Roosevelt High School - Sagamore Yearbook (Minneapolis, MN)

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DEDICATION For all graduates, former students, faculty and staff members who have contributed to the development of Roosevelt High School. 1972—1973 3

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1922—1923 2

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GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY Fifty Years at Roosevelt High School A golden anniversary is a splendid time to review highlights in the past, to assist us in appreciating the present, and to guide us towards a better future. Roosevelt High School was built on land which originally was owned by Milton Brown, a farmer. In 1887 the farm was sold and the land divided into city lots. During the years the community grew and the need for a new school became a great concern. Finally, twelve energetic citizens made a neighborhood canvass in March. 1921. They secured 7.000 signatures petitioning that a school be built on 40th Street and 28th Avenue South. There was some controversy about the name for the new school. Several names were considered. including “Nokomis. but eventually the name “Roosevelt was chosen. Construction was begun in the fall of 1921 and doors to the new building were opened on September 4. 1922. with a student enrollment of 1.384. The building had cost $714,786.25 and was designed for about 1.500 students. Roosevelt began operating as a junior and senior high school, with no seniors that first year. “Roosevelt High School soon gained a reputation for excellence Sixty teachers, churning with ideas and energy, staffed the young building. The students were charged with zest and determination. which made school life vitally productive. The parents gave encouragement and support. This united effort reflected what was a new spirit in the land a sense of purpose and the need for building strong foundations. This period was a construction sequel to the tragedies and divisiveness of World War I. There was a real promise of the future. 1 The first yearbook. The Mirror. includes reports from academic departments at the school which sounds much the same as it might today, fifty years later. Even then, committees existed, and a special faculty scholarship committee writes, in 1923. It is this committee’s duty to notify parents of their children's failure in school, to find the reasons therefor, and to secure better work If students do not succeed, they are placed on probation and they face dismissal. They have proved they do not want an education. They must not waste the taxpayer's money. 4 l Dr Mercedes Nelson, commencement address. Roosevelt High School. June. 1972