Emporia High School - Re Echo Yearbook (Emporia, KS)

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. .E UCATIO MLIVING Since this is the three-hundredth anni- versary of the found- ing of the American High School, it is very fitting that this feature be emphasized in this year's Re-Echo. Rlcli E. BROXVN How simple was the plan which resulted in the organization of the old Boston Latin School in 1635! Boston at that time was just a handful of rude dwellings huddled about a rhatch roofed and walled church. A meeting of the men of the hamlet had been called, in the church, to discuss whatever business was of common interest. In the course of the meeting it was de- cided to start a free school. There was no ceremony about it. They didnit even call upon Governor Winthrop to proclaim that the people in Boston were establishing something new. It seemed to them just the natural thing to do in their situation. Thus, the first American High School was founded for the pur- pose of teaching Latin and Greek. The instruction in reading was left with the parents in the homes. From this simple beginning, the American High School has grown by leaps and bounds, until today we have 28,000 high schools, 240,000 teachers, and 6,000,000 boys and girls studying a great variety of subjects. The high school of today, with its enriched curriculum, is much different from the old Boston Latin School, with a curriculum of two subjects: Latin and Greek. Tercentenary Celebration of the American High School For some time, the high school was only a preparatory school for college, and it was with fear and trembling that it finally began to add to its curriculum such subjects as Manual Arts, Home Economics, Physical Training, Commercial Work, Art, Music, etc. All of these subjects have enriched our curriculum today, until most em- ployers will not even consider a person for a position, who has not graduated from a high school. The American High School will continue to grow in usefulness, its curriculum will become more en- riched, with the result that boys and girls will be better trained to take their places as the citizens of tomorrow. RICE E. BROWN Principal

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THE Emvonm - Rc-60110 1935 - HIGH scHooL 7 When Supt. L. A. Lowther completes his work at the end of the present school year, he will have served the Emporia public school system for near- ly four decades. Superintendent Lowther came to Emporia as head of the city schools thirty-eight years ago-in November, 1896. His announce- ment of retirement this spring, was made because cf his health. There was a political atmosphere in Emporia as well as in the meeting of the school board that November evening in 1896, Mr. Lowther recalls, as he was elected on the same night that the news came in announcing the election of William Mc- Kinley as President of the United States. And to the young West Virginia school man, the action of the Emporia Board of Education was of greater importance than the result of the voters of the country. 1 fl Superintendent Lowther followed John Deit- rich, who went from Emporia to Colorado Springs as school superintendent. Coming to Emporia from Cottonwood Falls, where he had been the head of the schools and had organized the high school, Mr. Lowther immediately began a reorgan- ization of the Emporia school system, and he has seen it grow from a small beginning to one of the largest and most efficient in the state. Looking back 38 years, Supt. Lowther recalls that James Barnett was principal of the high school and Miss Mary Maynard was assistant prin- cipal when he came to Emporia. There were only 125 students in the high school and just six teachers. Prin. Barnett taught mathematics in the new assembly room which had just been built on to the old Garfield building, then used Superintendent owther Reti res for the high school as well as for Grades 6, 7 and 8 which were housed on the first floor. No school buildings are standing today which were here in 1896 except the Riverside school, then called the Central Avenue. It since has been moved to another site and has been remodeled. In 1896 there were eight grade buildings: The Stone school which stood on the northeast corner of the present Senior high block and which in early days was the old State Normal building. Miss Frances Riggs was principal. Other schools were the Fourth Ward, Miss Sadie Andrews, prin- cipalg Union, Miss Margaret Tytherleigh, princi- pal, Kansas Avenue, H. E. Peach, principal, Third Ward, Miss Mary Smith, principal, Central Ave- nuc, T. S. Gallagher, principal, Walnut, Miss Hannah Bunbury, principal, and West Sixth Ave- nue, later the Lincoln, Miss Mary McCreary, prin- cipal. Most of these were two or four-room frame buildings, heated by stoves and with no modern conveniences. In the past 38 years all have given way to modern school buildings of brick construction. Grade school buildings erected while Mr. Lowther has been superinten- dent are Century, Union, Maynard, Walnut, Kan- sas Avenue and Mary Herbert. Emporia High School likewise has grown in great strides since 1896 when a 3-year course was offered by a faculty of only half a dozen instruc- tors. W'hen the State University standardized Kansas high schools, Emporia was modeled after the university standards, a 4-year course was offered and more teachers added. QContinuecl on Page 81 2 . , , W., U ., .,g ,WAH1 1 s . I A 3 The Old Slam' School