Mount Vernon High School - Forum Yearbook (Mount Vernon, OH)

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The buildings that have been constructed during the past century and a half are only part of a growing school system. Many people have worked in these schools to make them what they are today. Today there are seven elementary schools - East, West, Central, Fourth, Elmwood, Hiawatha, and Dan Emmett. A bond issue was passed by the voters in 1950 for 55990,000 which added three all-purpose rooms and 22 class rooms - five at East, two at Hiawatha, eight at Elmwood, seven at Dan Emmett Ca complete, new buildingj, and a shop and music room at the high school. As the state of Ohio celebrates its sesqui- centennial, Mount Vernon residents can look with pride on its public school system. The schools today have everything to rate them class A, and those wishing to take advantage of excellent instruction in many fields can get a liberal education in our city schools. There are now 111 members of the faculty of the entire system and 2843 students. DAVIS .BUILDING Page Eight CoIyfCll WII Fifth Ward or Davis Building located end of West Lamertine Street, facing east. It was built 1874 and razed 1923. The site is now occupied by the Frank Durbin residence.

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THE MOUNT VERNON PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM The Mount Vernon public school system originated in the early nineteenth century. In 1808, three years after the town of Mount Vernon was laid out, because of an increase in population, the townspeople thought the town should have some form of education for the youth. Therefore, in that year 118087, a very crude log house was constructed on the southwest quarter of the Public Square. In 1818 a larger and better-equipped build- ing was erected on two lots on North Mul- berry Street. After the incorporation of Mount Vernon in 1845, the town was divided into five wards, each of which was to set up separate school sub-districts. In 1850 the five wards were given money by the treasurer of the Board of Education to build a school house in each district. In 1854, when the town had progressed to a city of the second class, progress demanded improvement in the public school system. This improvement came in 1856 when eight lots on the west side of Mulberry Street between Hamtramck and Burgess Streets were pur- chased for the erection of the Union High School. This building was completed in the fall of 1859. In 1874 a grade school building was com- pleted in the fifth ward district at the west end of Pleasant Street. This was known as the Davis Building. In 1877 another building was finished in the second ward at the south- east corner of Scott and West Vine Streets. This is now the location of West School. Some time before the completion of this building, three intermediate schools had been established in the other three wards. A new high school building was erected on the corner of North Mulberry and Burgess Streets in 1898. After the old Union Building was razed, this 1898 building was used for a junior high school until it was torn down in 1958. In 1924 the old Union building was razed and in its place a modern high school was built. This is the West wing of the present high school. A junior high for seventh and eighth grades was established in 1927. This brought all the seventh and eighth grades from the five wards into one building. When the junior high building was torn down in 1938, the junior, high was incorporated into the new large high school building. The combination gym and auditorium was added to the rear of the high school building in 1928. Both boys and girls used this gym. For the first time a girls' physical education program was introduced as part of the regular curriculum. Sara Cannon was hired as girls' physical education director, and Angus King was boys' gym instructor who coached all the teams with no assistant coaches. In 1938 voters approved a 55360,000 bond issue for the building of the present high school building facing North Mulberry Street, a new Third Ward, now known as Central School, and a remodeling program for the other five elementary schools. This building program was completed in 1940. Dr. A. W. Elliott was superintendent during the con- struction of the new buildings. Because of the growth of population and the number of homes erected in the Mansfield Road area, Dan Emmett School was built and opened the fall of 1952. Page Seven

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DeS!l'0ying the Old Building the New IFS SUPERINTENDENT A. W. ELLIOTT LAYS CORNERSTONE OF NEW BUILDING Page Nine