Sterling High School - Blue and Gold Yearbook (Sterling, IL)

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i 12. SMammaryiiaaiiaaiiiaiaaaaaa Q is, mamma nmuunmuummmmummumnmf HISTORY AND TRADITIONS OF S. H. S. Somehowwe have come to consider our S. H. S. as having been here always, but there were once two high schools in Sterling, one at Wallace School and one at Central School. In township 21 of Whiteside county an election was held on April 11, 1896 to vote upon the question of the erection of a township high school. Luckily for future students Fate decreed that our S. H. S. should come into existence, and in May a boa1'd was elected composed of the following members: C. A. Wetherbee, E. Brown, J. F. Platt, F. VV. Wheeler, and VV. A. Sanborn. In 1897 Mr. D. L. Miller was elected to the board and is still faithfully serving our school. The high school at Central was held in a two--story frame building which was afterward moved near the spot where the Burlington depot now stands. Later it was used as a hotel and 1'ooming house until it became so badly damaged by tire that it was torn down. An election was held in August, 1896, to vote for a site forthe new building. The Catholic Church property which had formerly belonged to the Presbyterian Church was chosen. The new school opened in the fall of 1898. The first staff of teachers included Mr. O. L. Miller, Principal, Miss Anna A. Parmelee, Miss Bertha hl. Forbes, Miss Kate M. Stoddard, Miss Frances Cf. Hershey, Miss Mabel G. Waldo and Mr. Charles Hermann. Mr. E. T. Austin became principal of the high school in 1902, and from that date has ruled this realm wisely and well. The enrollment for the first year was 140 girls and 75 boys, while for the year 1927-1928 the enrollment is 233 girls and 260 boys. Owing to this increase in the school an addition was erected in 1919 which contains the gymnasium, the Senior Assembly, the commercial department, the domestic science department, and the manual training department. Football was introduced in 1899. Mr. Scott Williams acted as the first coach, showing his customary public spirit by donating his services. Although Mr. Austin taught a few classes in 1902, regular gymnasium classes were not included in the early curriculum, but in 1918 Miss Harriet Echternach and Mr. H. Z. Mussleman took over the school's athletic activities. Many customs or traditions have become a part of the yearly regime, creating a distinctive personality for our S. H. S. No doubt first place should be given to Miss Stoddard's famous maxims, written in invisible yet indelibile ink upon the four walls of her mathematics room. 'KF actors, not terms, 'fLost Denomi- nators, Make haste slowly, and f'Common Sense have been warnings to Freshmen, reminders to Sophomores, danger-signs to Juniors, and inspiration to Seniors. We wonder how many college students have been saved from the depths of failure by the memory of Miss Stoddardls maxims. Then there are the Monday afternoon faculty gatherings where mysterious discussions are carried on behind closed doors. It is rumored that here those strange weird rituals are practiced, and magic formulas learned, whereby 'ithose in authorityn verily awe their respectful charges. Of course there is the '4Blue and Goldf' first pub- lished in 1904, whose title was suggested by the school colors, blue for the hue of the sky, and 'fgoldn for the color of ripening grain. The Seniors give a play each year for the pu1'pose of raising money for the Blue and Goldf' In October the Seniors entertain the rest of the school at a Hallowe'en Frolic where witches fly and ghosts are seen wandering about the halls amid many curious creatures. The Juniors select the class ring which, strangely enough, grows prettier each year tin the eyes of the Juniorsb. The Faculty gives the Seniors a party where they lose their dignity and frolie with their wards. Perhaps the most formal of the social activities comes in the spring when the Juniors entertain the Senio1's at a banquet. Then last of all comes Commencement. Besides these, other things have become more or less traditional, such as the little bell on the desk in the Big Assembly, the Seniors' Old Clothes Day, Mr. DeYoels Hstoriesl' and Miss Hunt's week-end trips to Ashton on the S.0.7i5470U47zJ5z7:5fJi:7i547E245 eunmenummenmuunmxms , in ,7f' Qu! 110

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