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

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Old High School Machine Shop, 19045 Instructors--Mr. Stevens QL, and Mr. William Odge rs QRJ. High School Blacksmith Shop, Mr. John Wilson, instructor. Sewing Room around 1915, in present high school building. Manual training received early recognition as a school subject , mention of it going back as far as 1889. Men were employed to teach who had proved their worth as practi- cal tradesmen. It has always been cardinal policy to have the shop work of an intensely practical nature. The Manual Training department it seems was tied up with the Company. Mr. William Heath, C. 8: H, carpenter at the time of his appointment in 1897, was the first teacher. For years some of the manual training teachers we re paid by the Company and were not on the school pay roll at all. In- structors worked the saxne hours as did their fellows at the mine and had holidays only as mine employees had them. The school purchased supplies freely for the shops from the Com- pany and was paid for any work done for the Company. In 1915 manual training teachers saw it to be their interest to become school employees. This change was effected and has continued ever since. Tradesmen were issued a county certificate to teach. renewable from time to time. In 1918 the shops went under-the Smith- Hughes law. With the decline in the industrial importance of the black-' smith's trade, work in the blacksmith shop was discontinued and for some years the shop was closed. Then it reopened as an auto mechanics shop. Home economics too has been a part of this school from its beginning, first menticn of it being as far back as 1897. It is known that classes in sewing antedated those in cooking and cooking was begun in 1902. Of the two, sewing has been the more popular. Because of the practical purpose courses in sewing were designed for, some of the instructors engaged were skilled wanen

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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.

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who had learned the seamstress trade and had practiced it for a livelihood. Without college training, as were the shop teachers, they were certified in the same way. In recent years the home economics rooms have been entirely renovated, making more pleasant and modern surroundings for those taking sewing and cooking. Track Team 1907 Football Team 1896 Lloyd Vivain, Peter Curto, Harold Phillips, Rear: F. W. Cooley, O. Kohlhaas, J. Ellis, E. Manger James Anderson, Bert Holman, W. Lyon, S. McLean, J. Gasser, J. B. Quick. Center Norbert Murphy, Harry Harper, J. Arthur King. Center: E. Reeder, C. Light, F. Goodsole. F t Lewis Mawrence, William Lavers. Front: F- G'-Wk, A- Pehhd-16809. Some type of work in calisthenics apparently was being conducted as far back as 1897. for in that year the board purchased four and a half dozen of dumbbells. By 1899 physical training had a recognized place in the work of the schools 'although it was an after-school activity. In 1912 it was made compulsory a.nd credit was given for it. In the early days gym was offered mostly for the benefit of the girls: the emphasis has now changed and the boys dominate the scene with football, basketball, and track. In the fall of 1917 sixty high school boys petitioned the Board of Education to establish military training. The request was granted and on October 17 of the same year military training was begun with an enrollment of 72. The armory was engaged as a drilling place. Mr. John MacNaughton was engaged as military instructor and Mr. Carlos Hanks as his assistant. Uniforms were purchased and boys taking military training got one credit for four years of it. Application was made to the, War Department for the creation of a Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps in Calumet High School. Following an inspection by an Anny officer, in April 1918 such an R.O. T.C. unit was officially proclaimed. The officer in charge is called Professor of Military Scienceiand Tactics CP. M.S. kT., in government regulation and is paid by the government. The government furnishes uniforms and equip- mentg the school supplies the textbooks.