Kane County IL Archives News.....Just Reminiscing September 5, 1974 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/il/ilfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Dianna Williams gammadi1@newwavecomm.net May 2, 2011, 11:56 pm Copley Newspapers September 5, 1974 JUST REMINISCING Copley Newspapers Thursday, Sept 5, 1974 School news is the main topic of conversation these days, so this story is about school days as I and our family knew them. Lets start back in 1909, when Mrs. Charvgo was the first grade teacher. She had a way of making the little ones adore her and she could teach. A method that is hard for some of todays teachers to acquire. She made you want to know about things, a desire to read books, how words were made up out of syllables, and how two and two could only be four, nothing more or less. I sat up front. First and second grade had a room of their own to hang their wraps and to play in when the weather was bad. Our room was the first floor, southeast corner and Miss K. Keeler had the southwest room. Upstairs we had Miss Mary Wyman. When the fourth grade was promoted to fifth grade she went with us, so we had her for two years. She was a sister of Dr. Wyman, the dentist, whose office was upstairs in the old state bank building. It was in fourth grade that Mr. Fisher, the superintendent of schools and Miss Eloise Boyer left Dundee and Mr. Clark became superintendent. He was only with us for a short time, then Mr. 0. Schlaifer took over the job as superintendent. I can't recall any sixth grade teachers at that time. Then when we got to 7th grade and were divided into three groups. A -- was no foreign language. B -- was for those who studied German, and C – was the Latin class. We were also divided in the other basic studies and sort of became a regular junior high school. There was a special teacher for English, Miss Lee and Miss Nichols and Miss Bolcum was in charge of mathematics. Every 45 minutes you changed classes. There was always two classes with study periods and one in oral work. Now came the building of the "doll houses" or "chicken coops" as they were sometimes referred too. Two buildings to the south, housing 4, 5 and 6th grade and a fourth room used for sewing and cooking. Miss Mary Cameron was the teacher. I had her for one year of sewing in the 7th grade and two years of cooking in the 8 & 9th grade. This building was portable. Times haven't changed much. It was in the 8th grade that hot lunches were started. Four students were given the weeks assignment to cook the lunches. Here is how this part of learning was planned: in the morning those wishing a hot lunch would place their name on a slip of paper and drop it in the "lunch box." The slips were counted and in that way you knew how many you had to cook for. Sometimes in rainy or cold weather as many as 125 were served, and the price of the lunch was 10 cents. The following year the price went up to 12 cents. You received a sandwich, a service of a hot dish or soup and crackers, a dessert and a cup of cocoa. Not a bad meal for 10 or 12 cents. The four students were in charge of the above services completely were guided by Miss Cameron on ordering the food after the menu was made up and each student was responsible for her part in the lunch until the last one was served. Then she could make up her own tray. The students took their lunch to the desk in one of the other rooms. The trays and dishes were returned to the Domestic Science room when they were thru, then scraped and stacked for the dishwasher, who happened to be a very sweet little old lady, Mrs. Hoeft, who lived just across from the school on the north corner of Sixth Street. We had to make out our order, then take it down to the H.A. Sternberg grocery and he would deliver it the next morning. Our sewing and cooking periods were 90 minutes long, so we did have to keep ourselves busy in order to have everything set-up and organized for lunch time. We were also instructed in entertaining guests. Usually eight, and with the four who did the cooking and serving of a very fine dinner at five in the evening, made a total of twelve. They were usually teachers and I believe the dinner price was 35 cents. I still have my domestic science cook book along with the sewing papers of the 7th grade. It is one of my most used cook books. So many fine recipes in it. I was in the class of 1922, the first class to graduate from the new high school. I wish I could have made it but war and depression have a way of making an education come in second. Factory work was first and that is how I got to work in the Selz Schwab Shoe Factory. I was nearly 14 when I got my first job and the following year I went back to it during the summer vacation and then had to quit school and stay on at the factory. I made $5.62 a week the first year and started at $7.50 the second year because I had worked there the year before. After Mr. Schlaifer came Mr. Harry Jacobs and under his guidance the two districts, 217 and 32 were merged and we became District 300. When the new building became occupied the "doll houses" were removed and the 7th and 8th grade took over the 3rd floor of the old school and the new building was a complete high school. Mrs. Cora Lockwood Jensen became Principal of the old school. Here are some of the teachers who taught at the new high school in 1922 when the year book was called the "Black and Maroon," Ada Andrews, Principal, Brown, Bell, Burgess, Cameron, Frankle, Graham, Hanke was in charge of Manual Training and Athletic Manager, Holt, Jordan, Kile, Landis, Coach Stenger, Vogt and Ester Harrington, nurse. The high school staff in September of 1948 had these names on its list: Eugene DeLacey, assistant Principal and sports, Beckman, Bell, Bogaard, Baynton, Burnison, L. Freeman, G. Green, H. Green, Hall, Hooker, Hoerner, Johnson, Karp, Keeler, Kehrberg, Mackland, Moar, Murphy, Pergande, Phillips, Pratt, Putta, Sanborn, H. Spain, Industrial Arts and Athletics; Walker and Workheiser. Also, Miss Franckle. Any of these names familiar to you? Dorothy Grams and Elain Heiman, secretaries. In the Dundee building were the following: Peace, McQueen, Leveier, Hauschild McCornack, Hall, Perry, Binnie, Walker, and Kleck, Vernon Sutfin was Principal and Mrs. Clara Meier, was school nurse of the District. Dobler, Conley and Anderson were custodians at the high school. Mrs. Rynders had charge of the cafeteria. Louis Schubert was custodian in Carpentersville and William Bauman in Dundee. Irene Kroplin was secretary for the three villages in the grade schools. Most of the above mentioned names will be familiar to the mothers and fathers of the present generation but there will only be a very few who will remember the first named group, This little story could make a lot of table conversation like, “remember (name)? he or she always had to blink her eyes" or something similar about a certain teacher. Then came "O, yeh! I remember," she or he was some kind of a teacher, then we would all enjoy a lot of bantering and small talk setting around a large dining table enjoying our dinner, or supper as it was always called at our house. I wish for all of you such pleasant memories. Bye, Note on top of page to Grandma: Miss Brown was the name of the teacher in my 6th grade. Thanks, Ruth Stevens Additional Comments: Dianna Williams is the granddaughter of Vi Rouley. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/il/kane/newspapers/justremi201gnw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ilfiles/ File size: 7.8 Kb