Plymouth High School - Mayflower Yearbook (Plymouth, IN)

Page 32 text:

hill with a seat mu capacity of over two hundred pupils, five recitation rooms, and two laboratories In 1943 a fourth year was added to the High School course, and the credit system of promotion introduced A credit is given for a grade of 75 per cent or above for one semester Thirty-three credits are required for graduation The advancement of educational affairs has necessitated a change in the course of study from time to time. In the fall of 1907 a Commercial Department was introduced, and has proved to be one of the moat valuable features of the High School Chirac “Two courses of stuefc are offered, one preparatory to college, the other arranged far those who do not intend to continue in scholastic study The two courses ore identical for the first and second years Election of studies la open to pupils of the Fourth Year, and so far as passible the pupil is advised to elect those studies which will beat fit him for his vocation after leaving High School Special students desiring to take ig commercial work only, should file w ith the superintendent a written request to that effect. counter signed by the parent or guardian For the completion of this work a certificate of attainment will be granted Because of the growing tendency of bwiness men to employ High School graduates and one of the minimum state law requirement that all new teachers shall be high school graduates, the regular High School course is recommended If the commercial work is desired, it may be taken in the Third and Fourth years after a good foundation in the fundamental branches has been established Special work should be taken only by those pupils w ho find it impossible to take a High School course ' From thr beginning of its career the Plymouth High School has occupied a prominent place among the secondary schools of the Hate In I«73 the Board of Truestees of Indiana University adopted the following resolutions: “In order to bring the University into closer connection with the High Schools of the State, re recommend the following plan A certificate from certain High Schools tto be named hereafter by the Slate Board of Education» of a satisfactory examination sio tamed In the preparatory course will entitle the bearer to admission to the Freshman class At a meeting of the State Board, in the following August, a circular letter was sent out to High Schools to ascertain what schools were qualified to do preparatory work High School commissions were prated and in the spring of I«74. 21 schools were commissioned, among them Plymouth In April 187S. the Board of Education placed Purdue University in affiliation with commissioned High School Since that time all State Institutions have been placed on the some basis as Indiana and Purdue University and from time to time denominational and private schools have been added to the list, until now all schaob of Higher Education in the State receive graduates from commissioned High Schools without examination Recently the Plymouth High School has received additional privileges from Higher Institutions, and now has the same ad- vantages ad the besl High Schools of the State. In May, 1908. Plymouth High School was admitted for the first time to the ac- credited list of Universities of the west The High School was again admitted in April, 1909 The graduates may enter such institutions os the University of Michigan and the University of Wisconsin without examination Further recognition was given in .April 1909. when Plymouth was placed on the affiliated list of the University of Chicago This gave (in addition to the privileges of being a member of the aerredrted list) graduates of the High School, scholarship advantages and an opportunity for High School teachers to pursue post graduate cotrses at little expense School inter»! has been much stimulated throughout the County, due to competition in athletics and oratory Plymouth High School has belonged to the Indiana High School Association since the time of its organization It is also a member of the Northern Indiana High School Association In the fall of 19« the County Oratorical Association wo organized and in the three contests which have been held since that time, Plymouth High School has won first place The following are statistics showing in a brief way the development of the High School Ml School Yoer Enrollment Iff . K.S. E nrtSnoil 1 1 isn T4 3 no dot 0 3 1 10079 14 74 k 1 1 7 IMS 44 M 1 s 7 7 IMtt« 41 19 s 13 3 3 irvj S3 1 M ♦ 3 3 it i 4 H s IS 3 1 HQ OS S3 s 14 3 7 HQ 04 m M 4 S 1104 OS no 11 4 S 11Q5 01 i» 11 S 4 110 01 179 IS 7 IW 0« l«3 n SI • IMS CO a i« » Includes enrollmont M who 1 Music teedter included S s THE RURAL SCHOOLS OF CENTER AND WEST TOWNSHIPS IN THE EARLY 1900 s Ry MAE USHER By the beginning of the 20th century the log cabin school hs hern replaced by more substantial and comfortable building! UHialy of frame construction and painted white though a fei were made of bock Since I be children were transported to «hoi there were not so many school bouses needed as when the rhildrr were expected to walk to school As a rule the teacher w» expected to arrive early and stoke th fire and stay latr to clean the room and bank ’ the fire As late as the 193) s the rural schools had an eight month sea» so the children could help with the harvesting in the fall and th planting in the spring Before 192D most of them were sever month terms Among the memorabilia in the Marshall County Hntorici Society Museum is a copy of the August id» issue of the Marshs County f armer which contains a feature article. “Manila County s Schools. Past. Present and Future” by Floyd M. Anal then County Superintendent of Schools He reports that cat solidat ion of the Center Township Schools began in 19» and i West Township in 1910 In 1907 Center Township bad 13 one rooi schools awl West Township 10 By 1920 Croter Township had onl 4 one room schools and one consobdated school. Inwood F« vehicles were i ed to transport 83 pupils, the rest lived net enough to walk West towiishiphad 7 one room schools, one tw' room school at Donaldson and one four room school. West Fti vehicles transported 70 children AU the one-room schools were heated by ordinary stoves c “jacketed stoves which looked like a coal burning furnace was reported that in one school during January 19» when t! temperature out of doors w as zero, the seat nearest the dove wi 7) drgrrrs the seat farthest from the stove was XS degrees Thoe were the good okl days”! Janitor work was done or paid for by the teacher whose averof salary was »3 77 per day The school term was seven or etgl months Teachers in the consolidated schools were mere fo tunate They averaged $4 14 per day and were not responsible fi the janitor service. Some of thr parly schools were named for their location such, Twin Lake, or Maple Grove but many bore the nam» of the ear settlers It was customary fora land owner to deed an acre cr tw of his land to the township for school purposes, with the provisit that if or when it was no longer put to such use it would revert the farmstead Except for thr Plymouth City Schools all the schools of Cent and West Townships were under the supervision of the Coun Superintendent of Schools The men holding this position m 0 PHS 1876 197 —26—

