Elvis Presley attended Humes High School in Memphis, Tennessee, and graduated in 1953. While there, Elvis was not particularly notable for his academic achievements but was known for his interest in music. He famously received a C in music class. Despite this, he was passionate about his musical pursuits and often brought his guitar to school to sing for his classmates.
The graduation was held at Ellis Auditorium on June 3, 1953. During his junior year, Elvis began to focus on his appearance. He let his hair and sideburns grow longer and dressed in wild, flashy clothes that made him stand out, especially in the conservative, conformist Deep South of the 1950s. “He would wear dress pants to school every day—everybody else wore jeans, but he wore dress pants. And he would wear a coat and fashion a scarf like an ascot tie as if he were a movie star. Of course, he got a lot of flak for this because he stood out like a sore thumb. People thought, ‘That’s really weird’. It was like he was already portraying something that he wanted to be.”
Below are just a few impressions that his fellow students had about Elvis.
Ed Leek: I gave Elvis $4.00 to make his first Dub at Sam Phillip’s Sun Records. It took him two months to get up the courage to do it. My idea was to make the record and knock on radio station doors to get it played and hopefully find him a singing job. Elvis was very unsure of himself in the early days of his career. I had a good time traveling, double dating, etc., with him until he went into the Army. He would call me to “round up” the bunch (about 16 total) to come to wherever he was to perform. He was afraid there wouldn’t be anyone there if we didn’t come. He is still the only singer I listen to. I own the original Dub Along with the music rights to it. I have allowed RCA and Disney to publish the music mainly so the fans can hear the two songs, which I felt were very good. The record has all the elements that later developed into his personal style. I also still have the first commercial disk out of the labeling machine at Plastic Products on Chelsea Ave. (“That‘s All Right” and “Blue Moon”), which Elvis signed for me after I pulled it out of the collection box.
Betty Diepholz-Loveless: I was President of the History Club in Miss Scrivener’s 12th-grade class. She assigned me the task of getting Elvis to sing at our class party at Overton Park. He did, and we all enjoyed the party and the singing. A few of us, including Elvis, climbed into L.D. Ledbetter’s car and went downtown to enjoy the Cotton Carnival. We rode the rides and hung out on the steps of the downtown library to listen to Elvis sing again. This attracted a crowd—the police came along and dispersed the crowd, and we went home. Later, when we were signing yearbooks, we laughed about that night. Elvis wrote in my book “Remember Me – Elvis.” Ironic that we all remember Elvis.
Rachael Maddox Van Waggoner: Glee Club was a favorite class because I truly enjoyed singing. In April 1953, I sang “Because of You” at the annual talent show. I heard Elvis play his guitar and sing and was surprised by how much talent he had. I think his performance was the reason I asked him to sign my yearbook.
Rose Howell Klimek: After church on Sunday night, my friends and I liked to go to Leonard’s Barbeque on Bellevue and then to East Trigg Baptist Church to listen to the spirituals. The church had a special section for white visitors. Elvis was often there and occasionally sang with the choir. I loved to watch the people who got the spirit dance and roll in the aisles. I guess that’s where the term ‘holy rollers’ came from.
Dwight Malone: Elvis was different. Most boys had crew cuts and wore tee shirts and blue jeans. Elvis would appear at school in a pink jacket, and yellow pants, and a ducktail haircut. He was quiet, very courteous, and largely stayed to himself. I did play touch football with him on the triangle at Lauderdale Courts. He was not fast, but he had very quick movements. He had those swivel hips even then.
When he caught the ball, he was difficult to tag. He could swivel out of reach in a moment. To tag him, a player had to grab him and hold on until he could apply the tag.
Elvis and Warren Gregory were close friends. Warren was musically gifted. He could play piano beautifully, the guitar, the trumpet, and any other available instrument. He never took a lesson. He could play any tune he heard and improvise the melody. During the summer months, Elvis and Warren would sit on the street curb, strumming their guitars and singing country songs. Frankly, in their early attempts, they were not that good. I think they had a few shoes thrown at them—by the neighbors.
It was at the Humes Talent Show in April 1953 that I realized that Elvis could really sing. I remember our barbershop quartet singing. I remember Gloria Trout, a gorgeous little blond dancer who was also a cheerleader. But mostly, I remember Elvis. There were no swivel hips. His props were a chair, a guitar, and a loud costume. He put one foot on the chair, strummed the guitar, and sang his heart out. To me, that was when rock and roll was born. The ovation was thunderous and long.
William Larry Curle: During his senior year, Larry and I had Miss Moss’ 5th-period American Problems class together with Elvis Presley. One day, Miss Moss got so fed up with Larry and me—she told us to take the rest of the day off and go to the athletic room. She allowed Elvis to tag along.
The three of us went riding in Larry’s red 1940 Studebaker that didn’t have a reverse gear. During our ride around town, we went somewhere to get Elvis’ guitar; he sat in the backseat playing and singing. Larry and I were both impressed with his songs, although I was more impressed, I think. Larry was also a talented singer. We talked about the upcoming talent show where Larry and I were appearing with several boys doing gymnastic things. Elvis said, ‘I’ll warm them up for you’.
When that night came, he did warm them up! After a couple of his scheduled songs, the audience response demanded he sit on the apron and sing a few more. The show really finished when Elvis did, but we went on and performed our act without much distinction.
Afterward, Elvis became a well-known soldier who was stationed in Germany.
Ah, yes, and he did a few bits and pieces in the music industry.
Sources
https://www.elvispresleymusic.com.au/articles/1953-humes-high.html
History of Sorts 
You forgot to mention Elvis Jewish roots.
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He also had Irish roots, which I didn’t mention
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