Minnehaha Academy - Antler Yearbook (Minneapolis, MN)

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CATALOG, MINNEHAHA ACADEMY some inspiring, evangelical song. A passage from the Bible is read by a member of the faculty, and then all heads are bowed in prayer and thanksgiving. At least once a week some speaker is invited to address the school. One morning a week the occasion is mainly a song service, directed by Mr. Burns, the head of our music department. The chapel services are a constant inspiration to both students and teachers. Literary Prizes Through the generosity of a young professional man in the Twin Cities, prizes are awarded annually at Minnehaha Academy for the best essays written in the Swedish and in the English classes. In each of these two departments three cash prizes are offered, the first one amounting to fifteen dollars, the second one ten dollars and the third one five dollars. These prizes are announced and bestowed at the annual commencement. The Library The library is located in a particularly pleasant room on the first floor, and is open to all the students. As a result of several generous donations it is well furnished, and has the beginning of a valuable collection of books. The Board of Directors has appropriated a sum annually to be used for the purchase of new books. An increasingly large number of periodicals is regularly received. Gifts for the library will be gratefully received by the school. Summer School Summer school is conducted at Minnehaha Academy for a term of nine weeks, beginning about June 1 and closing about August 1. Regular courses are given in the High School, Business, and Music Departments. In the High School Department a semester’s work is completed in the subjects offered. All tuitions are reduced 33 1 3% in the summer school, since such expenses as heating and lighting the buildings are low. Minnehaha Academy has cool, airy buildings, surrounded by a large wooded campus. These surroundings make the school an ideal place for taking a summer course. The sessions begin at 8 o'clock in the morning and close at 1 o'clock noon. Missionary Interest A deep interest in foreign missions prevails at Minnehaha Academy. During the past school year missionaries from China, Japan, In- 13

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CATALOG, MINNEHAHA ACADEMY sissippi River leading to the famous Minnehaha Falls. The huge dam recently constructed by the United States government two miles below the school gives this whole stretch of the river the appearance of a lake. The beauty of the campus, sloping gently toward the river, is enhanced by the large number of trees, to which the writer of the school song refers thus: Oaks majestic, ages old, Wave your branches proud and jree, With your shelter kind enfold Minnehaha Academy! A big event every spring is the Campus Day, when all the teachers and students are mobilized and armed with spades, rakes and other weapons, and the day is spent in a systematic effort to make the entire campus as clean anti attractive as possible. The Mam Building The main building, a handsome brick structure, was erected in 1913 and enlarged in 1916, due to the rapid increase in the number of students. It provides class rooms, cloak rooms, offices, music studios, laboratories, library, and a girls’ rest room. The building is modern in every respect and is well equipped. The home of the President of the school is on the campus, directly across the street from the main building. The Auditorium Building When this catalog goes to press, the new auditorium building is under construction, and is planned to be ready for occupancy September 1, 1922. This building will double the capacity of the school. It will contain a larger chapel, a larger dining hall, a gymnasium, class rooms, etc. Provisions will also be made so that the entire first floor can be converted into an auditorium to be used for large gatherings, such as the annual conference of the-Northwestern Young People’s Covenant. Chapel Services When the bell rings at 10:30, students stream out of the various class rooms and into the chapel for the daily chapel service. This is the brightest hour of the day. The strong, youthful voices blend in 12

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CATALOG, MINNEHAHA ACADEMY dia, South America, Russia and other fields have addressed the school. These messages have widened the horizon of our students and given them a keen vision of the world’s need . Mission study classes are organized from year to year to study various fields. The school regularly sends delegates, both from the faculty and the student body, to the Student Volunteer Conventions. School Athletics A strong and healthy body is an invaluable asset for success in any field of endeavor. Regular exercise is therefore necessary for every person, but particularly for students. The school has a large field for out-door athletics, which is used in the fall and in the spring. The new building contains a large gymnasium which can be used at all times of the year, and also shower baths. Historical Outline Minnehaha Academy has just completed its ninth year, but the educational work it represents has a history of more than a third of a century. The beginning of the movement dates back to 1884, when Rev. E. Aug. Skogsbergh founded a school in his own home on Eighth Avenue South, Minneapolis. The number of students was large and increased from year to year. The school was moved several times but was located in the Swedish Tabernacle most of the time. On Janury II, 1905, seventeen men met in Minneapolis and began a new' chapter in this history. Led by D. Magnus, they organized a school association and purchased the ground on which Minnehaha Academy is now located. In 1910 this property and a considerable sum of money were presented to the Northwestern Mission Society, the organization uniting the Swedish Mission Churches of the Northwest. The school is owned and controlled by this body. The third chapter in the annals of this movement begins in 1911. At the annual conference of the Northwestern Young People’s Covenant, held in the summer of that year on the school site, the so-called Corps of Collectors was formed under the leadership of A. L. Skoog. This organization gathered a sum of over $27,000, by means of which the first school building was erected. The first school year began September 15, 1913. As this catalog is issued the second school building is being erected at a cost three times that of the first building. 'File enrollment has increased four-fold in nine years and now numbers over 400. 14