Corunna High School - Sphix Yearbook (Corunna, MI)

Page 7 text:

The Puzzle The usual compensation for educators who taught at this time was one dollar a week and the privilege of “boarding around.” This meant that the teacher would reside with the families of the students he or she taught. There were also strict rules for teachers to follow. Men teachers were allowed one evening a week for “courting purposes,” or two if he went to church on a regular basis. Women who married were immediately dismissed from their duties. In 1851, a few of Corunna’s citizens believed that the school built in 1842 was inadequate for the needs of the growing number of pupils. After heated debate, a new brick building was constructed on the present site of the Shiawassee Street School at a cost four thousand dollars. The year of 1866 also found the need to have more room for students. The city issued bonds in the amount of twenty thousand dollars and a three-story school building was erected next to the school building of 1851. The two buildings together served as a school until the fall of 1882 when they both were destroyed by fire.

Page 6 text:

The Edge Of by Lance Little “Training the eye to see, the ear to hear, the hand to do. the mind to think, and the heart to appreciate. has W . I 'f hods The ec n t a ■ - . in the village, a school was opened in a county build- ing. However, it was not until 1842 when Corunna School District was organized and a framed structure was built for the sole purpose of education. There were three basic requirements for an indiviual to become a teacher at this early time — being at least eighteen years of age, completing the eighth grade, and satisfactorily passing a teachers examination. Being a teacher entailed many responsibilities. Each day the teacher was required to bring a bucket of water and a scuttle of coal for the day’s session. After school was dismissed, he had to fill the lamps with kerosene, clean the chimneys, and trim the wicks. 2

Page 8 text:

The school board promptly initiated the construc- tion of a new two-story brick building. This school was known as Corunna Union School. In the early years of the nineteenth century, Corunna Schools ranked among the best in the state. This was due to the diverse courses of study, the quality of facilities, and the dedication of the instructors. At that time, Corunna was one of the few schools in Michigan whose students were admitted to most of the state’s higher educational institutions without an entrance ex- amination. Around fifty percent of Corunna graduates entered college, and in 1904, this figure rose to seven- ty percent. In 1908, the Corunna Union School was destroyed by fire and was replaced by the Shiawassee Street School. The most dramatic growth of the Corunna School District occurred in the late 1950’s as a result of the annexation of twenty-three rural country school districts. After this, the school district covered a total of ninety square miles. Because of this growth, three elementary schools and a high school were built, And in 1976, our current high school was completed and opened to students.