Central High School - Chieftain Yearbook (Muskogee, OK)

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Tforeworo Q A famous man once said adverse publicity is bet- ter than no publicity at all. 11 Believing this to be true, it has been the purpose of the staff of this book to place within its covers the name and picture of every student enrolled in Central High School. 11 We have tried to make a pictorial history of our school in which frivolity has linked arms with pathos. 11 Forgive us, dear fellows, if we have said anything that might hurt you. In the years yet to be torn from the calendars of man, if this well meant vol- ume should ever be removed from its resting place, we sincerely hope that it will take its reader back to that time during which material for the book was gathered, bringing smiles and tears of many happy days which, once passed, can only be recalled. ESE

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1 HISTORY OF CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL URING its career of eighteen years, Central High has occupied five different dwelling places. Its beginning was modest, but it has developed rapidly, thus attaining its present size and importance. A real need for a high school was first felt in the fall of 1905. There was a public school system at the time, and had been since 1898, but taxes were uncertain, and no attempt to organize a high school had yet been made. In response to this demand five freshman subjects were offered. The northeast room of the Jefferson school was used for the class of nineteen pupils who desired to take the course. One teacher was ob- tained who taught four of the subjects, while Mr. Redd, principal, taught the other subject. The five subjects were, algebra, general history, Latin, rhetoric and Zoology. The teacher was Miss Iduma Hughes. The work was organized under a four year system, but students could graduate with three years work. Those who made ninety in their grades or over were exempt from the examination. This room had to be abandoned shortly after however, for the number of students increased rapidly. In the fall of 1906 there were one hundred and twenty pupils enrolled. Then during the summer of 1907 Kendall College was moved to Tulsa, and as the town was growing rapidly the autumn of 1907 found over two hundred students enrolled for high school with six teachers. Consequently it was necessary to move to a larger place, and the Franklin school building was chosen as the place. Splendid school spirit marked the time spent in this place, the girls sold candy and started a school library with the proceeds while the classes set out trees on Arbor Day which still beautify the Franklin grounds. During this third year of high school work, physics, chemistry, American Literature, German, solid geometry, Latin, and English history were offered. Mr. Ira L. Cain was principal at this time having been elected to the position in 1906. During this year there was no room large enough to have an assembly, and as a result a piano was placed in the large hall upstairs in Franklin school, and here the students met once a week to sing. The pleasant school life was not destined to last long however, for in the spring a large crack appeared in the front wall of the Franklin building, and the school was declared unsafe. Thus the high school students found themselves homeless again. The Kendall building was next to house the growing high school. The site had been bought by real estate investors who were tearing the buildings down in order to sell the land. They offered the main administration building to the high school and possession was taken during April. This school structure was three stories high. It had many class rooms, one assembly room, and was situated on twenty acres of ground. The high school passed the year of 1908 and 1909 in this building. During this year, manual training, agriculture, and American history were added to the list of subjects of- fered and the faculty was increased to nine members. Although the real estate men had been willing to let the school use the building, they were nevertheless anxious to sell the land, and early in the year, requested the school board to have the building vacated by June. They did not wait until June how- ever, for long before that month they began laying off blocks and putting in streets. About this same time the school board began planning for the erection of a perman- ent high school building. There was no place known however in which they could have school during the year 1909 and 1910. Selling bonds, settling details, choosing a loca- tion, and doing other things necessary to build the school would take too long to hope to finish in time for that year. It was decided late in the summer to rent the Sawyer and Bostic buildings on South Third street and conduct the school in them. The whole thing was rented for 8225 per month. Thus in October, 1909, after some preparation on the building, the high school began what turned out to be the most unique and interesting phase of all its career. The rooms had been made by putting thin board partitions up which permitted each class to hear the disconnected jumble of the discussions going on in the other classes. There PAGE EIGHT