Central High School - Booster Yearbook (La Crosse, WI)

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Elgin 4 f7f,e 'H W iiii IE 7 ,Baosfe Q l 'is ' ' ' '12 IQ , 44, - ,av .V 'wie i V A 1, l,.,, K .,'. ,Z 31-liz-turg nf the Ea Glrnzaae 31-Iigh iforlinnl UR present day High School is a wonderful building. Perhaps a few of us take all the advantages that we receive through this building a little too much for granted. This may be because we know very little about the development of the High School from the time it had only about twenty or thirty students to the present time when it has exceeded the thousand mark. Let us then be carried back about fifty years to the time when the first high school opened its doors, rather timidly perhaps, won- dering how many students would be willing to attend its classes and promote its success. It was on the fifth of December, 1870, that the first movement was made toward the introduction of a high school. La Crosse was then a city of less than 8,000 inhabitants, was divided into four wards, and had a school board which consisted of five members and of which Judge James I. Lyndas was president. As a new second ward school building had just been erected on the corner of Fourth and King streets at a cost of S13,000, it was decided to devoteone-fourth of its space for the accommodation of the new high school. Mr. F. Varney was elected principal and Mr. Jacob Bickler was chosen as teacher of classics and modern languages. A course of study consisting of English, Latin, German, Greek, na- tural science, and history having been adopted, the school was formally opened with an enrollment of between thirty and fifty students. There was then one mug, f 0 P-7 Mm-efeen 5 2 wenlyofie 3 'igym9 q I Page 9

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ff? . x. ,Ag 114415. AA - Hina 1ln.fIi rf in I if ni, Erma UU NME E 'X ua H' l QTVR 'V I I 0 W l3aosr'ef- EJ - - El qualification demanded for entrance, and that was that all candidates had to pass a severe examination conducted by the Superintendent. This may have hin- dered the growth of the school but it was doubtless necessary at that time. The High School gradually increased until in 1873 two more teachers were added to the small faculty. At this time Mr. J. W. Weston was made superinten- dent and Prof. Reynolds succeeded Mr. Varney as principal. In 1874 after some dispute, it was decided to adopt a three year course and to have a seven years' preparation in the grades. These rules held until 1877 when they were changed respectively to four years and eight years. As the school was now complete- ly organized, every student strove to gain a diploma, and in 1876 the first class was qualified to graduate. The first graduates were four in number and were as follows: Stephen Martindale, Jr., John B. Richards, Gustus C. Abbot, and Minnie E. Sabin. No formal commence- ment exercises were held, but Dr. Wen- dell A. Anderson, who was then president of the board, simply gave out the diplo- mas in the presence of the other students. Two years previous to this time, the board had become interested in the con- struction of a building to be used purely for high school purposes. As the city council did not appear to take much interest in the matter, several board members bought privately in their own names, at auction, several lots near Elev- enth and Cass streets. The matter was again brought before the council and the lots offered for building purposes. How- ever, people living in the Vicinity of Eleventh and Cass became so alarmed at the thought of having a high school near their homes, that such a hot school fight occured as to result in the sale of these lots. Nothing further was done until the latter part of the year 1877, when, because of the difficulty in accommo- dating all the students in the Second Ward building, lots were bought by the city on Eighth and Main for the purpose of there constructing a high school. In regard to the conditions within the High School at this time little is known except that the rooms were poorly ven- tilated and poorly lighted, and that there were none even of the extremely necessary accomodations. The enrollment had in- creased to about one hundred and fifty. The number of faculty members remained the same, but Prof. Durkee succeeded Mr. Reynolds as principal. It was with great delight and enthusi- asm that students and teachers alike watched the building of the new high school, the construction of which had been authorized by the Council in 1877. Slowly but surely the building was fin- ished and stood ready for work on the sixteenth of September, 1878. Although at that time the school was held to be something very wonderful, it was never- theless a poorly planned building. It consisted of only the front half of what is now known as the Eighth Ward School, its rooms were stuffy and poorly lighted, and its stairways high and narrow. It had one large assembly room which was especially dear to all because of the stage upon which so many various kinds of entertainments were given for the stu- dents, and also because of the large red and black banner which decorated a part of one wall, and the brown and gold ban- ner which stood for the Junior Annual, a book edited by the Junior Class and known to be similar to the present time Booster. In 1880 the principalship of the high school again changed hands, and Prof. Hemmenway took charge. It was under the inspiration and guidance of this noble man that the High School gained its first reputation for being one of the best smug? s A mefeen X Q jtuefvlyone Q ' ues 'Il , Page 10