Lorraine High School - Yearbook (Lorraine, KS)

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LORRAINE RURAL HIGH SCHOOL Completed 1951 the patrons to increase the bonds voted in 1945 for a new gymnasium and vocational building. Everyone present received a piece of the huge birthday cake as they filed onto the playground for games and fun. BUILDING EFFORT RENEWED At a special meeting on December 13, 1948, it was moved and seconded to vote on going ahead with building plans. Results of the vote were 28 and 3 M. It was then moved and seconded to make the gymnasium regula- tion size, 50 feet by B4 feet, It carried. ' 1 J .QNX ,iff D k -L .. 4 Q q lfeev 411, -,Ea-V, S A 'ln 11 of x' ,pfL,'FJ I , ECE!! X, . W, 'J Huskies A petition, dated January 7, 19149, called for a school bond election for the purpose of purchasingaschool site and of construct- ing a high school building. On February 21, 191-I-9, the patrons of the district voted 109 to 28 for school bonds amounting to Sl25,000. Mann and Company was employed as architects, and onwednesday, December 7, 1949, at 2 p.m. bids for the construction of a high school were opened. Of the eight bids for general contractor, Busboom and Rauh of Salina had the low bid of fBl27,000 and was awarded the contract. On January I+, 1950, Rural High School District No. 1, paying 5700, purchased PLACED SECOND IN STATE IN CLASS BB CUMIPETITION - 1957 BACK RCM: Melvin Rolfs, Robert Roth, Ted Rathbun, Melvin Splitter, Gene Mehl MIDDLE RCM: Jerry Rolfs, Arthur Boeken, Raymond Katzenmeier, Ronald Swalley, Richard Janssen FRONT ROW: Larry Schroeder, Arlo Janssen, Ronald Soeken, Larry Kratzer, Ronald 6 Rolfs, Coach Kenneth Pritchett

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before tables laden with good things to eat. . . . Nothing was lacking. The women were there seeing that everyone had all he could eat and that things were going smoothly . . . It is estimated that 1,000 people were fed at the noon hour, and nearly that many stayed for supper. - During the afternoon, the Lorraine girls' basketball team played the Geneseo girls, and the Lorraine boys played the Geneseo b o y s . Both lost to Geneseo. The evening exercises included an expression of thanks from the board, some vocal numbers, a short talk from the county superintendent, and an address by the principal speaker, W. E. Huesner. The new brick structure had many modern conveniences-rest rooms, showers, fountains, steam heat, and electric lighting. BUILDING SHARED BY TWO DISTRICTS The Rural High School, which began opera- tion in the old white frame building, moved into the new building, occupying the second floor and the basement. District No. 26 oc- cupied the first floor. It was agreed by the two boards that the Rural High School would pay an annual rental to District No. 26 for that portion of the building occupied by the high school, plus one half the cost of cer- tain other expenses. No rental was charged for the high school's use of the old building. In the fall of 1923, E. D. Meacham became superintendent of schools and served in that capacity forty years, 1923-63. During the early twenties there was a steady increase in enrollment, and by 1925, fifty-five pupils were enrolled in the high school. School cur- riculum and school activities were expanded to meet the growing' needs of the pupils. Aside from academic achievements, the h igh school received, during the late twenties and early thirties, many trophies, awards, and honors, especially in musical activities, girls' basketball, and track. Later in the thirties, the school received several base- ball trophies. Enrollment continued to increase, and by 1940, sixty-six students were enrolled in the high school. Boys' basketball began to emerge as the dominate sport, and in 191-I-5 the Lorraine boys, playing in state competi- tion, received second-place honors in the semi-finals. Some consideration was enlarging the gymnasium as it was small and inadequate. Since the west side of the gym- nasium and the stage formed an outside wall of the building, the possibility of making the length of the present playing court the width of a new one and extending the build- ing westward to accommodate a new gymnasium was judiciously considered. being given to .l ELWYN DEES Winner of the State Meet in shot in l929-30- 3l. Set a new state record in 1929 of 58 feet 3 l!8 inches. Set a new interscholastic record at the University of Kansas Relays in 1930 of 58 feet 10 inches. On April 12, 19145, a motion was made and carried to appoint a committee to circulate a petition for a new gymnasium and other rooms as needed for school purposes. The idea of extending the present gymnasium was abandoned in favor of a new gymnasium as a separate building with the possibility of a few classrooms, language and chemistry being considered. Bonds amounting to 575,000 were voted. FI FTI ETH ANNIVERSARY Fifty years had passed since the organi- zation of the Lorraine Union School, and on Friday, May 21, 19'-I-8, the last day of school, Mrs. Merle Rathbun, president of the P.T.A, , presided at the fiftieth anniversary cele- bration. Walter Steinberg, son of H. L, Steinberg, represented the f i r s t s ch o o 1 board, Johanna Janssen represented the first teachersg and Emma Mohney Murphy represented the first high school graduates. E. D. Mea- cham, superintendent of schools, challenged 5

