La Porte High School - El Pe Yearbook (La Porte, IN)

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Foreword c v . h f|U . -'i-W ye public T HIS is our book. Of its defect we arc aware. Of it merit we are uncertain, for it is an experiment in bookmaking, the product of inexperienced hands, and we ask you to judge it leniently. Two thing inspired its publication: First, a desire for some permanent memento of our last four years spent in school; and, second, the hope of collecting and preserving, before it became too late, information concerning the Alumni of the I a Porte High School. In this we realize that we have been only partially successful, mainly because of the limited time available in which to secure and authenticate the required data, and somewhat because of the lack of interest on the part of a few of the Alumni who failed to respond to our request (or information and photographs. But to the great body of loyal Alumni we arc very grateful for the assistance and encouragement so generously given us, and trust that the Alumni department of the book will meet their expectations. We are indebted to Superintendent John A. Wood for valiablc con- tributions and suggestions, to Mrs. Florence Mavhew for timely assistance rendered, to Principal F. L. Sims for his indefatigable labors in behalf of our book, to our teachers and fellow students for much valuable material and many helpful suggestions, to Mr. G. D. Thomas for his painstaking and patient labors in the photographic work, to the many artists whose contri- butions embellish our book, and to the class (or its loyal and energetic support. To the school and to a generous public we submit our work, trusting that it will receive their approval. ■' V '{ '■ ll i .. 1 ■ i i v • ' % 13' k v'AJ V ’ ye Class The Editors.

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The LaPorte City Schools X Hntcrical Skttcb by Supi. John A. H'wJ HE PUBLIC SCHOOLS of LaPorte were established under the new school law of iS 2, which was made to conform with the radical changes in educational provisions made by the new State Constitution. In 18 6 a public meeting was called a: the Court House to discuss whether or not the public school system should be adopted for LaPorte. After earnest discussion of the merits of the Private Schools and Public (called Pauperi Schools, Messrs. Gilbert Hathaway, Amzi Clark and Benj. P. alter were appointed a board of school trustees to establish the public system. During the same year the little brick ward schools were built, one for each ward of the city. These soon became inadequate for the accommodation of the children and later the board, of which James Moore was president and John B. Niles was secretary, determined to secure an architect and draw up plans for a large building capable of taking in all the children of the city. 'I'his much done, they halted and a general election was held for the purpose of determining whether a new building should be constructed. The decision was favorable to building and resulted in the election of Judge W. C. Hannah, president; Rev. G. C. Noyes, secretary, and Lafayette Crane, who was absent on special service in Sanitary Commis- sion of the Army of the Cumberland, was elected treasurer, which posi- tion he filled more than seven years. This board constructed the building now known as the Central Building and on its completion the schools were consolidated. The schools in the ward buildings had been ungraded and were practically independent, but in 1865, after much argument pro and con, Mr. T. L. Adams, Principal of the Adams’ Private Academy, was appointed Superintendent and the graded school system was established. The graded system implies a scheme whereby the pupils arc required to pursue a prescribed course of study and are classified according to their attainments. The printed report of 1869.70 shows that gradation was accom- plished only after a determined resistance to the innovation. In this report considerable space was given to arguments for the desirability of the graded system. The report of 18 1 called attention to the necessity of refining and remodeling in the High School Building, now known as the Central Building. In 1872-73 a plea for desks for the primary room was made in the following words, “ In the primary schools 1 of which there arc five) there is no school where all the pupils arc provided with desks, and in two of them not one is thus provided. In these grades the s'atc is in almost constant use, and must he held upright in the arm or placed upon the lap—in either ease compelling an awkward and unnatural position.” The report of the following year shows an adequate supply of desks in primary grades. I dwell thus fully on this point that the present generation may realize the long period of privation necessary for the accumulation of supplies lor school work which arc so fully and abundantly fur.nished in our schools. From the report of 1875 we learn that the system of elocutionary and rhetorical exercises had been in use two years. Music had been in the schools three years, and the course in German extended through six years. Here we see that LaPorte was fully up to the best schools of the country in enriching its curriculum. The three following reports emphasized the necessity of employing only thoroughly equipped teachers and retaining only thoroughly efficient ones. This points to a high standard for the teaching corps. In 1876 there was much discussion over the question of “ Overwork, Home Study, Dissipation, Etc.,” and in 1878, two years before the first 11