Manitowoc County WI Archives History - Schools .....Washington School - Two Rivers ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/wi/wifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com January 15, 2008, 7:13 pm WASHINGTON SCHOOL — TWO RIVERS By History Committee "New High School Building— One of the Finest in the State" was the headline in the Two Rivers Chronicle of September 6, 1922. Thus did the Two Rivers paper herald to its reading public the fact that the city had just completed one of the finest high and grade school buildings for a city of its size. The structure was erected on a tract of land bounded by 27th street on the south, Adams street on the west, and East Twin River on the east and north. The site of 9.82 acres known as the Riverside and the J. ? R. Currens subdivision was purchased for the sum of $20,000. This tract, with the exception of Lot 12 in the Currens subdivision, was obtained through condemnation proceedings instituted December 17, 1919, and completed in February 1920. The Washington school faces Washington street to the south. The structure of red brick was originally an L shaped building. The long side faced Washington street. The first building housed the grade rooms on the first floor along the side facing Adams street. The city superintendent of schools had and still has his offices on the first floor in the part of the building overlooking the river. The high school principal also had his offices in that part of the building but on the second floor until the new addition was built. The rest of the first, second, and third floors consist of classrooms, lavatories, and a large auditorium. A part of the first floor and basement houses the spacious gymnasium and bleachers. The full-sized basement has rooms for the heating-ventilating plant, the fuel rooms, showers, and storage rooms. The original building was built by Hansen Construction Co. of Green Bay for about $540,000. A bond issue of $300,000 was floated in November 1920 to pay for the structure. The grade section of this school consisted of the kindergarten and grades 1-6. The present art room was the kindergarten room; the 1st and 2nd grades were combined as were grades 3 and 4, and grades 5 and 6. These grades occupied the present English, Math, and commercial rooms on the first floor. In October 1929, when a separate second grade was set up, the geography room was taken over. A fourth grade teacher was added in January 1932, so the present Beckman English room was utilized. In September 1937, a fifth grade teacher was employed. Since the fifth and the sixth grades could no longer use the old commercial room, due to expansion of that department, the two grade teachers were forced to conduct classes in one room — the present band room over the garage. The present Washington grade school building, a two story affair, was built during the year 1936-1937. The third floor is used for high school classrooms and takes care of the increased high school enrollment. The three story wing faces Adams street and is about 60 x 80 feet. The basement was built by CWA labor while the school building proper was built as a PWA project for the sum of about $200,000. A bond issue of $75,000 in 1937 was sold to finance this construction project. The present L-shaped Washington school is adequate for' the present needs of Two Rivers. The grade rooms are located on the first and second floors. The kindergarten and grades one and two rooms are on the first floor, while the rooms for grades 3-4-5-6 are on the second floor. The grade school library room is on the third floor. All grade classrooms have linoleum covered floors with light woodwork in the primary rooms and oak trim for the upper grade rooms. Modern desks are provided the upper graders while the primary rooms are furnished with tables and chairs. All of the grade rooms have good-sized closets and each classroom has the necessary amount of cork bulletin boards. The kindergarten room is a model of good planning and furnishings. It is painted green, has a fireplace, a fish pool, window seats, a kitchenette; and a small stage. All of the grade assembly room programs are held in this room. At the present time this room is used as the grade gymnasium in the afternoon because there is only a morning session of the kindergarten classes. The grade teachers, when the Washington school opened in September 1920, were Prin. Daisy Ackerman who taught grades 5 and 6; Charlotte Cornue, - kindergarten; Gretchen Newman, grades. 1 and 2; and Phyllis Minahan, grades 3 and 4. Other principals of this grade school were Martha Herman 1924-6, Irma Hausler 1926-1934, Emily Volk 1934-46, and the present Elsa Roller. They and their teachers carried on many extra curricular activities to create an excellent school-home relationship. Until the 1930's, the school term ended with an old-fashioned picnic. On that day the pupils, led by the high school band, marched to Neshotah Park. School exhibits of the best in art and regular school work were held each spring. A parent visiting day was inaugurated the spring of 1947. After observing several classes, the mothers were served refreshments and a social period followed. Prin. Emily Volk was instrumental in organizing an active P. T. A. in 1935. Modern practices in teaching and learning are emphasized through choral speaking classes, planned assembly programs, visual educational devices, and health and safety projects. The