Carrier Mills High School - Reminiscence Yearbook (Carrier Mills, IL)

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1 F O R E W O R D In this, our 1938 REMINISCENCE, which we have dedicated to our parents, we have endeavored to pay a tribute tb the mining industry of Southern Illinois. It is the growth of this industry that has nade our school both a necessity and a possibility. H Also, we wish to express our sincere thanks to Clyde Croslin for his tireless efforts to make this a truly great book through his drawings? which express the varying steps in the mining industry. ,

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A A Brief History of the L Carrier Mills Community High School by . A. N. Trammell . 7 On March l5, 1937, a series of elections began which were to change the entire complexion of the educational sys- tem in and around Carrier Mills. This was not the beginning of the program. As early as September, 1956, the principal and some of his faculty discussed the possibilities of a badly needed change in the educational set-up. This was followed by a survey of the physical conditions of the com- munity such as the assessed valuation, number of pupils, and the attitude of the patrons. . By a very religiously pursued public relations program through the medium of the school paper, student participa- tion, programs, and circular letters, we were fortunate to secure such backing as was necessary to the success of the undertaking. Various times in.the past attempts had been made to inaugurate such a program but it always came to grief as a result of voting opposition or a legal question. With the assistance of a very able 'attorney and'our county superintendent, Mr. W. B. Westbrook, we eliminated any pos- sibilities of a misstep from the legal angle. ,In the above mentioned election the vote favored the organization of a community high school comprising eg rural school districts and the city schools carried by the unprec- edented majority of nearly nine to one. Much interest was shown in the April election for mem- bers of a Board of Education for the newly organized Dis- trict 3l05. Seventeen names were on the ticket and over 1200 votes were polled. Final returns declared the follow- ing five men elected: Dr. J. M. McSparin, Dr. W. E. Wil- liams, A. V. Tuller, Fred Wasson, and Harry Rann. These men immediately organized and called an election to vote bonds, erect a building, appropriate funds for same, and increase the legal rate for building purposes to 50d on 31.00 assessed valuation. These elections were duly held and a majority of about 5 to l for resulted. - A site was voted on. Three places were listed, neither of which received a majority and it was necessary to vote on the two highest again, The site on the south side of U. S. Route 45 was declared the scene of the location of the structure. R. Z. Gill and Company of Murphysboro was employed as architect, and bids were let for the building. R. E. Mit- chell and Company of Harrisburg, Illinois, were awarded the contract. -' '