Orange High School - Tiger Tales Yearbook (Waterloo, IA)

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DEDICATIO We the staff of the 1957 TIGER TALES wish to dedicate this our yearbook to the institutions of learning throughout of living As we have experienced countless opportunities during our school years to improve ourselves we hereby pledge to do all we can to provide those same opportunlties for others. America and to the cause of furthering the democratic way

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TIGER TALES PUBLISHED BY THE TIGER TALES STAFF OF ORANGE TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL WATERLOO IOWA l956 - I957

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HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL Strangely enough, a commlmity literary society organizedinthewlnter of 1908-09 by parents and teachers, first fostered the idea of school consolidation. Programs were held on Friday nights in the un-used Elton church which was later purchased as a township hall. This society functioned eight years and besides developing local talent, it gave opportunity for discussion of oommtmity problems including school consolidation. Up tmtil 1916 any yotmg people who wished to continue their education beyond the eighth year, had to drive back and forth to West High fhorse and buggy styley or else attend the academic department of the Brethern Church college at Mt. Morris, Illinois. Either plan had its draw-backs. And the number of students was increasing so rapidly that the high school problem could no longer be ignored. People were hearing rumors about a mysterious something called consolidated schools which were being developed in Indiana and Illinois. As more information became available, they learned that country school districts weredlscardingtheir separate district schools, and transport- ing the children to some ceitral location where one large school served all of this. And in some places high schools were being added to the system A few people agitated this idea for Orange. and Stuart Hamer, one of the local teachers, was especially active in promoting favorable sentiment. But many of the people shook their heads and said, That might work in Illinois but it can't bedone in Orange. Not with our roadsl And it would cost too muchl Anyway we have our good schoolhouses and are adding improvements every year. Better let good enough alone. But such arguments did not solve the high school problem Then a vote of consolidation was taken in 1914, but was rejected by a vote of 99-33. ln- vestigation continued. Speakers were brought in to help educate the public, pictures were shown of how consolidation was being worked out successfully. The second vote was taken in May, 1915 and was carried by 116-43. The first school board was composed of Elias Miller, President: H. J. Hess, Sr.. H. W. Miller, Samuel Hoover, and Elmer Lichty. W. O. Tannreuther was secretary, and Grant Miller, treasurer. Bonds to the amount of 855,000 were voted and five acres of grotmd was purchased from the Glen Lichty farm. The school building was built in 1916 and although not completed was in useful condition by September. 'I'hat first day of school is one to be remembered: the horse- drawn hacks, the muddy, lmgraded school grotmds, the two hundred or more school children, each with a district prejudice that had to be overcome, the partially finished rooms, the medley of text books, all this and more had to behandledby Supt. Stuart Hamer andhls corps ofhelpers. But in duetimeroutinebecameestablished, and classes ran on schedule, and the school was a going proposition. As the oormntmity grew, so did the school, tmtll an addition was needed. It was begun in 1951 and was completed in January, 1952, It contained a much-needed gym. a home economics room, shop classroom, a kindergartm and two class roorm. The grade enrollment for that year was 212 and the high school enrollment was 90 maldng a total of 302. The second addition was started in April, 1955, Classes were started in February, 1956, although the building was not completely Hnished. Up tmtll this time, some classes were held ln the Church. This addition contained 11 classrooms and a band room. The enrollment had grown to a total of 675. The total enrollmmt for 1956-57 is 760. ff