Morgan City High School - Tiger Yearbook (Morgan City, LA)

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Principal, and his assistants were Misses Rose Verret a n d education arose in our community. In fact, the number o f pupils attending school increased so greatly that it became necessary to replace this one room school house and to build our first two-room school, a little red building which stood on the spot new occupied by the Methodist Parsonage. On September le, l900, when the School Board met a n d elected MIM Wilbur Krammer superintendent, they decided t o divide the Parish of St. Mary into several districts accord- ing to the wards. They also agreed that schools should be located in these districts, provided that the School Board should incur no expense in building, renting, repairing, o r keeping the buildings in good condition. In short, the School Board would be responsible for nothing except Apaying the teachers, and purchasing the furniture, and school sup- plies. Morgan City along with Ramos, Amelia, Berwick, a n d Bayou Wax fell into the sixth district. At this same meet- ing, a resolution stating that the school in Morgan City be known as the Morgan City Grammar School and that it should have at least seven grades of study, four primary and three grammar, was adopted. It was further decided that Morgan City would have three teachers, a principal paid a salary of S75 a month and two assistants making S340 and a month respectively. During this session, Mr. W. C. Garret w a s Irene Harris. By 1901 the Morgan City Grammar School building had be- come overcrowded and needed an addition built to it. Mr. Thomas Shannon, representing the Town Council, appeared be- fore the School Beard to present a remedy for the situation. He stated that the council proposed to construct an addition to the school house, to cost not less than the amount due for taxes, if the School Board would accept this addition as payment of the delinquent taxes. So it was that in return for a receipt of the taxes of 1888 and 1889, Morgan City rc- ceived a larger building. For the term 1901-1902 there were again three teachersg the enrollment was one hundred and thirty pupilsg the month- ly payroll one hundred fortywfive dollars per monthg the P A ' D 3 V , average number of childre per -child per month one only to compare this with how far our community has In 1902-1905 another Cit School. lt ized the need of asked the School Thomas Shannon, a larger Board to per teacher forty four, and cost dollar and eleven cents. One has such items of today to appreciate gene in the field of education. teacher was added to the Morgan was during this year that the people real- building. Mayor Thomas Shannon approve a committee consisting of R. A. Squires, Gus Drews, J. R. Drackett,

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and Borue 0'Brien, who had been appointed in behalf of the people to raise the necessary funds for the construction of another building. From this time on, progress in the school was marked. By October, 1906, the total monthly salary had increased to two hundred sixty-nine dollars per month and the number of pupils to,two hundred twenty-eight. In 1908, the number of pupils had become too large for the building on Federal Avenue, and it was necessary to move the upper grades to the City Hall. Since this building was the only public dance floor, the students always looked for- ward to the dances and church fairs. The day before such events was devoted to removing the partisions which seperated the school rooms, and this meant a holiday for the pupils. Although in 1908 some high school subjects were taught by the principal on the stage of the City Hall, it is to 1909 that we look for the actual beginning of organized high school teaching in Morgan City. ln that year Mr. C. E. Carnes came to the school, where he remained as principal until 1915. Those years, 1909-1915, were memorable ones so fer as the development of school life in this community was concerned. In 1909, the new building, our present grammar school, was completed. ln was a happy'group of teachers and students who moved in during January 1910. The upper floor of the building was used for the high school, and the sub- jects offered were taught by two or three teachers. During the next session, 1910-1911, the high school department was approved, and Morgan City's school became a regularly ap- proved state high school. On May 18, 1911, the school had its first graduating class--consisting of ten members. In 1912, under the supervision of Miss Effie Davis Cnow Mrs. Herbert Cottonb Domestic Science was added to the curriculum Very prectical cooking and sewing were taught in those days. During that same session a music department was added. Prior to that time there had been no organized music instruction other than a quartet, trained by Mrs. A. Storm and taken to the Rally to win first place. Mr. L. A. Law succeeded Mr. Carnes as principal of the school. In 1914 the number of high school teachers had in- creased to six and the number of pupils to eighty-three. The Domestic Science Department had become so-popular that it alone required the service of two teachers. As the num- ber of teachers increased, so did the number of school ac- tivities. During the principalship of Mr. Law, a small annual, The Fritz, was published, and football, basketball, track, and tennis were sponsored. The school also had literary societies and an orchestra. In 1918, the war came,