Elvis' family called Tupelo home until November of 1948, when they relocated to Memphis. While in Tupelo, Elvis attended Milam Junior High, shown here on a 1940s era postcard.
Elvis often brought his first guitar to school and would play during lunch and recess, but his efforts weren't always well-received. A group of bullies even cut his strings once, but some of his classmates bought him a new set because they knew how important playing the guitar was to him.
When his parents made the decision to move to Tupelo, Elvis was allowed to perform for his class as a farewell. I've found varied accounts of this performance ranging from one song to a thirty-minute set, but most agree that he played a song called "Leaf on a Tree". This song has been hard for me to pin down though, and may actually be titled "Green Grass Grew All Around". I have also found different dates for exactly when Elvis' family left Tupelo, but Graceland has it at November 6th, so unless something concrete surfaces to show otherwise, that's what I'm going with.
The Milam school building, 711 West Jefferson Street, was built in 1937 and has at various times been a high school, junior high, and elementary school. Milam is still holding classes as of this publication date, and the school still looks pretty much the same as it did when Elvis roamed the halls with his guitar.
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