Marshalltown High School - Postscript Yearbook (Marshalltown, IA)

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Above-Palmer Is Largest Grade School Inset-Franklin Field Has New Bleachers sponsored by the Kiwanis Club in 1923, games are played on a field costing S10,000 originally, 556,000 more for light and improvements up to 1932, and in 1936 over 57,000 for concrete bleachers erected by WPA labor. School libraries are not new in Marshall- town. Since Iuly 15, 1872, when the school board appropriated S150 for a library, Mar- shalltown has led much larger schools in pro- viding this necessary equipment. Today the joint Senior High-Iunior College unit has ap- proximately 4,358 books on its shelves, with ad- ditional Iunior High School and grade school libraries. Superintendent Shirley's philosophy of giv- ing attention to the non-college pupil has per- sisted in his entire 20-year administration. He has always hoped to have the school mold its courses to meet the individual needs of the community, consequently without lessening the value of the college preparatory courses, the commercial department was expanded and industrial arts classes were added to the cur- riculum. Industrial arts began in 1906 with instruction in woodworking. A combination building- now the Iunior High School gymnasium-to house the necessary machinery, and provide a gymnasium, and a stage was built to supple- ment the old high school equipment. Wood- working or industrial arts required only two men teachers 20 years ago. Now it has ex- panded to a staff of five men teachers for boys' classes. During the entire period three women instructors have handled the girls' home eco- nomics classes. Today industry requires more and more wo- men employees. Responding to this need, MHS has introduced a class in girls' electricity. This at least tends to make a small, opening wedge for further advancement in that field. Home nursing is another phase probably to be added in the near future. Still another development in education has been introduced. Known as the vocational Above-Anson Iunior High Serves South Side part-time program and employing two full-tfme men and one woman, its purpose is to secure half-day employment for the pupils in local in- dustries. It thus trains one for his l'ffe's work. Because he was not unfamiliar with the needs of the Marshalltown school system, Superintendent Shirley has produced a pro- gram and has seen it through to success. He had gained previous experlence here as princi- pal of MHS from Ianuary, 1914, to Iune, 1916. He was also assistant superintendent and act- ing principal during the school year of 1920-21. It was in the closing year of his principalship that graduates first neared the century mark. Coincidental is the fact that just 10 years later the flgure reached 200, hovering there for the decade closing now. Newspapers form a natural medium to spread knowledge. It is little wonder then that one of the first noticeable changes when Mr. Shirley became superintendent was the trans- formation of the 15-year-old Pebbles from a magazine to the first bi-weekly newspaper issued October 6, 1921. By 1923 Pebbles was published weekly, and except for the depres- sion year of 1932, it has so remained. The year- book, known as Post Script since 1939, has been produced by a staff independent of the newspaper since 1926. Shirley Scholarship Awards, so familiar to the student body, became one of the methods by which the superintendent might provide the incentive for acquiring knowledge. First recog- nizing scholarly athletes, he expanded the award in 1923 to include the first and second four-year scholarship winners. Since 1929 he has given one four-year scholarship award and awards in the branches of instrumental music, vocal music, journalism, and dramatics, and to the athlete maintaining the highest scholar- ship among letter winners. Adm'rably enhancing the opportunity to ac- quire advanced training, the Marshalltown Iunior College was started in 1927. It caters especially to those wishing liberal arts de- grees.

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,. Senior High First Provided Auditorium, Enlarged Gymnasimn, Cafeteria Twenty years have passed since Superin- tendent William F. Shirley first assumed his present duties. And in those many, many seasons the waters of progress, improvement, and advancement have gradually been refill- ing the reservoir of Marshalltown's system of public education. Wastes in the form of in- creasing deficits and backwardness have been drained. Now new reservoirs are building. Naturally, as one looks back over a span of years, certain accomplishments stand out. Neglecting, but not forgetting, hundreds of sig- nificant improvements of lesser importance, our bird's eye camera first focuses upon the erec- tion of the Senior High School, the greatest achievement. Three-fold advantages accrued from the erection of Marshalltown's 35400000 Senior High School. This structure, a noteworthy project attained under Superintendent Shirley's ad- ministration, provided accommodations for a junior college and made an expanded indus- trial arts program possible. In line with the nationwide trend it also made possible in Below-Shirley Visits Girls' Electricity 1927 the adoption of the junior-senior high school organization. In accordance with a survey of the popula- tion trend, the cornerstone was laid for the structure being erected in the southwest part of the city April 5, 1926. The building was first used for classroom purposes in the fall of 1927 and had already reached its capacity by 1935. Plans for making additional room have been studied carefully. Other physical additions made in this era include the Anson lunior High and the Aaron Palmer grade schools. The former was built to care for those in the far southeast part of the city who might have to forego high school on account of the distance and to house a com- munity center where this suburban neighbor- hood might enjoy social functions. The latter, Marshalltown's largest grade school, was con- structed to provide 13 classrooms for accom- modating the expanded first ward. 'Way back in '22, MHS football fans milled about the sidelines while attending games at the Fairgrounds. Today at Franklin Field, Below-Superintendent Sees Insel-IC Annex Adds Room ' XX Boys Preparing for Industry ,. ,..-.w,v r, HY- - ff SHIRLEY LEADS 2U-YEAR ERA UE PRUERESS IN SEHUULS

