Atwood Hammond High School - Post Yearbook (Atwood, IL)

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The School House Question. There has been a little talk within the last few months about a new school house. And it seems as though some of our school patrons are not in favor of the plan. .Just why you do not want a new school house in Atwood is not positively known; but those of you who are opposed to the plan certainly do not know how badly we need a new, first class, up-to-date school house. There are many and strong reasons why we should have a new building in Atwood. Among others, tin following are some of tin most important: First, we need a new school building, because the one which we now have is entirely too small to accommodate the present needs of the pupils. There are not enough rooms for the High School classes, the primary rooms are overcrowded, and in fact every room in the whole building is crowded to overflowing. As a corollary from the above statement, it may be said that this overcrowded condition would make perfect ventilation impossible, even though the rooms were equipped with modern ventilators. But if there is anything around those ill lighted rooms that looks like a ventilator, it has never been found. By trying to ventilate the rooms with the windows we are freezing cold one minute, roasting hot the next and suffocating all the time. Next it would be well to consider the general condition of the house itself. Did you ever have the pleasure of listening to about a dozen cats fighting out by the garden fence some night when you were tired and wanted to sleep? If you have, you have experienced some of the pleasure which we enjoy practically every day. We do not have any cat fights, nor do we wish to sleep, but when it comes to making noise we have some windows in that old school house that would make a serenading party ashamed of itself. The architect who planned those stairways was by no means a genius. Both stairways lead down to the center of the building, and twist and angle around like a snake’s track. Just suppose the building should catch on fire near the center—such things have happened in other schools—how would the pupils in the upper rooms get out? You will say that there are fire escapes, and we will admit that there are; but in case of a fire they would he almost as inaccessible as the stairs themselves. Another interesting feature of this old landmark is the weakness of the structure. Some of the alumni write back to us occasionally and inquire if the school house has yet fallen down. No, it has not done that badly, but who can tell how soon it ma ? When the wind blows the whole building reels and creaks like a ship tossed about by a storm. These are only a few of the noticeable features of our school house, but it is hoped that they will convey to you some idea of its dilapidated, ramshackle condition. It might be a good thing to compare our school house with the buildings of some other schools. Bet us look at tin other principal schools of the county, namely: Mansfield, Monfi- eello, Bement and Ferro Grordo. Ii will be noticed that each place named above has a modern, well 'quipped school building which far surpasses ours in every respect. Please notice that we have not said school, but school building. For it is well to note that Atwood is now one of the few High Schools of the State which is fully accredited with the University of Illinois, and which ranks high in all of its school work. Does it not behoove us, as citizens of the United States, and especially as citizens of Atwood and vicinity, to build a school house on the site of the old one that will accommodate our

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Winning His “M.” Kenneth Wilson, ’14. Jimmie Brown stepped off the train and started towards St. Mary’s campus. He was full of jov because after two years of hard work he had at last become St. Mary’s star quarter miler. As he entered the athletic field he was rather disappointed that he was not given a better greeting. The other boys passed him hurriedly or talked excitedly in small groups. Upon asking what was the cause of the excitement he was told that Black, one of the best quarter milers. in the slate, had entered St. Mary’s. At this Brown’s hopes for winning his “M” were shattered, he would again have to be second best. As the term progressed both boys practiced faithfully, hut before many trial races had been performed Brown saw that lie was badly beaten. The first meet in which St. Mary was going to take part was with her old rival, St. John’s. A week before the meet trial races were to he run to see who would make the track team. To Brown this was a more important race than the one in the meet would be. There were five other boys trying for the quarter mile, but Brown and Black were the principal ones. From the start Black led the field and was never passed. This was one of the greatest disappointments in Brown’s life. Although he had won much glory in other sports, he wished that some day lie might say to his friends, “I was a St. Mary’s track man.” Just as he was on the point of gaining this honor, Black had appeared and defeated his plans. The next day the team was given a rousing send-off by the school and loaded on a train for St. Johns. Brown went only as a spectator. When the team arrived at the college they were well received and spent the rest of the day with their opponents. At one o’clock the next day the track meet began. The meet was very closely contested by both schools and when the runners for the last race, the quarter mile, were called out, both teams had the same number of points. This event would decide the meet. The runners jogged slowly up and down the track impatiently waiting for the race. Suddenly two runners collided and St. Mary’s team saw their best runner being carried out with a broken arm. The coach at once found Brown in the crowd and told him to get out on the track as quickly as possible. Then he hurriedly gave him a few last instructions and the track was cleared. At the bang of the gun Brown sprang into the lead. Close behind him were the other two runners, but as the race went on they dropped behind and at the finish Brown led by ten yards. At last Brown could say, ”1 was a St. Mary’s track man.”

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present needs! One that will make the heart of every Atwoodian swell with pride? and one that will last for years to come? Why not build it now and let your own cliildren enjoy the benefit of it ? It is a well known fact that the old building, which is now in use, will not last but a few more years at the most. Why wait until it crumbles and fall, possibly on the heads of your children ? You have but one reasonable excuse to offer for not building a new school house, and that is the same old complaint that has been heard ever since humanity needed school houses, viz: it will cost too much. Did you ever figure out just what it would cost you to build ; now public school in Atwood? No, you have not. You imagine that it will almost bankrupt you and therefore you kick like a broncho when a new school house is mentioned. It has been estimated that a school building such as we need in Atwood, one that is equipped with modern facilities and adapted to the needs of the pupils, teachers and the public in general, would cost about twenty thousand dollars. This may seem like a large sum when viewed as the debt of one man to he paid in a year’s time, hut it does not need to be paid in one year or even two, nor by one man. It could easily be paid in ten years at the rate of two thousand dollars per year, and the school tax would not bankrupt anybody nor even put them in stringent circumstances. Can you, Mr. Taxpayer, with honest convictions, stand up and say that we do not need a new school house in Atwood or that we cannot afford it? Will you continue to blight the hopes and opportunities of your children by . ending them to study in an old grimy, dirty, weather-beaten shack that ought to be used for a hog shed? Do you realize that you may be endangering the lives of your children by sending them to study in such a foul, ill-lighted, poorly constructed, overcrowded, noise-producing shell? The Atwood school has a reputation of being a good school, but you cannot hold that reputation if you do not have a more substantial building, one that meets our advanced requirements. .Just because the old school house has answered in the past does not signify that it will answer in the future. There ought to be a new building in order to maintain our present standard of school work and there must be a new building before that standard can be raised. The limit has been reached in the old house. While speaking of a new school building in Atwood, it occurs to the writer that a township high school would be a good thing to organize. Township high schools are attracting a great deal of attention at present and since we need a new building so badly in Atwood, why not put up a school house that will not belie its name? It seems that Atwood could not be better situated for a double township high school. Being situated as it is on the line between Garrett and Unity townships, and about five miles from the north line and three miles from the south line. Would it not be possible for the people of Garrett and Unity townships to form a coalition with the Atwood school district and in connection with putting up a building to accommodate the pupils of the grades, build a high school department that would accommodate all the high school pupils of the two townships, Atwood included? The departments for the grades to be paid for by the Atwood school district and the high school part to be paid for bv the aforesaid townships and the Atwood school district in proportion as they are benefited. By making a building of this type it would not only be possible, but it would be expedient to introduce agri culture, domestic science and practical educational courses. Such courses as are now attracting a great deal of worthy attention in up-to-date high schools.