Calumet High School - Peace Pipe Yearbook (Calumet, MI)

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Our School Through the Years This year, 1955, marks the Diamond Anniversary of Calumet High School. For the past 75 years this school has been a vital part of the community, and we know it will go on as such. Seventy-five years ago Calumet High School became a four-year institution. The first class to graduate, in 1884, had seven students. In 1942 the 75th anniversary of the Calumet public school system was celebrated. At this time Mr. W. E. Trebilcock, superintendent of schools, prepared a historical sketch of the school system from its beginning in 1867 to that year, 1952. Following are excerpts from that pertaining to the High School. A geographically unique thing about the high school is that it is the school farthest north between Maine and Minnesota. It has always served as a community high school for the region extending from Osceola to Copper Harbor, a distance of some thirty-seven miles. H Such high school grades as there were before 1875 were held in the Jeff- ' ' erson School. As has already been stated the first class to graduate did so in 1884 when seven students re- ceived diplomas. There was at this time no separate building for the high school, the classes were housed in the Washington School. Congestion finally led in 1897 to the construction if the high school and the Manual Training School, both of which we re erected by the mining company. However both buildings were destroyed by fire in 1905 and so high school work was again handled in the Washington School until the present high school building was ready in the fall of 1907. The manual training and home eco- nomics departments were provided with modern quarters in the new high built in 1907. school building. Within a year of the opening of the new high school building, enrollment Present High School building, equalled the maximum seating capacity of the assembly room or study hall. So it was found necessary to establish additional study hall space on the third floor of the east wing to which Freshmen were assigned--'the nursery', as it was christened by the studehts. Also the wood shop was transferred from the first floor east to the bas em ent. Yet the space prob- lem was not solved, for the enrollment was swiftly increasing and so they turned to the Washington School for classrooms and study hall space. The destruction of the Washington School in January, 1929 necessitated that all high school work be carried on in the high. school building no matter how crowded it beca.me. The plans for the new Washington School allowed for a Freshman study hall seating 100 ,and six high school class rooms and in October, 1930 the new building was occupied. The only drawback to using two schools for high school work--x the necessity of crossing from building to building exposed to the ele- ments. No passage way has ever been provided. The high school grew, thus the number of those graduating increased. In 1910 the first mid-year class was graduated. Without exception, the June class has been larger than the mid-year class, or February class. The largest mid-year class, numbered seventy mem- bers while the largest June class numbered 156. The greatest number to graduate in any one year was 220,in 1939. It was decided that though there were two classes graduating, a February class and a June class, the commencement exercises would be held only at the end of the school year. In 1904 the following was adopted concerning honor recognition at

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w. QOOLEY E' - X893-X902 ED. J. HALL 1910-1935 E T CURTIS 1870 1893 upermtendents through Years. 2 H' E- KRA T 1902-1910 Z W. E. 1 TREBILCOCK 935 1952

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graduation time: rule that in each graduating class the student having the highest general average of grades throughout his entire high school career should receive first honor and the second highest, second honorg and that all students having an average of 90 or better for their high school career should receive honorable mention. When there was a mid- year graduating class the student who had the highest average of all the graduates of both classes was the valedictorian. The student with the highest average in the other class than the valedictorian's was then called the salutatorian. At one time graduation exercises consisted of essays prepared and delivered by graduates. In time a speaker came to be engaged each year in lieu of these essays and some well known figures have appeared as commencement speakers from time to time. Commencement exercises have been held in the Calumet Methodist church, in the Calumet Theaterffrom 1900 to 1930 inclusive and also in 18941, and since 1931 in the gymnasiu.m of the Washington School. Of interest is the subject of dress for commencement. Regulations were not drawn up by the Board of Education concerning this but the matter was regulated by each class. The general aim was to dress simply, uniformly, and inexpensively. The matter of dress, of course, was one chiefly of concern to girls. Many girls bought the material for their dresses within the maximum price voted and made them up in their sewing classes. When it became desirable to purchase ready-made dresses, each class voted the maxi.mu.m sum which it was allowable to pay. In recent years both boys and girls have turned to the cap and gown as a solution of the problem of what to wear for graduation. The original high school course of study offered the following subjects: Natural Phi- losophy, Bookkeeping, Algebra, Rhetoric, Universal History, Physiology and Zoology, Geology and Chemistry, Botony, Geometry, Latin, French, and German. It is probable, however, that the actual offerings, in contrast to the announced offerings, were by no means so ambitious. For exannple, it is extremely unlikely that three languages were really taught at one time when the high school consisted of two teachers and two score of students. When the school became a four-year institution, in 1880, subjects were com- bined into courses--three college preparatory and three practical , The student could choose the course he wished but the subjects in each course were prescribed for him. There were certain core subjects, or subjects considered to be desirable of all students irrespective of sex or course, which had to be passed in order to be eligible for graduation. These were four years of English, three semesters of Algebra, Plane Geometry, Solid Geometry, Physics, AncientHistory, Modern History fin all but one coursej, and American History including Civics. It is worth of note that American History as a Senior year re- quired subject for graduation is known to date back to some time previous to 1909. , Pre- cedent hardened into tradition has continued to the present the idea of courses--and six courses at that--with the idea of core subjects required in all courses, but required sub- jects have been reduced in number and students have been accorded greater freedom in the matter of electing subjects. Of special note is the fact that both French and German were taught down to World War 1, the larger enrollment being in the German classes. When the United States entered that war, German was dropped and Spanish offered in its place. But Spanish wasn't the attraction that German had been and was dropped after three years. German was never again offered.