Lake View High School - Red and White Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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1874 + 4 1949 jkrougk ffm mam Seventy-five years ago Lake View High School was raised out of the heart of a prairie wilderness from materials consisting mainly of the faith, hope, and courage of early pioneers, who had little else with which to build. The year 1872 found the country struggling in the throes of a panic, general apathy reigned, and the calls for new enterprises were growing more feeble every day. As the clouds and storms of depression settled over the land, few people could hold onto dreams and aspirations any longer, and fewer still were they who managed to bring their dreams into being. One such rare man of action and imagination was William P. Jones, scholar, prophet, poet, and educator. In 1869 Mr. Jones came to Lake View inspired with the thought that a fine com- munity could be built out of the little town huddled on the open prairie against the 'driving winds and blinding snow of winter, and in summer, the unrelenting rays of a bright sun. He believed that the indomitable pioneers braving these hardships would soon be demanding schools for their children so that they could be educated into better lives than those of lonely backwoodsmen. Still, with foresight and wis- dom, he also realized that no single tiny village could raise and maintain an adequate high school. Determined that the urgent need for schools throughout the state, as well as in his own vicinity, be met, he labored undeasingly until he had created a public opinion which enabled him to induce the legislature of 1872 to pass a law authorizing the establishment of township high schools. Under this law funds for schools could be collected from an entire section rather than one small town. The first community to take advantage of the law was Lake View which almost immediately presented a petition for such a high school to the township treasurer. The petition was granted, and on August 3, 1873, the townspeople were called to- gether so that they might select a site, and authorize the trustees to issue bonds to the amount of fifteen thousand dollars to provide for the construction of a building. Although everyone agreed on the latter half of the proposition, a lively debate ensued as to where the school should be located, because a number of sites had been mentioned. It was the Graceland Cemetery Company that settled the controversy by offering a lot at the corner of Graceland lnow Irving Park Boulevardl and Ashland Avenues, free of charge, provided a building costing not less than fifteen thousand dollars be erected within two years. An election was then held, and of the four sites voted upon, the gift site received one hundred thirteen votes against fifty-five for the other three combined. Eager to begin construction before the bitter cold should set in, the willing laborers commenced work on the first day of September, under the direction of S. M. Ran- dolph, the architect, and Jens Olsen, the contractor. Completed the next spring at a final cost of sixteen thousand dollars, the build- ing was pronounced a beautiful structure and a model of its kind. The white two- story frame schoolhouse was nestled in the midst of several large willow trees, and was surrounded by a wide green lawn, which in turn was encircled by a low picket fence. On the first fioor was a library, a laboratory, and four classrooms, while the second was merely one large room with a platform at one end, serving as a combi- nation assembly hall and cloakroom. The ianitor, who from 1874 to 1914 was Robert Wilson, and his family resided in an apartment in the basement, and it has been said that the delightful aroma of cooking dinners floating up to the students during school hours was one of the greatest distractions from study. The school was dedicated on April 29, 1874, against the background of a rural township far outside the city limits of Chicago, and few of the onlookers even dreamed that some day the little building would be one of the oldest and best-known institu- tions in that great metropolis. 1. FIRST ASSEMBLY HALL 7. CLASS OF 1889 2. MR. CHARLES W. FRENCH, PRINCIPAL, 1890-1891 8. CLASS OF 1894 3. THE KERFOOT GOLD MEDAL 9. FACULTY OF 1899 4. THE KERFOOT GOLD MEDAL 10. SECOND LAKE VIEW 5. TICKET TO A SHOW, 1892 11. MARY l. REYNOLDS, CLASS OF 1894 6. MR. JAMES H. NORTON, PRINCIPAL, 1891-1900 I3

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1874 0 + 1949 jkrougk die ward On the morning of May the fourth an excited group of seventy-three students, who had previously taken an entrance examination, assembled for the first classes. Out of these, only eight were undertaking high school studies, the remaining sixty- five all being enrolled in a two-months preparatory course. The entire faculty con- sisted of Augustus F. Nightingale, appointed by the trustees as the principal, and also serving as sole instructor. His students faced a life at home and in school, which was very different, and in many ways more difficult, than the comfortable existence familiar to most Lake Viewites of today. When the school was erected, there was scarcely a house within a mile. Several toll gates could be found between Fullerton Avenue and the northern limits of the township. The sole means of transportation in any direction was an old dummy car which rattled along from Diversey Street to the Graceland Cemetery at what is now known as Clark Street. From there to the school ran a three-planked boardwalk over which the students trudged daily, unless they chose to walk the long distance between home and school by way of the open prairie. Along this un- trailed route, they could gather armfuls of sweet-smelling violets and delicately-colored shooting stars, or lunch on wild strawberries and hazel nuts as they went. ln the soft warm days of spring and autumn classes were often held outside under the great old trees surrounding the school, though, during the long hard months of winter, even the roaring furnace and heavy protecting walls seemed a poor fortress against the biting unceasing wind that swept across the countryside. Throughout the early years of the school each morning began with an assembly. This consisted of a reading from the Bible, the singing of a hymn, and the recitation of the Lord's Prayer. Though many races and forms of belief were represented in the student body, there was never, during all the time this custom persisted, a murmur of complaint from any parent or pupil. At the close of the exercises the principal would sometimes speak on the proper characteristics of a worthy life, the qualities of true citizenship, and the importance of college and university training. His words and influence left a definite mark on the students as evidenced in their work, which soon gave Lake View High School the highest scholarship rank in the State. The first time this superiority was acknowledged was in February of 1876, when a request came from the Superintendent of Schools of Illinois that a special examina- tion be given the students. The completed papers were to be sent, uncorrected to the state authorities, who then would forward them to the International Exposition which was held in Philadelphia that year. Although both students and teachers were wearied from the recent mid-term examinations, they all exerted themselves in an effort to bring honor to their school. Toward the end of February Dr. Nightingale was notified by the chairman of the Educational Committee that Lake View had received the highest possible award, a diploma lcertificatel for its distinguished work, so outstanding that it ranked above all the school work submitted by students throughout the world. At the close of the Exposition an additional honor came in the form of a letter from the president of the French Educational Commission which requested that Dr. Nightingale send some selected papers so that excerpts from them could be published in the report to the French government. During this period Lake View received ninety per cent of the awards given by the State for scholastic achievement,-more than sixty-five diplomas and over four hundred dollars in money, in the form of premiums, One year the school received fourteen out of the fifteen premiums offered. The reason for this remarkable achievement lay to a great extent in the marking system. A youthful pride can accomplish almost anything, and Dr. Nightingale capital- ized on this bit of wisdom by inaugurating the practice of regularly making public the grades of every student. Four times during the semester the whole school assembled in the auditorium, and the marks of each pupil, starting with the lowest and ending with the highest, were loudly and clearly read from the platform. Needless to say, failures were almost unheard of, and grades were carried out to fractions to insure absolute fairness. 1. THIRD LAKE VIEW 5. EXCURSION TICKET, 1893 2. MEMORIAL SERVICE, 1901 6. GRADUATION EXERCISE, 1899 3. EXCURSION TICKET, 1899 7. CLASS OF 1899 4. PROM sin, 1899 I5