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1873 1883 1893 1903 1813 1923 1933 1941 six 61-r 471 tit 090902225099 cA?0f0fo?o?of?m06f09o? H5555 ,- GD ,- ID N N efwoefefefafofofefofe A3 E175 D' 5? E2 Sm Suu fs 3:1 -53 Q QQ 29. 13 W W W W W 5-I O ru :1 I 2- cn :s P0 rf: ae O m no cz. U11 IS' Z Q 3 Q I ur XS l 1B1ack mdlcates MHS grads shaded those from e1sewhere1 1937 38 lst Semester 2nd Semester 1938 39 Q lst Semester 2nd Semester Q 3 Q 1939 40 1st Semester ,Q R 2nd semester 5 B gk Q 1940 41 151 Semester 59. S. Q. K znd semester Pg 5 3 3 Q Vocatronal Gams rn Populcmty 1Each fxgure represents 20 pupi1s1 Qllgtigfi 192 924 28 19 1930 1 1932 933 Every Grade School Is Free from Debt E n O :r O 9 :I -. o 'o 51 0 U o ?. U E IND U' 2 O 2 gegsis uwyhtetcwaq. dlvmgttmgnitnhl 58W1'QiH!!11zi'f't an 99111335 1111111 n- ID IJ :- KD GJ 0' '11 tb Jt' 1936 193 38 193 1940 Other Bonded Indebtedness Dechnes 1Each com represents S25 0001 ERAPHS SUPPLEMENT TWU UEEAUE HISTURY UE EDUCATIONAL PLAN IN MARSHALLTUWN Unt1l the adm1n1strat1on of Supermtendent Sh1rley httle was done to retrre a bonded 1ndebtedness total l1ng S219 000 1n 1921 By 1984 th1s debt was ent1rely erased thus fmally paymg for all of the Clfy s grade school bu1ld1ngs These mclude Abbott 118681 Rogers 118791 Arnold 118831 Woodbury 118891 Anson 119001 Gl1ck 119021 Franklm 119131 Iohn Ch1lds 119141 and Aaron Palmer 119211 The Iumor Hrgh School 118941 1S also just released from debt Bonds floated rn 1925 to fmance the erect1on of the Anson Iurnor H1gh School 119261 and the Sen1or Hlgh School 119271 have been reduced to 5301000 by May 1, 1941 A srnkrng fund of S105,000 further reduces the flgure to Sl96,000, compnsmg the d1s tr1ct's total xndebtedness Enrollment 1n the Marshalltown Iun1or College and the number of graduatmg sen1ors both show the tendency among the local youth to acqurre more school1ng Both show past and present needs of adequate fac111t1es The 1ncreas1ng des1re for voca tlonal part t1me cooperatwe traxmng 1nd1cates an other trend dxsplayrng the need for spec1al courses to prepare Marshalltown's youth for mdustry ':Mlt '. ,,,, , -' -'mm' ,.. - V ' 1 lf ,53l:L . .rltik . 1. H , '1 .:l1Ii ' zKIt':1' .:EtMll , -.--Y 2 - f-- 'FD1 - :ln 1-ata' -:it 6 A ' 'I A 21 3 1 1928 19 29 931 1 ' Amr . li 1,,:- 1. . ' ' Z Ilia' 91:2 . . . 4 121' 1' U, 1-I ff, .. j!i: M121 f.i'a'f: f ' 35514 --Quite. A ' -' 1 E ' , gg! 'arm Qt? -.lung 1 - . tg-f J ' -I ,Q fffl' -Ml-1 15 311 -5 1 - - Q. A- '73 Sm: 'fulltl - ' - . 1- ?i111..l ftw., 5 T i .a.J 115151 -15121 2'2- rme ,--sam. 'J -ee. 'f,' 1 if a mms.: 'fills mar' nznnnf - w- . 1 f-- eg: 1- :ww Amr- new -,,.m'5- '1 . , , . '.- 1-1, 5 ills' A-Aug mpg- ' ' ' 1925 4 7 19 9 -120 Q 4 -100 A -80 1 W Q X Y . X X . 9 s s M60 1, A 4 s 1 5 - -20 -0 '27 '28 '29 '30 '31 '32 '33 '34 '35 '36 '37 '38 '39 '40 ' 0 . . I . I i Q . I 1 I I ' 4 . . . EQ'-ll.