Alliance High School - Bulldog Yearbook (Alliance, NE)

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Buildings, Curriculum, and Disciplines Citizens of Alliance are sometimes confused as to why a school, which is not built on Emerson Avenue, is called Emerson School. The reason is shown through the above picture. This is a picture of the original Emerson School. It was built between 5th and 6th streets facing Emerson Avenue and, therefore, giving it its name. (Photo Courtesy of the Knight Museum) The Old Soddie School, as it was called, gives a view of what some of the first schools in Alliance looked like. Many times the school had no floor and could have even been held in an abandoned barn. The teacher shown taught grades one through eight. Her name was Lottie Worley, and she was the Potato Queen of Nebraska. (Photo Courtesy of the Knight Museum) One of the first high schools in Alliance was built on the southeast corner of the eleven hundred block, facing Box Butte Avenue. The building remained until students and teachers in a home learning class complained of the swaying on the top floor while the wind would blow hard on many occasions. It was eventually torn down after the new building was built on Laramie Avenue (Photo courtesy of the Knight Museum) 1888-1988 The original Central School building was built in 1890, facing Box Butte Avenue. It was built before Grandview and Emerson Schools were built. Students would come from the surrounding area and board in the school. Postcards with a picture of the school were made for the children to send home to their families. Fire caused the building to burn down on December 17, 1912. (Photo courtesy of the Knight Museum) From Sod Houses to the Present Opening 5

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Centennial Marks Many Changes in Some of the best signs of the changing times can be seen through the architecture of the buildings; more specifically, in the many school buildings used by Alliance students during the past 100 years. In the early days of Alliance, the biggest problem was to find a place to hold school. Many youngsters were taught trades through parents and neighbors. A book was considered a precious holding, since very few of them could be obtained. Some of the very first schools in Alliance were held in sod houses and abandoned sheds or dugouts. One spring term was even held in a tent. Pupils would bring books from home that had been used in their homes and it was not surpris- ing to have books with different authors and views on ideas. The curriculum included reading, penmanship, history, music, and English. A slate and chalk were a common sight as a student sat in a homemade desk and chair. It was the teacher's duty to chop firewood and bring in water for the students. Some of the common punishments included: standing in the corner, facing the wall; staying in at a recess; or a whack on the palm with a ruler. Buildings, books, teachers, and disciplines have advanced greatly since those days. The high school alone has been held in three different buildings and each new building has increased the number of classrooms for the growing number of students. The newest school building, at 100 West 14th, was originally built as the new junior high school in the 50's, but was converted to the high school in 1967. More recently, in 1987, Alliance added eleven classrooms, a new locker room, and a new office for the administration. The entire school now covers about one full city block. Alliance has advanced greatly since the first days in the developing of Box Butte County, and the school buildings have allowed for more room and better facilities for students over the years. The above picture gives a view of one of the old high schools built in Alliance It was built in 1922, before the previous building was torn down. The building sits between 11th and 12th streets, facing Laramie Avenue. It was built even before there were any houses along west side of Laramie Avenue. The school held various classes for grades nine through twelve. The building is now the Alliance Middle School and it holds classes for grades six through eight. A new gym and locker rooms were added on to the building in 1987. (Photo Courtesy of the Knight Museum) 4 Opening

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Homecoming Activities Make After a well-planned week of fun, the Student Council was pleased with the results of their hard work. Homecoming activities included arm wrestling, a baby bottle chugging contest, the jersey auction, hall decorations, a parade, the crowning of royalty and the football game On the first day of the exciting week, such people as Denise Manuei, Dawn Brammer, and Tammy Pierce were seen showing their muscles in right-handed arm wrestling. Michelle Pearson, Shelly Thompson, and Cheryl Bolen pulled for a left-handed victory. Among the boys, Mitch Parascand, |oel Fought, and Chris Allen, gave the crowd a good show with their amazing strength, by straining for almost five minutes straight. Also, on this first day of the homecoming celebration, students were asked to wear sweatshirts. On Thursday, students enjoyed a relaxing day, by wearing their beach outfits; some even included the towel and beach bag. The Thursday lunch activity was the famous jersey auction. The highest price paid for a jersey was by Carey Firestein and Dusty Crawford, who bought lason Tritle's and T.| Marx's jerseys, respectively, for $12 each and wore it for a day. The activity for Friday lunch was the baby bottle chugging contest. Friday's dress up day was to wear jerseys or blue and white. The school was also allowed to hold a parade that proceeded from the high school to Fourth Street on Box Butte Avenue. Parade winners included First Place, Freshmen; Second Place, Seniors and Student Council; Third Place, Juniors. Evening activities of Thursday included the Coronation and Burning of the A . Homecoming Queen and King were Jaimi Moravek and T roy Schnell. The attendants were T.J. Marx, Tori Hoxworth, Brent Simpson, and Cheryl Bolen. Friday night was the dual between Ogallala and Alliance for a football victory, which ended in a 13-7 score, and an Alliance victory. The finale of the week was the Homecoming Dance Approximately 250 people attended the dance in which music was played by 'Complete Music.’ All went as planned for an enjoyable week. The following Monday, Shelly Thompson stated, I'm glad everything went well because we worked hard to succeed. 6 Homecoming