Butler High School - Tropaeum Yearbook (Butler, IN)

Page 13 text:

The school year opening September llth Cafter a week's postponement on account of the polio epidemicj saw many changes in the Butler Schools. Resignations by Mr. Harding, Mr. May, Miss Fifer and Mrs. Spake required new faces in the offices and school rooms. Mr. Jenkins was promoted from the high school principalship to fill the place of super- intendent. Mrs. Helen Houlton was employed as secretary. But Mr. Jenkins' promotion left the high school principalship open. About a month before school began Mr. Brubaker, graduate of Manchester College and Indiana University, was engaged. . Previously the superintendent had been teach- ing a class or two and the principal three classes. The board ruled some of this out so a new teacher was employed to take their four classes and to partial- ly relieve another teacher. Mr. Clark was brought in. Miss Fifer's resignation and the sudden death of Mr. Cather required two new faces in the grade ,fgalntiniafra five pBl'50l'Ll1Ef CLETIS E. JENKINS Indiana University, A.B. Math and M.S. Ed. Hobby: Fishing and Farming. HELEN HOULTON Secretary. International Business College. H. BRUCE BRUBAKER Manchester College, A.B., Indiana University, M.S., Indiana University Further Advanced Study. Subject: Plane Geometry, Guidance. Hobby: Music and Travel. school. Mr. Oliver Wade and Mr. Raymond Mourer were hired to take their places. Mr. Jack Ruff was selected to fill Mr. May's position. One other change was made at the beginning of school. Mr. Ashby was assigned to teach art throughout the entire system-a requirement of the accrediting agencies. The first day of school found fifty in the first grade-too many for one teacher, so Mrs. Strohis divided room was sent to the regular rooms, putting almost fifty in the fourth grade and over forty in the third. By Thanksgiving the average daily attendance had been such that the fourth grade was divided and Mrs. Camp selected as the new teacher. This necessitated moving the music room to the basement. Mr. Pepple received a call to the navy and left early in November. His place was first filled by Mr. Burdette Hall of near Angola. However, farming requirements made it impossible for him to continue, so two weeks before Christmas Mr. Eugene Yarde was chosen to fill in. During the summer a partition had been built in room 11, so that Mr. Oberlin could have his work under control. The room he vacated was given to Mr. Clark, and he in turn vacated it for the kindergarten under Mrs. Brubaker at the be- ginning of the second semester. He was moved to the home economics recitation room and' the laboratory devoted to both recitation and labora- tory. It has been a moving and changing year- but on the whole a rather enjoyable year. .-9...

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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-

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I jnafrncfiue lgemonnef PAUL W. ASHBY DePauw University, Herron Art School, Indiana State Teachers College, Diploma, Evansville College, AB., Cincinnati University, Fort Wayne Art School, Indiana University, M.S. Ed. Subject: Art, Latin, General Math., World Geography. Hobby: Music and Art. ALBERT BERG River Falls State Teachers College, B.S., Purdue University. Subject: Agriculture, Chemistry. Hobby: Working in the yard with flowers and shrubs. FRANK CLARK 1 Defiance College. Subject: Algebra, U. S. His- tory, Phy. Ed., Sociology. Hobby: Golf. GRETCHEN GIERMAN Manchester College, B.S. Subject: Music. Hobby: Sewing, painting and crafts. Top row: Mr. Frank Clark, Mr. Cletis Jenkins, Miss Gretchen Gierman. Bottom row: Mr. Paul Ashby, Mr. Albert Berg.