Kasson Mantorville High School - Komet Yearbook (Kasson, MN)

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CHORUS...Junior and Senior JUNIOR CHORUS Row one: Julie Solberg, Kim Bchms, Leah Allen, Lisa Schuster, Diane Miller, Lisa Finley, Shelly Aim Olson, Melinda Johnson. Row two: Dawn Dohrman, Peggy Milner, Ginni Gorvin, Lynn Schomburg, Wanda Klossncr, Kathy Zinter, Marsha West, Rita Iloehn, Tammy Schweigert, Mary Jo Checkel, Tom Rasmussen, Dave Olstad, Dave Krieg, Charles Kelly, Ronald Hailing, Debbie Scheigert, Debbie Splittstocsser, Denise Cotton, Shelly Robb, Mary Castncr, Ruth Pcttey, Winnie Ncrud, Kathy SENIOR CHORUS Row one: Debbie Perkins, Vicki Hanen- bcrgcr, Lisa Gronvold, Julie Colburn, Wanda Ryan, Kathy Foote, Mary Lee Moen, Charis Johnson, Brenda Klossncr, Audrey Fin- ley, Gigi Cutting, Jennifer Haapala, Liz Parker, Tammy Glcnna, Joan Tomfohrdc, Karen Schwcigcr, Director Mr. George Gentes. Row two: Louise Johnson, Lynncttc Dahms, Dawn Anderson. Nancy Schmoll, Karen Ncscth, Carol Raygor, Laura Juhnkc, Nancy Lagar, Joliene Nelson, Missy Stucky, Dcggie Westphal, Deb Suhr, Deb Hodncficld, Mary Johnson, Lisa Selle, Janice Fay, Julie Rikcr. Row three: Mary Koebelc, Pat Sorenson, Diana

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CHAPTER II Our school story begins in 1776, the year of our in- dependence. In reality, however, it began more than a century earlier—shortly after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. That’s when the first American schools were started. The Puritans were practical people, you see, and they felt that their ability to conquer the wilderness lay in their children’s state of preparation. Only through edu- cation could they attain the knowledge they needed to “confound Satan.” First, these children of the Puritans needed desper- ately to learn to read—English in order to master busi- ness and the law and Latin in order to understand im- portant religious materials. (Massachusetts passed a com- pulsory education law in 1642. Later, the state made provisions for each town of 60 families to provide an elementary teacher; a town of 100 families or more had to maintain a suitable Latin grammar school in addition to the elementary teacher.) Books and classroom materials? They were neither varied nor sophisticated. The Bay Psalm Book, the Bible and the Catechism were at the top of the recommended reading list. Supplementary classroom aids were in the form of oral tales and allegories to teach moral lessons of the day. There was a hornbook of ABC’s for teaching the vernacular. Colonial charters of the Dutch colonies—Pennsylvania, etc.—also provided for government-established schools. The middle colonies had difficulties. Varied as to religion and heritage, there was dissension among the people on educational issues. In short, each religion insisted that its children receive educational training in keeping with its creed. The South’s problems were different, too. Because of the rural nature of the population, centralized schools were impractical. As a result, wealthy planters employed tutors and set up schoolhouses on their lands. Their children as well as the children of their less well-to-do neighbors received instruction from the tutors. By 1776, both the curriculum and teaching methods had progressed considerably from the earlier days. In keeping with European tradition, vocational studies and applied sciences had largely been omitted from the early 18th century curricula in favor of the classics—Cato, Virgil and Cicero. But, America was born at a time when science and rationalism were challenging the validity of many traditions. The students benefited. Science, math, writing, astronomy, etc., were added to the school-day agenda. And, there was more of a choice in schools themselves. Although the Latin grammar schools still flourished as prep schools for the Harvards and Yales, private English schools had been introduced to better prepare middle class students for the business world and for the task of governing themselves. (Some private schools even agreed to admit girls alongside the boys, though most offered special classes for females—classes emphasizing sewing, music, art, reading and penmanship.) Even then, however, it was impossible to please all of the people all of the time or even most of the people at a single instance. Just as some had though the Latin schools too restrictive, others felt that the private English schools lacked discipline. 23

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Olstad, Denise Splittstoesser, Director Mr. George Gentes. Row three: Teresa Weeks, Jaime Leth, Mary Fend, Kim Lewis, Kris Bo yum, Jackie Unger, Susanne Koebele, Susan Turner, Brenda Elias, Steve Kleist, Stuart Jurrens, Lynn Behms, Mark Westphal, Jim Brandli, Scott Kunz, Brian Murphy, Stan Falkenhagen, Gary Fay, Eric Driver, Wendy Sager, Roxanne Evans, Judy Jen- sen, Lynne Bartz, Sharon Kimble, Kathy Besch, Suzanne Deno. Oeltjenbruns, Pat Skogen, John Collins, Rick Unger, Scott Jur- rens, Dennis Iverson, Dan Faflak, Dale Gulcr, Scott Umsted, Dave Splittstoesser, Brian Graves, Larry Kimble, Donna Boyum, Linda Jensen. Row four: Nancy Jensen, Teresa Licnau, Kevin Behms, Brad Stellmakcr, Dave Christenson, Dan Buehler, Alan Hodge, Kevin Kracht, Dan Bergc, Jack Falkenhagen, Kathy Hoadley, John Nielsen, Gary Dorschner, Mark Unger, Becky Madsen, Jane Haapala, Pam Snow. 25