Wall Public School, Pennington Co., SD This chapter is from "Eastern Pennington County Memories", published by The American Legion Auxilliary, Carrol McDonald Unit, Wall, South Dakota And is uploaded with their kind permission. Pages 22-25 Scan, OCR and editing by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net, 1999. This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://www.usgwarchives.net/sd/sdfiles.htm Wall Public School by Ramona Strandell During Wall's fifty-eight years there have be three school locations. The first schoolhouse stood where the Frank Hindman house is now. The old children went to school on the second floor of Schone building which was on the location of the Bielmaier home. The second floor space of this building was also used by the Odd Fellows. This building was torn down by Joe Bielmaier, Sr., and was used to build the Frank Hindman house. The first schoolhouse stands west of the Masonic Hall and is a Wall Drug Store dormitory. The first school was built in 1907, a Mr. Gremell and Josie Shade were the teachers. Among the first pupils were Ted Marshall, Inez Marshal Perry Marshall, Marion Bruce, Leone Bruce, Irma Babcock, Gladys Lewis, Clayton Babcock, Clarence Patterson, Ralph Teft, and Russell Jonas who is now President of Black Hills State College at Spearfish. The schoolhouse on the hill, a two story frame structure, was built in 1910, and located about where the Wall Drug Auto Livery now stands. Among the firs teachers were Dr. G. W. Mills in 1910-1911, followed by Clarence Mills and Fern Mills. Millie Ellebrock taught from 1910 to 1913, and now lives near Carroll, Iowa. Other early teachers were Georgia Anderson Gladys Peterson, Helen Peterson, Marion Paterson Buckstead, Alice Harris Mills and Hazel Henriksen. In 1923 the teaching staff was composed of Marion Bruce, Russell Lewis, Eleanor Bliss Lewis, Lela Collins Babcock and Mae Gremmels, who had taught here earlier also. The high school became a four year school in 1924, with three graduates, Gertrude Van Zante Anderson of Philip, Ada Hanks and Grace Galbraith Gardner. In 1929 a new brick school building was erected. In 1931, the. need for a gym was realized. In October the board decided to build and the first basketball game played in the new gym on December 12 -- Wall won. All the lumber in the roof of the gym, the windows and the doors, were taken from the old schoolhouse on the hill. Dr. Mills drew all the plans for the gym so there were no architect fees. Henry Sebade, one of the board members, bossed all the construction. He saw to it the workers earned their pay, 30 cents an hour. Henry Sebade received the same pay. The gym was built at a total cost of $5,300.00. In 1958 a new wing with five classrooms, four grade rooms and a music room, was added to the building to the North. A separate shop and lunchroom building was erected by VanVleck Lumber Company in 1960. Because of the influx of missile workers classrooms were filled beyond capacity, and with federal help a new wing of three classrooms was built to the South in 1963. The present enrollment in the grade and high school buildings is 420. Principals and Superintendents through the years include: Mrs. Carey, Dr. G. W. Mills, Clarence Mills, Alvin Landers, Elsie Crouch, Fern Mills, Mr. Parker, Marion Bruce, Mr. Lamb, Z. S. Wipf, Mr. Bachman, Mr. Bartlett, Mr. Gardener, Mr. Halla, Mr. Glen Wright, Mr. Julius Werle, Mr. Bruce Crosswait and Mr. Vernice Hildebrant. [[Photo – Present Wall School] [Photo – One of the first Wall School Buildings] [Photo – At the completion of the Wall School Building 1928] [Photo – Teachers Meeting at Wall Nov. 9, 1912. Some of the ones in the picture are: George, Clarence and Fern Mills; Kathleen Boyd; Gladys Burlingame; Emma and Della Gould; Mrs. Chas. McDonald and Carroll; Alpha Jarvis; Mattie B. McMichael, county superintendent; Mrs. Transue; Ida and Ora Knapp; Mrs. A. R. Rickard; Crouch; Ruth Parsons; Prof. Douglas; two Teft girls.] [Photo – Primary Room Students 1912. Back row, l. to r.: Marvin Casselman, Edmund Tefft, Lawton Casselman, John Jones, Wilma Miller, Sorah Frickie, Helen Bruce, Mildred Overholt, Vera Galbraith, Charles Beeson, Marion Jones,Ruth Tefft, and Ethel Metz. Front row: Elizabeth Lurz, Anna Beeson, Grace Galbraith, Nellie Harris and Samuel Harris.] [Drawing – Map used by early day teachers] [Photo – Primary Room Students 1915 Left to right: Anna Beeson, Miss Camell, Rith Tefft, Elizabeth Lurz, Wayne King, Charles Beeson, Lauren Hanson, Joseph Ellifson. Center: Grace and Ethel Galbraith, Cecilia Ellifson, Anna Lurz, Mae Beeson, Rith Street, Fred LeCocq. Front: Fletcher Tefft, Hulda Street, Elnora Scheer, Lawrence Beeson and Glenn King. The drawing of the Mayflower in background was the work of Charles Beeson.] [Photo – Left to right: Paul Marshal, Homer Jensen and Gale Dartt, by the school house located where Welch’s Motel is now.] [Photo – First Girl’s Ball Team Front row: l. to r.: Dorothy Connolly, Crystal Hinman, Ethel Galbraith, Esther Gunn. Back row: Bernice Gorseth, Alva Conway, Judy Kitterman, Agnes Museau and Hildred Schmitten.] [Photo – Vernice Hildebrandt, Wall School Superintendent, presenting a music scholarship from Dakota Wesleyan University to Carla Williams. Judy Barber, president of the 1964-65 student body, looking on.] [Photo – Mixed chorus of Wall High School in 1949-50, typical of the many choruses throughout the years.]