Lorraine High School - Yearbook (Lorraine, KS)

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Did You that on the southeast corner of the pres- ent grade school building there is, at the first-story level, the inscription First Consolidated School in Kansas,June 8, 1898? that W. S. Bean, the school's first prin- cipal, was paid S55 per month for the school year 1898-99? that the high school's first year of opera- tion began on October 1, 1900, and closed on April 26, 1901? that in 1912 a number of the county's schools introduced sewing for the girls and whittling for the boys as an exercise once a week? that in 1919 authorization was given by the board to install a telephone in the school? that the Session Laws of 1919 stated that S5 per teacher employed must be expended annually for the purchase of library books? -that a motion to employ three high school teachers for the 1921-22 school year was defeated? --that the Kansas Rural-School Bulletin of 1922 states on page 39, Since 1897 the statutes of Kansas have provided for the consolidation of rural schools. . . The first consolidated school in the state was organized in Ellsworth County in 1898? -that Mr. Gahnstrom directed the first high school orchestra in the 1922-23 school year. that on April 10, 1924, at a board meeting the motion, That the Bible be used in High Schoo1 was amended to read That the Biblebe read every morning inl-ligh School ? -that on April 6, 1925, the high school paid 352.25 for cobs and kindling? LAST STUDENT BODY OF LORRAINE RURAL HIGH SCHOOL BACK ROW: Principal Kellye Hart, Cynthia Dobrinski, Lois Kratzer, Janice Splitter, Elaine Peters FRONT ROW: Michael Jimison Ray Browning, Kenneth Dobrinski, Dennis Myers, Dale Dobrinski, Gregory Smith, Donald Mehl Know that in 1927 the assessed valuation of Rural High School District No. 1 was 53,036,360 and that five years later the valuation had dropped almost a million dollars and that in 1966 it had risen to almost nine million dollars? that on October 1, 1927, the grade and high schools jointly purchased a Packard piano for 5395? that in the fall of 1930 typewriting was first offered in the high school and that Remington Rand typewriters were used? that caps and gowns were first worn by the graduating class of 1930? that in 1933 there were seventy-five or- ganized school d i s t r i c t s in Ellsworth County and that in 1941+ fifty-two of these districts were still operating and that in 1966 the number had been reduced to two? that a motion was made, seconded, and car- ried on April 9, 1943, that a request be sent to the State Historical Society, from District No. 26, that due recognition be given the fact that this was the first consolidated school district to be organ- ized west of the Mississippi River? that on April 7, 1949, Rural High School District No. 1 went on record as opposing Federal Aid to Education and the secretary was instructed to send a letter of protest to the senator and representative from this area? that Edw. B. Staeber served as a member of the board of education longer than anyone else--a total of twenty-six continuous years, 19140-66? -that Dale Dobrinski Cclass of 19661 became the 525th and last graduate of Lorraine High School?

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SCHOOL UNIFI CATI ON The school unification act of 1963 was passed by the legislature after an earlier bill, similar in nature, was declared uncon- stitutional by the courts. County planning boards were set up to work out districts. A two-district plan was approved by a narrow margin by the patrons of the county in Sep- tember, 19611-. Effective July l, 1966, Rural High School District No. l will, by law, be- come disorganized and will become a part of Unified School District No. 328. In the fall of 1963 Kellye Hart became principal of the high school and held that position until the close of school in 1966. The following is an account COctober 3, 19653 of the way James Barr Fugate, area editor for the Great Bend Tribune, saw the high school's last year of operation, To walk the halls of this oldest consoli- dated school in the state, hereinthe little town of Lorraine, is like walking in a dream. Here is a modern high-school building, erected in 1951, complete with every conveni- ence, every device necessary to prepare a hundred or more young people for college and the entire student body consists of only eleven youngsters: five freshmen, two sopho- mores, three juniors, and one senior-four girls and seven boys. Yet, surprisingly enough, in this unusu- ally quiet atmosphere, there are tremendous advantages one would never expect to find. Principal Kellye Hart, conducting a tour of the building that will know no more high school classes after next spring, paused before the glass in each classroom door to explain, This is our advanced mathematics class. CThere were two students listening to a teacher solving a problem at the chalk- board.D Our Spanish I class here. CAgain only two students, but both were reading in- tently a conversation from a book.5 Here is our chemistry class. COne pupil listened to a lecturing teacher.J The feeling of be- ing in a dream world is very strong. The tour continued? home economics, Ctwo complete kitchens and four sewing machines in two large, airy classroomsl, the typing room, Cwith excellent equipmentj the library and study hall. Here is a machine geared for much greater numbers. Yet paradoxically, Lorraine is of- fering 23 units, or classes, this year and it is staffed by seven full-time teachers and a part-time music instructor and a part- time counselor. And five of these 23 classes have only one student in attendance! In reply to a question about too few stu- dents, Hart said, Oddly enough, we've found some unexpected advantages-the obvious one is individual instruction for the student, of course, and in some instances it amounts to an actual tutorship. One hears a greatt deal about individual help for students, but until he sees its effect in an exaggerated situation such as ours, he can't believe the difference it can make. But the most surprising thing of all, Hart continued, is the attitude of the stu- dents. Before the parents met and discussed the situation, it was thought by some that a school for only eleven students would not work. Contrary to that notion, it is work- ing better than ever, the students seem to have the attitude, 'This is funl' Without the conflicting currents found in a larger group, the students seem to be able to con- centrate easily and more effectively. And their attitude seems to be that of a special, even privileged set. Some of our classes are working on material well in advance of what they would study if the class were of the usual size. An old fact is being made very clear: the fewer pupils per teacher, the more attention each pupil receives. And attention is the best guarantee for learning. Actually, these eleven students may be luck- ier than they know. Hart pointed out that it was going to be Business As Usual this last year of their existence. They plan to participate in the league music clinics and in the speech and drama festivals and to enter the district and state functions as always. They also plan to enter the State Scholarship Contest in which the school placed fourth last year and third the year before. Asked about the plans of the seven teach- ers for the next year, Hart said, We feel it is too early to think of that. It may be that some of them will continue in the new unified district. But for the present, we work just as hard as we ever did. Preparing a lesson for a class of one is just as painstaking an effort as it is for a class of twenty-one. In fact, it can be even more so. Lorraine High School has a long history of accomplishment. Many of its graduates have done very well in the world. We, the teach- ers of its last year, intend to maintain to the end that same standard of accomplish- ment. And, watching the birth of school unifi- cation and the end of the era of- the small rural high school, it is the feeling of many townspeople that Kellye Hart and his fellow teachers, will give their children the best.

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J C A d Administrators 1893 -1966 1898-99 1900-O3 1899-1900 1906 07 o.1..KA1TERJoHN E0 RQTH BERNARDFRIESEN Hoa-04,1901 -09 Hoe- so W0-13 mo Qmmfn A.J.voRAN HARRYHHAURY cnmorremonrou ms-fs mas-n,m-1-zo mv-is me ae A. C. A DAMS 1910.23 E.D. HAM KELL HART H23-63 !'lL3'LL