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BOYS' BASKETBALL TROPHIES OF LHS -H r-G Q 5' GJ .3 S .. SDE 5. I3 .3 8 m cu: m m w m GJ Q1 O Qi -u-I W 4-1 w ,AH A Q m m 1962 3rd lst 1959 2nd 2nd 1958 lst lst lst 2nd 1957 2nd lst lst lst 2nd 1956 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 1954 2nd 1953 lst 2nd lst 1952 lst lst lst lst 1951 3rd 2nd 1950 lst lst 2nd 1948 lst lst lst 1947 lst lst 3rd 1946 3rd 3rd 1945 3rd lst lst lst 2ndf 1944 lst lst lst 1941 2nd lst 2nd 1940 lst 3rd 1939 2nd 1936 received a 2nd place KSHSAA trophy 1935 received a 2nd place Rice Co. trophy 1931 received a 2nd place KSHSAA trophy 1930 received a 2nd place Rice Co. trophy WSemi-finals Block 6 of the Groth estate school site. Construction way, and after some delays, completed in early 1951. as a part of the soon got under the building was Since basketball had triggered the build- ing project, it seemed only fitting that the first event held in the new high school should be a basketball game. When the doors were opened to the public on February 16, 1951, Lorraine High School played Bushton. The following evening, the town team played Sterling, completing the initiation of the new gymnasium. Basketball continued to be the dominate sport, and Lorraine was honored to have been represented in the state basketball tourna- ment in 1952 and again in 1957. The size of the playing court plus the seating capacity of the gymnasium made it possible to hold many school events in the building, including basketball tournaments and band clinics. But the biggest event ever held in the building was on June 1, 1963, when E, D. Meacham, who, after forty years as superintendent of schools, was honored. The account that follows was taken in part from the Ellsworth Messenger: HA crowd, estimated at 700 people, which filled the gymnasium of the Lorraine High School and included LHS alumni, present and former teachers, and friends of the E. D. Meacham family, came to pay their respects touProfH and Mrs. Meacham, Saturday evening, saluting Supt. Meacham on retirement after forty years as head of the Lorraine schools. Ult was homecoming for Lorraine, and all during the day class reunions were held and old friendships renewed. UThe evening program was worked out along the lines of the television program, This ls Your Life, with Ron Rolfs in charge as mast ter of ceremonies. First to come forth were the five Meacham children, followed by their husbands and wives and allthe grandchildren. . . . Ruth Flanders, . . . next to come on stage, . . . was a member of the faculty during Mr. Meacham's first years of teaching point the memory through the years, highlighted against and community. . . in Lorraine. From that parade continued down with the Meacham career the background of school nClimax of the 'Life' tations made by Mrs. Opal Weinhold, co urmt y superintendent, and Rep. Randle Rolfs, an alumnus. Mrs. Weinhold, representing the teachers of the county, presented the Mea- chams a bronze book plaque, appropriately inscribed. Rep. Rolfs handed Supt. Meacham a check for 51200, a gift from the alumni and community. . . program was presen- HA sack of letters from alumni who were unable to attend was presented by Emcee Rolfs, and each letter was a warm expression of appreciation to a teacher who had come to mean more and more . . . fto themj through the years. . . 'You have truly been an in- spiring example to many of us,' were the words of one alumnus, which summed the mes- sages expressed by all.H PROF MEACHAM - THIS IS YOUR LIFE 7