Riverside Brookfield High School - Rouser Yearbook (Riverside, IL)

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N, . 'lvjfg-,sg.5 , ' r i vmw amz. Me ew ' OH the third time in its history Biverside-Brookfield Higl1 School has reached the breaking point in supplying the needs of a maximum number of students in a minimum amount of space. For the third time, that space is being provided. Never since 1917, when the first section of the present building was completed, has tl1e enroll- ment decreased by so much as one pupil. Quite on the contrary, in those twenty years it has increased from 127 to 941. ln 1895, under the guidance of Mr. Lane, principal, and Mr. A. F. Ames, superintendent, nineteen students en- rolled in the Town Hall in Riverside. Later the high school moved to the east wing of the then newly-completed Cen- tral Grammar School building. The grad- uating class of 1900 was composed of three girls and one boy. Mr. E. L. Hardy succeeded Mr. Lane as principal in 1901, and in 1906 Mr. T. H. Zeigler took his place. Standards were raised, and the twelve graduates in the class of 1908 had to have at least sixteen credits. During this time high school students who lived in Brookfield came to River- side to school, and their district paid their tuition. In 1909, breaking away from the township of Proviso, Districts 95 Clirookfieldl and 96 CRiversideJ unit- ed to form High School District 208. The new township high school was known as the Riverside-Brookfield High School, and had an enrollment of 67 and a faculty which numbered four. Two courses of study were offered and there was a library valued at six hundred dollars. Mlithin seven years, however, the quarters in the Grammar School became cramped and the facilities inadequate. The state threatened to remove the school from its accredited list if the con- ditions were not remedied. Accordingly, the original section of the present build- ing was built and was ready in April of 1917 for occupation by 127 students and twelve teachers under Principal George Mueller. Mr. Otto C. Haack, today head of the Industrial Arts department, was one of those teachers. Then came the Great VVar. Six stu- dents enlisted: Mr. Mueller was called to serve in the Navy and VV. P. Yvyatt became principal. During the winter of 1918, because of the coal shortage, high school classes met afternoons in the Brookfield Grammar school, w h i l e younger brothers a11d sisters occupied the same rooms during the morning sessions. The war over, R-B finally settled in its new home and began the rapid ex- pansion in academic, athletic, and social fields which has yet shown no signs of slackening. Five new courses of study were offered, the high school attained the maximum accrediting, the library was enlarged by gifts and donations, a Girls' Dramatic clubvnow Masque and XVig-and a Boys' Debating club were formed, an evening dancing class spon- sored school and social spirits , a six- man squad, coached by Mr. Haack, won the heavyweight basketball champion- ship of the Suburban League, and lost the Cook County championship to Carl Shurz High School with a score of 7f6, the campus still mostly prairie, was being landscaped. In 1920 the graduating class numbered twenty one. The school had an eight- piece orchestra, and fifteen boys made up the football squad. Subjects offered included public speaking and oral read- ing, Palmer method, and parliamentary procedure. Civics and economics were part of the commerce department. The next few years saw an Art Department added and the Home Economics, General Science, and Physical Education divi- sions enlarged. A Student Council was elected, a baseball team formed, and more clubs organized. A newspaper, the Sentinel,,, was published weekly. In 1925, for the second time, the rapidly-increasing enrollment, which had grown from 127 in 1917 to 403, warned that the building, with a capacity of 350, already overcrowded, would soon be entirely inadequate. Several subjects had necessarily been dropped, several more would have to be dropped within the next year because of congestion and lack of classrooms, these conditions being especially acute in the Art, Home Eco- nomics, Commerce, and Manual Training departments. The Lunchroom, then in what is now the print shop, had over- flowed into the gym, some teachers were

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c, the students ot' Riverside-llrookI'ield High School, take this oppor- tunity to thank .ludge Clancy t'or his sincere interest in our high school. llc saw the school's need t'or additional space and gave his t'ull time and cooperation to sec that that necessity was niet. XYithout his leadership and hard work we inight not he looking forward now to the benefits we are to receiyc. Thus we wish to express our sincere appreciation to Judge Clancy for his whole-hearted enthusiasln and leadership in this enterprise. BOARD OF EDt'CA'l'ION Much credit is due to the lloard ol' Education for their devotion to the cause ot' lt. IS. H. S. Through their combined et't'o1'ts the realization ot' the necessity for niore space was brought before the voters and the bond issue passed successt'uIly. NYith the interests ot' the students at heart, this l'ar- seeing group of citizens helped to realize a project which will benefit not only the present generation, but also serve the young people ot' this connnu- nity for inany years to conie. Left to Right: Mr. Ross Ilinkle. Mrs. T. H. Ludlow, Mr, E. M. Trone, Mrs. C. B. Allen, Judge D. Clancy.

