy and physiology. In 1890, Mrs. George Ball spent $47,000 to remodel, enlarge and beautify the building, which bore her husband's name. At this time, the Rotunda and Dome were added to the north front of the building. On October 12, 1894, Ball High provided the opposition in the very first football game played by the Texas A&M Aggies, then known as The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. The Aggies won, 14-6. In September 1900, the great hurricane struck and Ball High School was not spared from the fury of its waves and wind. The west wall slipped; the roof blew off; plaster crumbled; windowpanes crashed; and the metal covering was stripped from the ball of the dome, showing its skeleton of steel ribs. In the storm's aftermath, citizens of the City of Galveston contributed and raised the $45,000 required to repair the high school and the other Galveston schools and also to pay the teacher's salaries. Because of the devastating loss of life and property during the storm, school attendance decreased by some 25 percent, creating an excess of teachers. Other Texas communities came to the rescue in many ways, perhaps most importantly by providing jobs to these Galveston teachers whose services were no longer needed in the island community. While Ball High School was undergoing massive repair, students reported to the campus known as the "K" school, today the site of San Jacinto Elementary School. By the fall of 1901, all classes were again held at the Ball High building. The school population had increased dramatically by 1915, and two wings were added to the building to accommodate the many students. The six new classrooms eased the overcrowding for a time, but by 1924 overcrowding was again a problem for students and faculty. The wings, added in 1915, were now extended in order to provide additional classroom space. For the next 30 years, no additions or improvements were made