Flora High School - Florian Yearbook (Flora, IN)

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0 Monroe Townslozp In 1872 the Vandalra Rallroad now thc Pennsylyanra was burlt through Monroe Townshrp and thc towns of Flora and Brmg hurst were lard out In the next few years school was held rn sex eral drfferent buxldrngs rncludmg a room oyer Cromer and Brrghts Drug Store Thrs room whrch was also used by the Lutheran Church was ln a bulldrng on the corner across the street north of the Town Hall All the schools haye been townshrp schools except durrng the years of 1896 1951 when the Flora Corporatron had rts own schools Burldmg whrch was destroyed by fxre February 4 1932 School 0 ened rn 1878 rn the ncw two room brlclc burldmg on North Dnrsron Street w rch was used for cleyen years When the school became crowded and more room was requested the authorltles responded by puttrng rn partltlons both upstaxrs and down makrng four rooms rnstead of the two The school term of 1889 1890 began rn September 1889 rn the new sux room school bulldmg on East Maln Street In the fall of 1894 a four room addrtron was built to thrs schoolhouse Thrs ten room burldmg was the acme of Monroe Townshnp s edu catlonal progress Here rn September 1894 Prof E N Canme orgamzed the frrst hrgh school rn thc townshrp In the late summer of 1915 a ten room addrtron was begun to the schoolhouse at a cost of S19 600 exclusne of heating apparatus The school enrollment for 19151916 was 314 for the eight elementary grades and 105 for the hrgh school In 1907 Monroe Townshrp burlt an elementary and hrgh school bulldrng at Brrnghurst About 1910 the township began consolrdatlng the schools by haulrng the puprls from one school dxstrrct rn a hack of the carnage type drawn by horses There was a three year hugh school at Brrnghurst from 1907 1910 The frrst class was graduated from the four year hrgh school on Brmghurst School burlt m 1907 7 U l l , v Y . 1 V ' ' a 1 -. - H v ' r. 1 Y . - v a v , . E A v , . 1 , . ' 2 1 ' . , - . . . . , Y . , , , . A A , , . . . , . 1 r - Q . K ., f 1 f . ' 7 .Y l '

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Hzstory 0 the Schools The flrst schoolhouse ln Monroe Townshlp was bullt of logs rn 1833 about two mrles west of Brlnghurst As new settlements demanded log schoolhouses were erected at dlfferent pornts ID the townshrp These bulldmgs were constructed of hewed logs puncheon floors clapboard roofs greased paper wmdows and a great frreplace rn one end of the burldmg wlth a cat and clay chrmney The benches were uncomfortable bemg arranged on the four sldes of the room facxng the fxre Slabs restrng on wooden plns rn the logs along the walls serxed as wrrtlng desks Here the famous trlology the three R was taught to the tune of the hlcleory stick Blackboards were unknown wall maps were not rn use and text books were few and varlcd generally Blblcs and l manacs Two of the first teachers employed were men by the names ot Carpenter and Dr ames C Todd Swv! Frrst brxck school burldmg North Dnrsron Street In 1853 there were fue log cabln scnoolhouses rn Monroe Townshrp located as fol lows School No 1 near Pxkes Peak School No 2 near where the Church of the Brethren now stands School No 5 west of Walter Calhouns farm School No 4 about one and three quarters mrles west of Brrnghurst and School No 5 northwest of Brrnghurst A new school was bullt rn 1855 at a maxlmum cost of S400 The great desrre for schools 10 the Glorrous Frftres was resultrng rn much adxance ment when the CIVII War stopped all progress ln educatron It was not untrl 1875 that the work rn educatron was begun agam Frrst school burldmg on East Mann Street, wrth nts fxrst addruon 6 1 f I . . . . V 7 .ggi . A. if g , X 5: 7 A 1 i. . I eA.,,N,N , . - ' , , fy ' . , . 1, if iff? ' , J ' L ,MA Q. Q , a -M wire SE - X 4, A 1 . T: '. 'V lv gt I I . .I .gi , -e ' -4,9 1.-.all 'N .5,,,:.--if '-2 - , - .Tf' ' ' ff' ,Q f 3, , , - My lv ' ' ' ' . . on f v - ' - . ' 1 - A - , . , I , 1 - , ' S - , A ' - . S - , ' , - , ' A I - ', x , . , R. 'I '4 . Mg . c

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I 1---v Flora High School as it is today March 31 1911. The high school which was commissioned in 1915 wis consoli dated with Flora in 1927. In une 1931 the Town and Township schools were con solidated under the superyision of the Township Trustee and the Township Advisory Board. A grade school was maintained at Bringhurst until 1935 On anuary 4 1924 Flora played their first basketball game in the new Community Building which was built on East Main Street next to the school. The school building dedicated on February 4 1916 was destroyed by fire on Suurdfry night February' 4 1932. After this unfortunate eyent school was held in the Community' Building The school term of 1955-1936 opened in the new eighteen-room school built in the same place as the one which burned in 1932. A new addition of five classrooms a farm shop, and an auditorium seating over 500 persons was completed in the spring of 1951. Many important and memorable events have occurred during the years. In the spring of 1929, the Flora High School o:chestra attended the National Orchestra Contest at Iowa City, Iowa, and placed third in the nation in their class. The debating team in 1952 conquered all opponents until they' arrived at the State Debate Contest where