Des Moines Technical High School - Engineer Yearbook (Des Moines, IA)

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QPID Tllklwt Zbtgil J 'in ARLY rn the fall of 1864, on the second floor of a little brick school house at Sixth and School, West High f k first ame into existence There were only a few puprls and a single teacher, who had classes in all branches of education, from spelling to astronomy, T from smgrng to surveying gi l M, The first year was not an entire success, so early in the term the high school was compelled to surren der the second floor to the larger primary classes, and take a small room on the floor below where rt was so crowded that the very win dow srlls were used as seats Under such discouraging circumstances the school fought for exrstence for four years, gaining students very slowly and gradually first encouragement came xn 1868, when the school was re noved to the old Thrrd Ward building which formerly stood on the corner of Ninth and Lo ust The building, though co nparatively large, was poorly constructed and one morning the plasterxng fell fron the cexl rng onto the heads of the pupils For this and other reasons, it was decided to give up the third floor of the new Lincoln building to the high school Even th s place was not without its drawbacks, for th heating was very poor and at times the gas was lighted that so ne sensation of warmth might be gained by the shivering students However, the c ommodatrons were the best the school had yet emoycd and she was quzck to seize her opportunity and entered into her first era of prosperity The course of study, though somewhat different from the original one, still made the same requirements from all students and vncluded such advanced subyects as trrgonometry and calculus The faculty had increased to three and from time to time during the stay rn this building new members were added and new studies included Science was made a specialty and one of the three high school rooms was given up to t The apparatus consisted of a few test tubes, a Shui?-v .M ' ' - T ' . ' . ' 4 I 7 K I L 'K 5 75 4 I 4 . ' . . l . Y A, Y . . . ' QS k c 1 L 4 g r . L . e . 4 4 4 4 L 4 4 establishing a standard among the citizens of West Des Moines. The . . . ' L 1 f 4 C . ' l I 1. 1 . 4 . 1 ' r ' ' : ' - I C I 0 l 6 C I L 5 ' ' . ' e ' . . . 1 L ' A . . . . 0 a c . ' ' t 1 1 g ' , l C I ' I 6 L , . 0 , 5 . . .

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OLD BUII DING NEW BUILDING I- NX 41'

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few poor chemicals, an electrical machine and an air pump these last two the property of teachers In one of the first chemical experr ments a window was blown out It was here also that West Hxgh first began to have other inter ests than studies Literary societies flourished, and declamatory or oratorical contests were very popular In these contests representa tives from West Des Moines several times captured the gold medal offered by the state association Debating became quite popular, and the first school paper known as the High School Herald ' was pub lished Students began to take pride rn their school and the first evr dence of general enthusiasm and school spirit made itself felt by the raprd growth By 1888 the school had again overflowed its accommodations when the new and commodrous building on the hill was opened To day rt is somewhat contemptuously styled The Old Building, but at that time rt was considered almost an extravagance and far larger than necessary It sufficed for Just fifteen years and during that time several distinct courses were developed from the old studies, and two new ones the Industrial and Modern Language were added New members were added to the faculty continually and the standard of Athletic activity too, added its help to the many interests which were all boosting the growth of the school, and the year of 1902 found the halls, the stairways and the basement being used as class rooms The next year, 1903, the new building with its magnificent assembly room, gymnasium and science laboratories was opened The courses of study were again revised and today West High stands highest of all Iowa's schools rn equipment, rn reputation and rn stand ard of education She offers such a range of courses that almost every variety of knowledge may be gained wrthm her walls For those who wish to supplement high school with a college course, a diploma from the Latin course secures admzssxon wherever any high school diplomas are accepted Where entrance examrna tions are required from everyone graduates from this course almost always pass with high honors For others, the scientific course furnishes the best possible foun datron for further pursuit of scrence, and in rtself gives a liberal education In the Modern Language course excellent rnstructxon rs offered rn German and French and moreover sple xdzd preparatron for college work rs included For those students who cannot expect a college education, the 3 . , - ' ' 9 , - . . work steadily raised. . . . , 1 . .