Lake City High School - Purple and Gold Yearbook (Lake City, MI)

Page 44 text:

LAKE CITY HIGH SCHOOL. fBy G. S. Stout, Secretary of School Board. . The first school in what is now Lake City was organized in 1873, and was the third or perhaps the second in the county, the pioneer honors going to Vogel Center. Daniel Reeder donated the site, which was just back of where the Presbyterian church now stands. The first school building was erected that year, and was a small one-story building, boarded up and down with rough lumber, inside and out, and the walls filled in between with saw- dust. If memory serves, the inside walls were whitewashed. The desks were built by a local carpenter, and were of the style used in many rural schools fifty years ago. ' The first school was taught by Rev. John' J. Quick, and three pupils were enrolled, namely, Orillia and John Reeder and Ida May Pillen. The studies followed'in those days were con- fined quite closely to three R's, and it is likely this was no excep- tion. This building served until about 1879 or 1880, when the building was erected which is now known as the U. B, church building, and was built by a real carpenter, boasted paint and a slate' blackboard, and was seated with factory built desks, and was considered very fine indeed, although only one room in size. This was outgrown in a few years, and various makeshifts in the way of an addition and a small separate building were utilized, until in 1893 a two-story, four-room frame structure was built on the south half of the present site. This building burned in the spring of 1904, and that summer the present building was erected. The organization was changed to a graded district in 1891 and a ten-grade school was established, and the first class of two graduated in 1893. Two more grades were added in 1905, but the first 12th grade class was not graduated until the spring of 1907. Until the school year of 1912, there were very few non-resi- dent pupils enrolled, and the enrollment in high school had crept up by slow degrees to around fifty pupils, at times, But in 1912, pupils from the rural districts began coming, and the enrollment went up at a bound to 80 and 90, and in a year or so more passed the one hundred mark, where it still remains, varying usually from one hundred to one hundred and fifteen, and of these from forty to fifty are from other districts. In passing it might be added that the rural pupils carry off their full share and perhaps more than their number warrant, of the honors, both in scholar- -40-

Page 43 text:

small spoonfuls of cooked corn and bread, not to exceed one-half slice. A cup of tea. Supper-One4half cup of milk with eight grams of salt pork and one cookie. This is a converse of the preceeding number. Muscles and organs have to be rested to expand and grow. Sherman: She is attacked by dropsy to a certain extent. Symptoms are quite noticeable in oratory class. High blood pres- sure in the face and iinds herself unable to- talk. I think a trip to padded cell number 999, Newberry, where there is a specialty doctor would do her some good. B, Runyan: She has a weak nervous system or else St. Vitus dance because she is constantly wanting to move. Symptoms are shown when she wants to go to Jennings on a sleigh load or to Scott's hall to a dance. They may also be noticed in the senior room some times. I would prescribe some kind of sleeping pow- der that would make her go to bed early and stay there until morning. There seems to be something wrong with W. W. Allen, but it is hard to describe it. It isn't pneumonia but it is new motions. Symptoms were noticed on some of the basket ball trips, espe- cially Mesick and Tustin. The only directions that he could fol- low that would help him would be go easy, Allen, on the new motions. -39-

Page 45 text:

ship and in athletics. The student body is a pure democracy, and every student is welcomed and appraised at his or her real worth, without .any attention being ever given to their present or past residence, or any other circumstance save what they themselves really are. . So much for the history of our school, of which Lake City is justly proud. Today, the school is on the approved list of the State Department of Public Instruction, of the University of Mich- igan, and of all the smaller colleges and state normal schools. We have now or have had, graduates admitted to nearly all of them, and the stamp of approval has been placed by them upon the preparatory education they received here. In addition to the regular curriculum, common to all schools of similar size, it is the aim of the Lake City school to lay much stress upon morals and manners, to teach much found in no text book, and by precept and example to strive always to make citi- zens of our boys and girls that will be better than their predeces- sors. With this idea and object, Lake City offers to the young people of the county the advantages of her school at less than cost. The tuition fee is fixed at the figure that the state law re- quires all districts to pay on demand, S25 per year, although the per capita cost of instruction in high school runs several dollars above that figure, and is increasing with the increase in salaries that have become necessary, and seem likly to go still higher in the future. To the end that as many as possible of the younger generation may profit from the advantages of the best school pos- sible with the finances available, Lake City has been and still is willing to pay the diierence in cost, for the benefit of the general public. The student activities, themselves an important part of the benefits derived from the school, are described elsewhere in this bo.ok, by the students themselves. Music, debating, public speaking, entertainments, student parties, athletics, all receive at- tention, under guidance of the faculty, and all are important fac- tors in the education of the student. -41-