Butler High School - Tropaeum Yearbook (Butler, IN)

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n Qodpecf The Consolidation of Wilmington Township and Butler City points toward educational ad- vancement in our community. An increased enrollment, brought about by consolidation, will make a new building a neces- sity. Twelve acres have already been purchased for the site of an extensive building program, if it is needed. A buildin lev will be laced on the g Y P citizens of Wilmington Township and Butler City this summer. There is also a possibility that several other members of the school districts may become Metropolitan School District of Butler. Perhaps the new building will be similar to one of the new schools, whose pictures are shown in this book. The new school district will have greatly in- creased educational and recreational facilities. The present curriculum is limited by the small number of students, but it is hoped that the ex- pected increase in enrollment will make possible a much broadened curriculum. A fine arts curriculum, a science curriculum and an industrial arts curriculum would make fine additions to Butler High Schools present academic, vocational home economics, vocational agriculture, and commercial courses. Perhaps the addition of CfH't Housg D08 Mouse nt Norse - .1 a T Hammer s EEE EEE another foreign language to the academic course would be appreciated by the students. In the new building there might be farm shops, industrial arts shops, a new science labora- tory, and a new home economics department, greatly improved over the present one. Many parents have expressed the desire that vocational courses be offered to grade school students. At present there is a great need for an ex- tended physical education program which may be remedied by the new school. The students of Butler High School may look forward to a more varied extracurricular activities program. This year has brought the addition of a new club, the Library Club, which is sponsored by Mr. Jack Ruff. The hope has been expressed by several faculty members that the students will form a student council and help govern themselves. Some members of the student body are becoming more conscious of the need for self-government, so per- haps in a few years a student council may be achieved. A certain student group has tried to re- organize a school paper, but because of the scarcity of paper, it seems to have been abandoned for a while. As a school paper adds a great deal to a school, especially by giving students training in journalism, it is hoped that in future years, con- ditions will be more beneficial to the efforts of journalistically inclined students. Many senior students also enjoy working on the Annual staff, whose members are trying each year to make a Tropaeum bigger and better than that of the year before. A larger enrollment should bring greater annual sales, which, in turn, would make pos- sible a larger Tropaeum. Many improvements should be made in the library, which is very limited at the present time. Many additional non-fiction books especially should be added. More reference books would be ap- preciated very much by the high school students who often need much information for routine school work and term papers. Without a doubt, if all the things written about here actually occur, the future students will be the best behaved, the best educated, and the most intelligent students Butler has ever had. Not only that but our athletes will be better than ever. Yes, the future students of our community will have more educational advantages than former- ly, and they will be better trained to meet the problems of life. 1 TC -

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Mr. Ralph Mutzfeld, Mr. T. M. Long, Mr. Frank Korsmeyer, Mr. Carl Bercaw SAW! Zim! November 8th, 1950 was a fateful day for the Butler School Town. On the preceding day a referendum election had been held throughout Wilmington, Stafford, Troy and Franklin Town- ships and Butler School Town, to determine whether there should or should not be consolida- tion. The measure was defeated in the last three named townships and accepted in Butler School Town and Wilmington. The election was the culmination of six months of propaganda, newspaper articles, etc. fsee ad- ministration division pagej. With the victory in the two school corporations Butler School Town ceased to exist, and funds, etc. of both became ineffective. Emergency appropriations had to be prepared, a name for the new corporation had to be chosen, and various other problems arose. The trustee of Wilmington Township became a member of the school board, and the four are to continue until another election when an elec- tion will choose five members to transact the busi- ness of the Metropolitan School District of Butler -The new organization. Many board meetings were held, conferences with state department officials, the board of examiners, etc., to find exactly where things stood. Finally an examiner came in and spent two weeks going over the books of both defunct school cor- porations and setting up the new corporation. By dint of hard work and taking advantage of every possible break, but adhering strictly to the law, the board was able to get its first emergency appropriation through so teachers could be paid just before Christmas, and a few of the most pressing bills could be paid. Again, late in January the second emergency appropriation was given approval and the school has been able to function as usual since then. The consolidation will enable the new cor- poration to do a little building, though much is needed. However, that cannot be done until a building levy is put into effect to build up a sinking fund, then a bond issue will have to be floated. A set of school plans will have to be prepared, before the bond issue can be offered. It is to be regretted that the other three town- ships did not vote themselves into the consolida- tion, as many of their schools will have to be replaced, and they do not have the individual bonding power to build as they need. Union with the two corporations voting in, would have made it possible for the new corporation to build an adequate school for all pupils concerned. The larger school would have enabled all pupils in the five corporations to have taken ad- vantage of the kindergarten, the art instruction, and other advantages which the new corporation offers and will offer. It is to be hoped that these corporations will vote to consolidate in the near future, and thus better their educational facilities at no additional cost. f -fo, xx -3-