sports activities consist of organized football, basketball, and baseball for the boys. The girls and smaller grade children have a playground program of benefit to them. The P.T.A. sponsors scouting for the grade girls and boys. By 1947, the city dump east of the Washington school site and along the west shore of the East Twin river was transformed into a prospective recreational area. A modern and spacious playground and sports arena is being planned for this 3 to 4 acre plot. When completed, it will provide a football field, two Softball diamonds, and tennis, volley ball and horseshoe pitching courts. A five foot fence has been installed along the river. Plans are already underway to equip this natural bowl with bleachers. Flood lights were installed in 1947. This recreational area augments the large playground area north of the school. Two Rivers set up its high school system in 1877. As far as can be ascertained, only the 9th, 10th, and 11th grades were organized. There were 31 pupils enrolled in the high school course for the year 1877. Of that number 21 pupils took the common branches, ten took algebra, and all 31 took the natural science course. The first high school teacher and principal of the Old Hamilton schools was C. L. Powers who received a salary of $750 a year. The first high school class to graduate in 1881 was composed of Lizzie Baetz, Minnie Berger, Fred Broer, Fred Christiansen, Richard Endress, Lucy Niquette, and Elizabeth and Sarah Walsh. According to the Two Rivers "Student Handbook" issued for the school year 1945-1946, it was not until 1893 that a full four year high school course was offered. By that time only 63 graduates had completed the three year course offered since 1877. The 1905 Statistical Report submitted to the county superintendent by clerk J. G. Weilip shows that up to June of that year 136 graduates had been graduated from the Two Rivers high school system. The report further shows that A. A. Thompson was the principal with Grace Athearn, Miriam Reed, and Flora Morrill as his assistants. The principal had the task of teaching physics, geometry, civics, constitution,-geography, and political economy: German and Latin were the foreign languages ' taught. The .high school that year had 19 freshmen, 10 sophomores, 11 juniors, and 6 seniors enrolled. The total amount of salaries paid to the high school for that year was $2,750. High school attendance prior to 1910 was limited largely to children of the more well-to-do families and to those who were interested in the professions. The children from the homes of factory workers and small business men completed the required grade schooling and then withdrew to earn a living. Attendance laws were beginning to be enacted through the active promotion of labor organization and humanitarian societies. Beginning about 1910, a steady and uniform increase in high school enrollment in the Two Rivers system was noted. By 1912, there -were about 200 students enrolled. Thus it had taken 35 years to reach that attendance figure. By 1922, that figure had doubled to 400 students, and by 1932, had almost doubled again to the 721 mark. Since that time there has been a general leveling off of high school enrollment although the largest attendance occurred in 1941 when 924 students were enrolled. s The figures on high school graduation for Two Rivers show the same trend. It had taken 25 years to graduate a total of 150 students up to 1912, but by the end of the next 25 years, or in 1937, the high school was graduating an average of 150 students yearly. The figures quoted above do not include the 7th and 8th graders who are enrolled. Washington High School is classed as a junior-senior high school system. The seventh and eighth grades were first organized as a junior high school in September 1915. When the Washington- school was built, the seventh, eighth and ninth grades were incorporated with the other high school grades. The organization thus changed from a four-year to the present six-year high school system. The school year is divided into a first and a second semester with each semester divided into three six-week periods. The "Student's Handbook", a pamphlet sponsored by the Civic Service Society of the Neshotah News, gives much valuable information regarding the general organization and administration of the high school, its curriculum and requirements for graduation; as well as its extra-curricular organizations and activities. This information can not be given in this article because of space limitatons. The office of high school principalship was established in September 1917 when L. B. Clarke was engaged for that position. After serving only one year, he was succeeded in 1918 by N. H. Mewaldt who served until the fall of 1920. The first principal; L. B. Clarke, was then rehired and has continued in that position up to the present time — a record of 28 years of continuous service. Much of the fine progress of the Two Rivers high school during the past 30 years must be given to this efficient high school administrator. Additional Comments: Extracted from: 1848 - 1948 CENTENNIAL HISTORY of the Manitowoc County School Districts and Public School System EDITED BY JOS. J. RAPPEL, COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS 1948 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/wi/manitowoc/history/schools/washingt256gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/wifiles/ File size: 11.1 Kb