Lanphier High School - Lan Hi Yearbook (Springfield, IL)

Page 13 text:

SCHOOL REGULA- TIONS School sessions in the ' early 1860's were much like our elementary time sessions of today. The morning classes would begin at 9:00 and con- tinue until 12:00. From November first until Ap- ril first, ,the afternoon sessions began at 1:00 and ended at 4:00. From April until the end of school, the afternoon began at 1:30 and last- ed for three hours. An hour and a half after school started in the morning and afternoon the children were al- lowed a fifteen minute recess. The primary, sec- ondary, and intermedi- ate departments could be dismissed five min- utes before the high school students were, and the elementary school system follows much this same pattern today. The school year, beginning on the first Monday in September and closing on the last Friday in june, was divided into three terms. Vacations of various length were allowed: one week at Christmas, another in the spring, a day at Thanks- giving and at any other nationally declared holi- day. A day of visiting other schools was per- mitted each teacher so that he might obtain new ideas and methods. LIBRARIES Until about 1861-62, the public schools, in- cluding the high school, had no libraries. The teachers had been required to keep some refer- ence material on their desks. During 1862 some 400 volumes had been collected into a library. The students took much interest in this project and helped to form the library and classify and catalogue the books. One hundred dollars was a propriated the next year to the high school library for the purchasing of more ,aw-4, THE FIRST PUBLIC CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL books. By 1865, in all Ward Schools except the First, libraries had been formed and were used and appreciated. Lectures and public de- bates were suggested as a means of obtaining money with which to buy new library books. We can buy tools with which to get an edu- cation, but we cannot buy education itself. That is something we have to want first and then make an effort to get. The eople who settled in Spring- field, as the need fear education became more clear, realized this fact and strived to establish education opportunities for themselves. Let us admire, respect, and appreciate OUR HERITAGE for it is rich in history, adventure in the various fields of study, experimentation, and progress. Borrowing the theme from Illinois Education Association convention held recently, The Past is Prologue, --it is the future with which we are concerned! It is evident that the citizens of Springfield will meet the challenges of today to provide education for the future, as the past generation has so ably provided for the present. R

Page 12 text:

they had to report to the principal as tardy. Classes opened precisely on time with the open- ing exercises and closed at the end of the day, and not one minute earlier. Instructors were also required to attend all institutes held by the board of education. DISCIPLINE Discipline could be administered in the form of private admonitions, appeals to conscience, monthly reports, public reproof, detention at re- cess, suspension in the case of more serious offenses, and as a final resort in some instances, the use of the rod. Strict order was required at all times, and under no circumstances was a pupil or faculty member permitted to chew tobacco. Any person carrying deadly weapons was suspended from school and had to report to the board of education. Absence from class on examination day caused the seat to be forfeited. EXAMINATIONS At the beginning of the public school system, public examinations were held at the last of the school ear and for high school pupils, at the close of, the fall term. This practice was con- tinued until about 1862. VVritten examinations, held first monthly and later weekly, were intro- duced into the public school system at the fall term of 1862. just before the Christmas vaca- THE FIRST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL WAS HELD BUILDING --'- IWW., , .... . 2 , ,c . .ii 8 tion and again at the close of the school year, the candidates for admission to the high school were examined. This entrance examination con- sisted of 100 questions of which 60'Z: of the questions had to be answered correctly. In the directions for taking one of these entrance exam- inations in 1870 is this advice: Never be afraid of a big-looking question, it may be like a cloud, large, but easy to go through, but a small ques- tion may be like a rock, solid, and hard to deal with. An example of the questions asked follows: Name ten principal towns in Illinois, five rivers in Illinois, including any that form its boundaries, if you wish, and say in what direction you would travel from Chicago to Quincy, from Quincy to Decatur, from Decatur to Cairo. Give an outline of a voyage, by water only, from St. Louis to Nantucket, name all the water on which you travel, the most important places you pass, island, groups of islands, and any other noticeable things. Give an account of the taking of Stoney Point. How did the French assist our nation in the Revolutionary XVar? Name some French officers, and say whether they were military or naval, and what they did. After paying out one- third and one-fourth of my money, I have S10 left, how much had I at first? CTO be solved mentally. D Albert Brown gave a note dated june 6, 1860, for 5516, at 10 per cent interest. June 6, 1861, he paid on it fS67.60, Dec. 6, 1862, he paid S317.50, how much was due at the Iinal settlement, August 14, 1864? A wall 30 ft. long, 24 ft. high and 1 ft. thick is built of bricks, which cost S72 when bricks are S5 a thou- sand, what is the cost of bricks for a wall 128 ft. long, 37 ft. 6 in. high, and 16 inches thick when bricks are S6 a thousand? Perform the calculation by com- pound proportion. IN THIS RENTED

Page 14 text:

i ROBERT C. LA NPHIFR lianphier High School had its beginning at Converse Building in September, 1930, when the ninth grade work was first offered in addi- tion to the eight grade course. The teaching staff consisted of Mr. Leonard Rake, physical cducationg Mr. Lee Coby, industrial arts, Mr. Robert Cain, general science, Miss jessie Spring- stead, mathematics, Miss jean Thomas CMrs. Howard AndersonD, community civicsg and Miss llelen Graves, English. The enrollment was 74. ln September, 1931, the enrollment was 86, in 1932, 103, in 1933, 87. During this time the school was under the administration of Samuel H. Heidler, as principal. At the june, 1934, meeting, the Board of Education voted to add the tenth grade to the school and ap- pointed Mr. G. E. Stickney as principal. When this school became too crowded, the citizens of the northsidc community urged the Board of Education to provide a separate building for hous- ing this rapidly growing high school. The new building was located on the grounds of what was formerly known as Reservoir Park. The many trees and shrubs which filled the park at that time still lend their rich beauty to the campus. Finally the day came, january 25, 1937 the building was completed! Everything that UR could be moved from the old Converse School was carried over to the new structure by the students, the faculty, and the principal. The moving was done on Saturday and classes were resumed at Lanphier on Monday, January 28, and has been in session ever since. To show appreciation for his help in obtain- ing needed funds from the Board of Education, this new high school was named for Mr. Robert C. Lanphier. Due to the war and a district boundary line established by the Board of Education, the en- rollment declined to approximately 900, where it remained until 1945. Enrollment has in- creased each year since 1945, until last Sep- tember, when it reached an all time peak of 1233. At the present time the school is over crowded. Nine of the teachers have no room of their own but travel from room to room as other teachers have their preparation period. These teachers have much difficulty as they must carry books and work materials with them. Lanphier's curriculum is designed to meet the needs of the students and is broad in scope. There are eleven departments of study: English, foreign languages-Latin, Spanish, and French