Page 31 text:

HISTORY OF TMK PLYMOUTH Pt'RI.ICM lioous Eva Jefflrt 19» COMMON HTHOOU Our schools are characteristic of the liberal spint of the «'durational policy which was contained in the Compact of the Ordinance of 17 7. and which in a large measure has produced the present intellectual condition at thr Northwest Territory Religion, morality and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind schools arvi other means of education have always been encouraged What is now thr City of Plymouth was platted in 1134. and in the Reference. l»t 131 on Mumb street was donated for a school One and one half acres adjoining on the wed was given for a county seminary Not until 1854. however, was the record of the platting acknowledging and recording the Platt of Plymouth properly certified to Although the lots were never used for the purpose for which they were donated, ample provision lor education had hern made in at cnrd.m» r u ith the spirit of the ( rd nance at 17BT. The first school in Plymouth was conducted by O F Norton m the winter of 1837. hut there is no evidence that he taught more than one term The school was held in Die old court house, which thm stood on the west side of Michigan street, near Adams From 1841 to 1846 it is said that Mr Parsons and Rev Austin Smith taught in this Court House. In l»(0 Mr». Krkstne erected a building for school purposes, where she taught for several years From )W lo 1834. school was heldina building which stood on the lot in the rear of the l.uthrran church mi Adams street This building wm also owned by private parties. Until the Constitution at 1850. the schools of the State were dependent upon local and voluntary enterprise. When the Con- stitution was adopted in 1850. the Legislature immediately took step» to establish a uniform Statr system, but not until 1866 was the present system fairly started, due to adverse decisions of the Jkiprrme Court iTior to 1850. the people did little towards sup porting the schools through taxation School» in organized communities were under I hr jurisdiction at the township truster. IxjI hts duties were confined for the mod part to assisting any one desiring to start a school by donating what little money he might obtain through the School Fund. This amount was entirely inadequate to support a teacher and the balance was obtained by charging tuition ol each pupil attending At the time that Plymouth was incorporated as a town, in 1851. e il attention was given to free school , and not until 1853 did the real awukening to the value of free schools come to the people of Plymouth At this time the population of the town was sn hundred seventy May 26 an election wax held, the purpose being to .see if the people favored a school tax The vote stood eight against and five in favor June ZJ a township election was held for the same purpose at which the vote stood thirteen opposed to seven in favor In March. 1854. the lot given to the county for a seminary was wild to the city for one hundred dollar , and on the thirtieth of the same month Mr S Morgan wav given the contract for erecting a school house This building wos completed in December of the same year It contained three school rooms and one recitation room and was considered an excaiant buildup for it time Mr W .1 Moir was chosen principal of the school and has as assistants Mrs E Crum and Miss E Adams The enrollment numbered one hundred fifty. Mr Moir was urceedcd by Mr C. H Blair, who was principal part of ooe year, when It C Burlingame look charge of the » ooi Mr Mark Cummings succeeded him in 1861 He was followed by Mr I) D laike. who remained principal until August, 1870 In I»68. a school building was erected In the third ward Upon the retirement of Mr Luke in 1870. Mr R A Chase was chosen as (uperintendent. a position which he held until 1903 During the administration of Mr Chase, many important changes took place in our school». A systematic course of study was adopted; the schools were graded; a school library was started; a high school course of study introduced for the first time, and business methods used, which brought about a rapid development of proper school facilities PHS 1876 1976 In 1874 a new budding was erected on Plumb street. July 4th the ('omerstone was laid with Masonic ceremonies On November 26th of the same year, the building was dedicated and school opened four days later. WASHINGTON SCHOOL In I8S0 a similar building was constructed adjoining the first and the two buildings are now known as the Washington Building To satisfy the conditions of a rapidly increasing population, it was found necessary in 1807 to construct a more eommoebou building in place of the “Ward building on the South Side, and this is now known as the Webster Mr Chase was succeeded in 1905 by R A Randall Upon the advent of Mr Randall some changes were made in keeping with the general trend of the educational policy of the Slate. HIGH SC HOOL The history of the High School begins with the advent of Mr Chase as superintendent of school At this time 1872-1874. Miss Cleveland taught the tugher branches in the Plymouth Schools, and when the High School was organized. September S. 1873. Miss Cleveland and Mr Chase were the lhgh School instructors The High School proper may be said to have begun at the time the new building was entered m 1874. Wm D. E. Prescott of Manchester. Iowa, was the first principal and he with Mr Chase constituted the High School instructors. The High School occupied the eastern half of the second floor. This space was dividrd into an assembly hall and one recitation room The enrollment In the High School in 1873 w as 39. As to the course of study at that time, we quote the following The High School gives instruction in mathematics a far as to surveying, in natural science, including botany, physical geography, chemistry, physiology, astronomy, natural philosophy its course m the English language embraces English, rhetoric, and English literature, to which is added political economy, general history and a thorough knowledge of book-keeping Such classes in German and Latin as may be desired are also formed The study of the constitution of the United States is required of pupils entering the High School The exercise in literary work consists of debating, essays, declamation, and readings and are held daily thus affording an amount of drill which could not be had when the exercises were held monthly A weekly recitation in the current nr» of the day is had in the High School and first grade Written examinations are held when deemed advisable, generally monthly, and at the close of each year an annual examination is had. Until 1903. few changes were made in the High School system At that time the course of study was changed and enriched; the number of instructors increased to four; the assembly hall was enlarged, recitation rooms increased to two. and a physical and botanical Laboratory room with equipment provided The enrollment increased rapidly from this time on. and in 1907 it became necessary to make changes In order to accommodate the rapidly increasing attendance The Auditorium was fitted up for an Assembly Hall The old Assembly hall was made over into three recitation rooms This gave for high school purposes a study —25—

