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Page 11 text:
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HISTORY 5 DEVELCPMENT ' OF THE BELOIT Pusuc SCHOOLS 3, ix L N order that we may more fully appreciate the excellent school en! Lf, facilities that Beloit now enjoys, it is necessary that we at should first become acquainted with the foundation and the -O: development of the Beloit schools. The schools of Beloit, like the schools of many other places, may be traced back to Qi' a little one-room building with a missionary in charge. We rm: In 1871 Timothy F. Hersey, the founder of Willow Springs, Qsoon changed to Beloitj raised a small amount of money to be used in starting a school. A small cottonwood shanty was erected on the location of the present site of the German National Bank. It was used both as a school house and as a tovsm hall. A Baptist minister, Rev. O. N. Fletcher, was the man who first wielded the hickory limb in Beloit. Ex-congressman W. A. Reeder was the first regular teacher in Beloitg he taught the 1872-'73 and the 1873-'74 terms. Some time in 1871 or 1872 bonds were voted in the old school district No. 2 of Mitchell county to raise money to be used in erecting a brick school building on lots near the site of the present High school building. The building had one room upstairs and one room downstairs. Owing to some legal entanglements the work on the building was required to cease for two years, and during this time school was held only in the lower room. The building was finally completed and served its purpose until 1884. In 1882 it was declared unsafe and the superintendent had to dismiss school when- ever a storm occurred during school hours. In 1884 bonds amounting to 520,000 were voted, and the money de- rived from them was used in erecting what was for so many years known as the Central building and what is now the major part of the present High school building. The building was completed and ready for the occupancy at the beginning of the fall term in 1885. There were ten large accomoda- tion rooms and two large halls. On the fifth day of May, 1879 the first Board of Education was or- ganized. It was composed of Wm. H. Burke, presidentg William Grew, vice- president, A. Patten, clerk, and J. W. Walker, treasurer. In connection with this period a quotation from an address by Rev. W. J. Mitchell, who was Methodist minister here about twenty-five years ago, is quite interest- ing. The quotation: The Board of Education organized in May, 1879 came into power with many varied difficulties before them, chief among which was a large floating debt of over three thousand dollars with school room large enough to accommodate only about one-half of the pupils of our city. But thanks to the united and energetic efforts of our board, backed up by the generous support of our wide-awake citizens, they were enabled successfully to grapple with the problem presented. Bonds were voted bearing a low rate of interest and negotiated at par, our floating indebted-
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Page 12 text:
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ness funded and ample school room provided, placing our school upon a firm and enduring basis in a financial point of view at least, which was gratify- ing to all concerned. In 1878 the old First Ward school house, known. as the Whittier building was built and plepared for occupancy. In 1886 bonds were voted for the erection of the Second Ward build- ing, which when built consisted of four rooms, two upstairs and two down- stairs. In 1906 an addition almost as large as the old part was built onto it. The building as it now stands has eight rooms and a principal's office. When the new addition was completed the First Ward building was sold, and the pupils went to the Second Ward. The Field building, the old two-roomed stone building, which served its purpose for so many years in the Third Ward, was built in 1884 from the material obtained from the old brick building when it was torn down. The Field building was too small for the increased population and in 1910 525,000 bonds were voted for a new Third Ward school house which cost S30,000, 55,000 of this money was already on hand. This building is modern throughout, having metal stairs, forced ventilations, etc. It has ten large rooms, and is a beautiful brick structure. It is located in the center of a large block, and there is a large and well improved campus all around the building. The citizens of Beloit on February 24, 1914 voted 825,000 bonds for the erection of a large addition to the Beloit High school building, which had been too small for the accommodation of the students for a number of years. The new addition was completed and ready for school at the beginning of the second semester last year. At the present time the Beloit High school is classed as one of the very best in this part of the state. This applies to the course offered as well as to the building. O. B. Slyster, one of the State High school inspectors, after visiting the Beloit High school for a day said: You have the best ap- pointed High school with the best balanced courses and the best controlled discipline of any High school that I have visited. In the basement of the building there is a large gymnasium, a recita- tion room, the boys' and girls' toilet rooms, the boiler room and the manual training shop. The gymnasium has made it 'possible for a fine school spirit to be worked up among the High school students during that part of the year when the out-door sports cannot be indulged in on account of the weather. In the center of the gymnasium is a fine basketball court, and there are bleachers around it sufficient in size to comfortably seat about 350 people. The gymnasium has a fine lot of equipment, such as traveling rings, horse, horizontal bars, tumbling mats, climbing ropes, dumb-bells, parallel bars, etc., also two dressing rooms with shower baths in connection. Classes are held in- gymnasium work during a part of the year under the direction of Athletic Instructor Forrest A. Dunn. The boys and girls are both given the advantage of these classesg the girls are given one period a day and the boys one period a day. During the present term the Manual Training department has made some very noticeable advancements. Under the instruction of Forrest A. Dunn the students were able to turn out a big lot of exceptionally good
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