Middletown High School - Optimist Yearbook (Middletown, OH)

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2 PTIMIST I Middletown's First High School In 12-471 there was built in Middletown a union school in the south end of the town which was then a mere village. This school was surrounded by large grounds enclosed by a high board fence and extending along three streets. Main Street on the west, Yankee Road on the east, and Seventh Street on the south. Some years ago a strip on the north end was sold to the city and is now known as Fourth Avenue. Up two long flights of stairs on the third floor was located our l first High School together with the seventh and eighth grades of the Intermediate school. The assembly room and one recitation room were used for the High School which at that time consisted of a three years course. A principal, sometimes a man, and again .. a woman, and one assistant teacher were in charge. There was one prescribed course, including Latin. which all were required to take. The school numbered less than a hundred for there was no compulsory educational law and only a small percentage of the pupils at that time deemed it necessary to get a High School education. After graduation only one or two of the wealthier class ever went to college. In 1891 there was no graduating class for those pupils stayed another year to get the fourth year course, which was then added. Now an additional room was used for the laboratory. As the number of students gradually grew larger, another room was added, until the entire third floor, including the assembly room and four smaller rooms were used for the institution of higher learning. The building was heated by a large stove in each room and the coal was carried up those long flights of stairs in a hod upon the shoulders of the janitor. The Roosevelt Junior High School This building, now known as the Roosevelt School, Junior High, was built at a cost of S65,000. The High School moved from its congested quarters on the third floor of the South School to this new building at the opening of school in October, 1908. This at first was supposed to be large enough to last for years to come but, alas! with the Compulsory Educational' law compell- ing pupils to go to school until they were sixteen years of age, it soon proved inadequate and the gymnasium had to be sacrificed in order to make two additional class rooms. Even this was not sufficient and for several years there were, of necessity, two The Pride of Middlletown Sessions in One day. the upper classes coming in the morning and the Freshman in the afternoon. F fi , atb.. A .. ' f ' - frlef - , I -'W una-my .......,..'. 1 1 MMMUW Q ' V , I ,. l 'W i .. ,, ' . ll1. 'f: ' i ' if r..fT .,.,,.,,,.,...,..,,- . f WE N W ', Af., I H 2 il 'M M I K' ' ' I 'A H 2 H 'i I1 nl -Q N ' 4 ' i I Q - l 'ull H 1- wi wi 'I i A 1 f ' H f 1 Q 'ta Uv,,.w,i lm,. i. .. , , .. .- . l . , , lf -, , Y 1: ,, ..f.t..t. .-,J swim-wraps-w-,. ' 'W'i i-iflww' 'W I W ......,...,..,........M..,.. tt . . fl li 4- N X ., ,, , wi 9- 'Wi ' , L ,,. . V5 YV .3-x i ,..,.,-wh., L ,yawn my Y N Y M lillili1:.',l.i'7 Mfg, N Our present new building occupying a full square along Girard Avenue between Curtis Street and Baltimore Street may well be called the pride of Middletown because of its wondrful structure and beauty. So great was the necessity that it was occupied in September, 1923. while the work for its completion was still going on. The splendid gymnasium. the beautiful auditorium. the wonderful tquipment for science and household arts on the third floor, and the spacious cafeteria on the fourth floor are worthy of special mention. Thcrc is a corps of forty-six teachers at work with an enrollment of about one thousand students. a strong contrast to our first High School. All of this shows how wide awake Middletown is when making provision for educational facilities. 0 llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllIllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllIlllllllIlIlllllllIIlllllllllIllllllIllllIllIIIllllIllllllllllllllllllllllllI Five

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Q PTIKIST Foreword Our object in the building of this book is not only to chronicle the events of the year but to also reflect the spirit of a great high school, exemplified better perhaps, during the past year than ever before. VVe are not content to pass away entirely from the scenes of our delight, we would leave, if but in gratitude, a pillar and a legend. The degree of success to which our efforts have attained will be determined by the length of time that the 1926 Optimist remains a cher- ished memento of days that are gone. O G llllllllllll lllllllllllllIlllIllllllIllIIIllIlllllllllllllIlllllllllllllllllllllllll IllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllIlllllllllIllIlllllllllllllllllllllllllllIllll

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Q PTIMIST R. W. SOLOMON Sffperintevzdent of Schools The class of '26 extends its greeting to Mr. Solomon, the Superintendent of Middletown Schools. Not only the students of M. H. S., but Middletown in general is indebted to him, for his untiring efforts in behalf of Education. 9 0 IllllllllllllllllllllllllIllIlllllIllllllllllllllIIlllllIllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllIlllllllllllllllIlllllllllllllllIIIIIIIIllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Six