Carl Schurz High School - Schurzone Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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On the Tuesday following the first Monday of September 1910, Carl Schurz High School opened its doors, joyously welcoming the 1031 young people who entered its gates that day. With its first principal, Mr. Walter F. Slocum, and the co-operation of its first teachers and students, it became the shining symbol of American education-a place dedicated to the preparation of young Americans for a happy and successful future. During the first week, an orchestra was organized under the direction of Mr. Iames Mason. the first high school orchestra to be established in the Chicago high schools. The Schurz Choral Society too immediately began its work and continued as such for three years under the direction of Mr. F. W. Willard. ln 1913, Mr. C. Lagerquist organized the music department and took over the Society. With the help of Mr. Iames Mason, he conducted the first Messiah at Schurz-the first presentation of this music to be presented by the city's high school choral groups. The first Schurzone was published under the direction of Miss Eleanor Beaton, in 1913. It circulated monthly and included stories, poems, limericks, current events, editorials, and news about organizations, shops, and athletics. ln February 1911, 1089 students were enrolled: in September 1911, 1216: in February 1912, 1281: and in September 1912 there were 1522. So rapidly did the school continue to grow that in 1915, the Addison wing was completed in order to provide more rooms for the many students who wanted to attend Schurz. With the erection of this wing the night school was established in 1915 as a non-accredited school, offering classes in the shops. English, public speaking, seventh and eighth grade work, and classes for the foreign born. ln 1924 it became an accredited school with an enrollment of 3,000 students, offering a large variety of subjects. The guard system was organized, the Boys' Glee Club and Dramatic Club were organized, the orchestra had expanded to 40 members by 1913, an effec- tive athletic organization had been formed, and the lrving Park Women's Club took over the management of the lunchroom. The Schurz band was organized by Mr. Mason during 1917. lt was small and rated not as a band but as a Drum and Bugle Corps to take part in Red Cross parades, victory demonstrations, drives, and other military activities of World War 1. There was also the organizing of the Schurz Cadet Corps which captured second place in the competitive drill held as part of the military training for boys of the Chicago high schools. ln 1919 the R. O. T. C. was established for all high schools in the city and Schurz was one of the first to begin training its members. In the same year Schurz won the first Basketball City Championship. During 1917-18 the Civics Industrial Club was formed and did a great deal to aid the war efforts of World War I. It made 4,900 trench torches for the soldiers in France. sent 100 current magazines and over 16,000 books to men in the service, and made 1 13 scrap books for military hospitals. It gathered 50 pounds of leather for aviators coats, 50 pounds of tin foil for the Red Cross. and distributed 86 Christmas baskets to needy families of service men that year. ln the foundry hand grenades were made and sent to the arsenal at Rockford, Ill. The woodshop students built 4 Red Cross tables for convales- cent soldiers. They also filled an emergency order for 7500 probing sticks in three days for the Red Cross to use in hospitals. A Red Cross class for first aid and home nursing was organized for the girls. Schurz was the only High School giving credit for Red Cross work. These girls made ll00'baby garments for the Red Cross and sent an exhibition layette to England. One English class adopted an orphan boy and girl from France early in 1917, and adopted another orphan before school closed in Iune. Clubs which met after school hours were an important part of high school life. The Triangle Club consisted of three sections: drama, literary, and civic. The Wireless club was organized by twenty boys in 1916. A Photographic Club, Latin, German, and French Clubs, were unusually active. From the very beginning sports held a prominent place on the school calendar, with a rifle championship in 1916, a soccer in 1916, and basketball in 1919. So with the ending of the first ten years at Schurz we find the girls putting their long full skirts and wide brimmed hats away in the attic and becoming what was known as flappers who were quite the opposite - wearing very short skirts and long waists. The boys too had to keep in style so they looked like Rudolph Valentino and became what was known as sheiks. With happy thoughts of what the future held in store, each of them eagerly looked forward to the future which was to bring many more achievements than the previous years had done. Pane 6 jlte jirdf eca e, 1910-1920 Schurz as it looked in September, 1910, consisted of five floors in the middle section with three floors on either side as it is today. Carl Schurz lcenterl, for whom the school was named, was honored dur- ing I949 by having a three-value set of stamps of similar design issued by the French occupied zone of Baden. bearing the inscription Rastatt 1849- I949. The stamps are 10 plus 5 pfennigs, green, 20 plus 10 pfennigs. Ed lilac, and 30 plus 15 pfennigs. ue. Mr. Walter F. Slocum. first princi- pal of Schurz, came in 1910 and re- mained until his retirement in 1936. During his 26 years of service many important events occurred. The first Bulldog Hop, the beginning of our newspaper, and several active clubs were among these events. The Addison wing as we see it today was opened in 1915 to take care of the increasing membership which continued to grow so rapidly that the Waveland wing and the Tri- angle had tovbe planned for soon after.

