Southwestern High School - Shield Yearbook (Shelbyville, IN)

Page 9 text:

Long Before Opening Doy The action taken on that day creat- ed a new consolidated school system that began operation August 1, 1956. The final resolution, as adopted, stated that the consolidated school board should be composed ofsix members con- sisting ofthe duly elected trustee of each township and a member from each town- ship to be elected at the first general election in each township after the con- solidation became effective. To fill the interim between August 1, 1956, and January 1, 1957, when such elected members would assume office, each trustee was to appoint one member from his advisory board to serve on the con- solidated school board. Those appointed members were Mr. Otis Wasson, Washington Township, Mr. Carroll Muck, Hendricks Township, and Mr. Paul Eberhart, Jackson Township. The elected members who took of- fice January 1, 1957, were Kenneth Cortelyou, Jackson, Thomas Swinford, Washington, and Floyd Jackman, Hend- ricks. The new district was named the Southwestern Consolidated School Dis- trict of Shelby County, and as of Aug- ust 1, 1956, all school township assets and liabilities of the three townships were assumed by the new corporation. fi ,coz Directors of Holding Company Seated: James Matchett, Attorney, Russell Cherry, Kenneth Gor rell, Warren Comstock, Paul McCain. Standing: Carl Sampson, Wellbourne Snepp, Carroll Muck, Carl Kabrich, Paul Main. School Board January 1, 1957 - January 1, 1959 Lester Dine, Charleswetzel, Supervis- ing Principal, Floyd Jackman, William Drake, Thomas Swinford,William Hill, Kenneth Cortelyou,

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Our New World Began Our new world began - long before opening day - with a dream in the minds of a few people in Washington, Hendricks, and Jackson townships. These people realized that their small high schools were inadequate and that individual financing of new buildings wasimpractical. The dream stage soon passed, and people began serious discussion of consolidation and building. SOUTWJE X After the defeat of a proposed consolidation with two townships in Barth- olomew County on June 7, 1955, Trustee William Drake of Washington Town- ship arranged a meeting in the Shelby County Court House with Trustees Wil- liam Hill of Jackson Township and Lester Dine of Hendricks Township, together with their advisory boards and Mr. Thomas Fogarty, Superintendent of Shelby County Schools, to discuss the possibilities of consolidation. A few weeks and several meetings later, preparations were completed for the circulation of petitions among all legal voters of the three tovmships to ascertain public sentiment regarding the proposal for consolidation. These petitions were accorded almost overwhelming support by the voting citizens, so on November 2, the trustees and their advisory boards met again and unanimously adopted a resolution of their intention to consolidate the three townships into a single school district. Members of the advisory boards acting with the trustees were Carroll Muck, Leonard Bland, and Paul E. Clark, Hendricksg Walter VanGorden, Otis Wasson, and Myron Emerick, Washington: Carl Sanders, Carl Ka- brich, and Paul Eberhart, Jackson Tovmship. On November 16, 1955, the Joint Resolution which was adopted November 2, stating that the consolidation of the three tovsmships would become effective August 1, 1956, was Filed according to the law of Indiana and published in the newspaper. It was then that some of the residents of Hendricks Tovsmship, exercising one of the freedoms we enjoy, filed a remonstrance asking that this action be delayed until all of their legal voters had an opportunity to ex- press themselves in a formal election. This election was held on Tuesday, December 27, and resulted in 76 percent favoring the consolidation. -ff' On December 28, 1955, educational history was made in Shelby County when Trustees William Drake, William Hill and Lester Dine, together with the three ad- visory boards of each township, County School Superintendent Thomas Fogarty, and tion. Charles Wetzel, Superintendent QW Dale S. Rafferty, attorney for the trustees, adopted a final resolution for consolida- First School Board, August 1, 1956 - January 1, 1957 Lester Dine, OtisWasson, Charleswetzel, Supervising Principalgwilliam Drake, Carroll Muck, William Hill

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Wtfh Dreams -- Plans -- And Then, The consolidated school of the district operated under the dir- ection of the county superintendent of schools until June 1, 1958. Under the new plan, the new district operates and maintains elementary schools in each township, and a new high school was erected to serve the entire area. Planning the erection of the new high school began in May, 1956, when a non-profit corporation of stockholders was estab- lished and incorporated under Indiana law, to be known as the Southwestern Building Corporation. One hundred thirty-seven people bought shares at 3310. 00 per share. 'I'his money was used for the necessary expensesof printing the bonds, advertising, post- age, etc. On July 1, 1956, a board of directors was chosen from the stockholders of the Building Corporation. Those directors are Rus- sell Cherry, Presidentg Kenneth Gorrell, Vice-Presidentg Warren Comstock, Secretary: Paul McCain, Treasurer: and Paul Main, Floyd Jackman, Carl Sampson, Carl Kabrich, and Wellbourne Snepp. Wilbur F. Pell of Shelbyville was retained as attorney for the corporation and W. Erb Hanson of Connersville was employed as architect to design the new building. Since all preliminary requirements had been met and ful- filled, the Board met on August 1, 1956, to elect officers and appoint a supervising principal and board attomey. Elected as president of the board was William E. Drake, with Lester Dine chosen as secretary and William E. Hill, treasurer. Dale S. Rafferty was appointed board attomey. Chosen as members of a board of finance were Carroll W. Muck, president, and Paul Eberhart, secretary. The board appointed Charles Wetzel, Flat Rock elementary and high school principal, as supervising princi- pal of the new school district. The 20 classroom building provides for grades 7 to 12 inclusive and includes, besides regular classrooms for academic subjects, farm shop, industrial shop, arts and craft room, home economics department, two commer- cial rooms, science rooms for physics and chemistry, combination library and studyg music department with three practice rooms, uniform, wardrobe and instrument rooms, cafeteria which seats 250 students, combination gym- nasium and auditorium with stage fthe gym will seat 2500 for basketball gamesj, two physical education rooms, and two locker rooms, athletic director's office, equipment storage room, concession space in gym below bleach- ers, stage dressing room, and stage equipment and storage roomg administrative offices, health deparunent, book store, and boiler room making a total of 80 rooms in the building. The 20 acre site on which the building was constructed was purchased from Frank Cortelyou, Wayne Yarling, and Mrs. Marjorie Waltz with money from a cumulative building fund from Washington Township. January 29, 1958 On September 4, 1957, surveying began for JUIY, 1958 the new building, and on September 8, ground was broken. On September 26, 1957, at a meeting of the district school board, the name 'Southwest- em' was chosen for the new high school from a- mong several other names which had been sub- mitted to the board previously. Construction of the new, ultra-modern, ed- ucational plant moved along rapidly despite the drawbacks of weather, slow delivery of supplies, and many other unforeseen handicaps.