Page 33 text:

r WO s were George Marks. l -w» Steinbach. Floyd Anni . Deane kalkrr, Itan Shafer, ►'rank McLane and Russell Rohrer After onsolidalkm of all the school in the county the office of County iipmntendent of Schools was closed Ort. 1, 1964 There were nun dedicated teacher» vi ho served the children of this area It is believed that Henry White taught longer than anyone else in our township schools. He began hts teaching career at Twin Lakes School in the fall of 18« and taught there and at Sligo in West Township until the spring of 1900 Then he taught four years in Culver. at the Wilderness School from the fall of 1904 until it burned in the spring of 1931 The following nine years he w ax principal and taught the 7th and 8th grades at Inwood, a total of 49 years THE ONE-ROOM SCHOOLS — - WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Many of the one-room schools burned down, some during school time, but we have no record of anyone being injured In any of these fires Others were abandoned The Stockman School was abandoned in the spring of 1920 Cyrus Ntfong. a first grader that year was the only boy in school which, as he recalls, had a total of IS or 1« Elsie Rocninr was the teacher The land reverted to the original farm and the building wax sold to Henry’ ►Toyman lie moved it to 407 E Cairo SI. in My mouth and operated a store there for a number of years It has been completely remodeled and now belongs to his daughter .Mrs Pearl Klein The Oakdale School was abandoned in 1938 and in 1938 the building was sold to Mr. Apple (Gerold’s father1 who moved it to 12th and Hawthorne Roads south of Inwood and remodeled it into a dwelling The brick Twin lakes School building still stands at 13th and Peach Roads, it has also been converted into a dw elling HUGO This ia the name of the place situated in West towmhip at the outlet of Twin Lakes, where was situated the first grist-mill built in the county about the time it was organized in 1138 by Timothy- Barber. and also the old iron forge, a description of which will be found elsewhere in this history It had stores and shops and other conveniences of a neighbhood village, but It did not have siificient business attractions to make it grow to be a town of any size It Is in the center of a good community of farmers, and will always probably remain about as it is at present At the time of the organization of the county this place was known as Ononodaga ” It had a post off ice of that name, und there was a mail route from Plymouth to that point until It was Asconlinued a few years later. It probably got Its name from fkionodaga county. New York, from which place thr original proprietors came »MS 1876-1976 —27—