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1 . , I ' .41 .,I g. i 0 19' . ' V' L L 3' ' If . f ' -:..:tg1'f 1. . '75, without regular classrooms, s t o r a g e space was limited, and repairs were needed. In other words- -more students and more subjects demanded more space. liy the spring of 1926 the entire new portion, consisting of shops, cafeteria, study hall, music and art rooms, and an auditorium, was ready for use. The mushroom growth of the school continued. Pt. B. H. saw the birth of new clubs, a band, the Honor Senate, G. A. A., the first operetta, the Clarionf, Even in 1927 more classroom space was needed, and the second floor study hall was partitioned into three rooms, 205-A, B, and C. The faculty was increased to include thirty-nine teachers during 1931 and 1932. Mr. XVyatt was replaced in 1927 by Miss Grace Tyler, she, in 1932, by Mr. Glenn K. Kelly. More much-needed space was provided by decentralizing the libra- ry and, in connection with the new supervised study system, placing the books in the classrooms where students might use them during study periods or for class assignments. Then came the worst days of the depression. People laughed in taX-collec- tors' faces, and teachers' pay-checks be- gan to dwindle. The crisis came in the black days of ,33 and '34, when money was so scarce that it appeared that school could not open. However, due to the hard work of the Board of Education and other loyal citizens in selling tax antici- pation warrants and merchandise cou- pons, R-B was not forced to shut its doors, but the school year was shortened from nine and a hal-f to nine months, and thirty-two teachers carried on the work formerly done by thirty-eight. A coupon-selling campaign was waged by students so that teachers might have some cash, and teachers learned to buy from those tradespeople who would accept tax warrants and coupons in lieu of banknotes. A cooperative plan by which every student might attend school activities for about half the sum it had cost under the former system found great favor. A Guidance program aimed at helping the students not only in choosing his high school courses but also in directing his talents to the right field after grad- uation was launched in 1936. Another Student Government Association, which in the past three years has accomplished much, was established. Q5-gk For the third time an overcrowded condition rapidly became a serious pro- blem. Over 900 students were crammed into a building which was constructed for 500. Again classes were crowded, numbering forty and fifty pupils. A sys- tem of early and late shifts was inaugu- rated in order to provide places for classes to recite. Upper classmen came at eight in the morning and finished work by one or two in the afternoon, while undersclassmen came at ten-fif- een and stayed until four. The library needed room to expand. There was no place for study halls. Storage space was at a premium. Taxpayers, still suffering from the effects of the depression, although real- izing tl1e need for more space, looked rather reluctantly upon the expense of a new building. Largely through the efforts of Mr. Clancy, Mr. Kelly, and the school board, a 95200,000 bond issue was voted by the communities and a grant of 392,000 was obtained from the P. XV. A. The ground was broken for two new wings in December of 1937. On the east side of the building work is progressing rapidly on ten classrooms, while to the north a one-story Industrial Arts unit is rising. In the present building, the gym balcony and shower rooms are to be remodeled, stairways will be set in fire- proof wells, 205-A, B, and C will again be made into one large room, a library and study hall, a corridor which will complete the square around the audito- rium and gymnasium will be construct- ed, storage rooms, supply entrances, and new lavatories will be providedvevery- thing to be completed by September, 1938. The future-looked into somewhat wistfully by the seniors, for the class of '38 is the last to be graduated from what is already the old building'-seems rosv with enthusiastic plans for a school building which may eventually accom- modate two thousand students. Two three-story units in which will be housed Home Economics and Science class- rooms, administration offices, a library. and a students' social hall, boys, and girls, gymnasiums and a swimming pool: a music wing with a small recital hall, some day will extend imposingly all the wav to Forbes road. Quite a growth, indeed, from that group of nineteen students in one room in the Town Hall. Time marches on-and we are keeping in step!