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The year 1920 brought more fame to Schurz. Sybil Bauer, the champion swimmer of the Olympic Team, established many world's records for the United States. Then, too, the lightweight football team won the city championship. In 1921 Schurz became the first high school in Chicago to be placed on the honor list of high schools by the Inspector General of the Army. About this time our beautiful campus was known as the play area'-1 football, track and other sports were played there. When the wind stirred, a dust storm was created: consequently the teachers tagged the grounds the dust bowl. West of the assembly where our present football field is located was a portable building in which the R.O.T.C. drilled and trained. The R.O.T.C. presented the first Bulldog Hop in 1922. It has since be- come a tradition anticipated by the entire school on Thanksgiving Eve. In the same year, the basketball team won the city championship. A journalism class was organized under Miss Beaton's direction in 1923 for the purpose of publishing a newspaper. The Schurz World, a weekly publication, soon made its appearance. City championships were won by the soccer and baseball teams in 1924. The victorious baseball team, after winning the 1924 city championship, de- feated Evander Childs High School of New York City and received the Cohen Trophy as winners of the interacity game. 1924 also introduced the first semi-annual Schurzone and the first senior class play. The Iune '24 class organized several committees and elected a group of students similar to our present notables with the titles of Most Popular, Witti- est, Best Students, Best Athletes, Prettiest Girl, and Best Looking Boy. The Iune '25 class elected class Notables with titles similar to those of today. Among these ten were Most Talkative and Most Bashful. In 1925, the Waveland wing and triangle were completed, giving us Schurz as we see it today. The Iunior skating team won its first city champion- ship then, and in 1926, the Senior skating team won a City Championship. More championships were added to our ever-increasing list during the next year. The junior swimming team, golf, and senior football teams each took city. The first Lettermen's Club was also organized. 1927 found Schurz city champions traveling down to St. Louis where Roosevelt High of St. Louis and Schurz clashed in a thrilling football game which Schurz lost, eleven to nothing. Even though they lost the game, Schurz had the honor of being the first public high school to play an inter-league game with Mt. Carmel that same year. The graduating class of 1928 produced Iimmy Evans, the famous sports announcer, who was president of his class and captain of the football team which again won the city championship. For the second consecutive year Schurz also won the city golf championship. 1929 was another successful year. The football team and the Iunior and Senior swimming teams won city championships, thus bringing our total of championships to seventeen. For the girls it was hockey, basketball, baseball, and swimming, and they too won laurels. Clubs continued to play an important part in High School life. By this time many of them were meeting during the last periods of the day. The Architectural club, the Aviation club, which admitted members solely on their ability to pass an entrance examination on the rudiments of aviation, Biology and Zoology clubs, Boys and Girls glee clubs, a Debating Society, Language clubs, a Chess and Checker club which numbered 145, a Radio club for Iuniors and Seniors, a Magicians Conclave, a Pep club to attend all games, and the Lettermen's club were some of the active successful clubs during this decade. Such was the progress of the second ten years at Schurz-a story which forms a never to be forgotten picture, destined to instill pride in our hearts. During this era, the flappers and sheiks still dominated the scene, the develop- ment of industry and science prevailed, transportation improved-the modern age was in view and all Schurzites saw a shining star in the distance laden with many opportunities in the coming decade. Page 8 we .Scan lecade, I 920- l 930 For many years Room 501, present band room, served as the school cafe- teria. Here we see a typical noon day scene in those early days when the students hurried up five flights of stairs in much the same way as they hurry today to our modern cafeteria on the second floor. Sewing was one of the popular sub- jects then as now, and here we see a group of girls planning, fitting and stitching in one of their class periods. Note the finished garments in the back- ground. The airplane view shows the com- pleted Schurz as it was in 1926 with the Waveland wing and triangle. The walks were laid and some shrub- bery was planted but the campus was not completed until 1936. Some of the surrounding streets can also be seen.