Welch High School - Wildcat Yearbook (Welch, OK)

Page 25 text:

Glnmmvrrial Bvpartmvni In the summer of 1915, J. B. Rogers resigned as Superintendent and H. G. Provines was elected in his place. At the beginning of the school year, a commercial course was established, the teacher being paid by the pupils taking the course. It proved very popular. There were twenty-four in the High School that took advantage of this course. The board furnished the tables and other equip- ment. The class purchased eight typewriters the first year, and these were all traded in and ten new ones purchased in 1915. The pupils. have succeeded in getting the most excellent results under the precise instructions of Miss Bessie Schank, who came to us from Independence, Kansas. Without a doubt, the Commercial Department has come to stay and play a prominent part in the career of the students of the Welch High School.

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iuintnrg uf the welsh Srhnnl In 1898 the Welch citizens organized their first free public school. This school was not only one of the first in this county, but among the First in the State of Oklahoma and from that time until now, the lamp that lights the pathway to knowledge has been turning. Sometimes it has grown rather dim, but today it is one ol' the most brilliant stars in the Firmament of Oklahoma Public :chools. This was built by a number of We1ch's progressive citizens who formed a stock company and constructed a modern frame building. The next year, what was known as the Guinn School Building, lo- cated south of the present site of Welch, was purchased by this company and moved to the present school site. A couple of years later, the town of Welch bought out the company and organized a real public school system. A two-roomed frame building was added to the other structures. In 1908, after much discussion, the pzesent magnificent building was decided upon. It bears the date o 1909. The first high school work was given in 1907, and this class continued its work, graduating in 1911, numbering three, Bessie Trollinger, Mattie Brown and Clifford Woods. They have all re- flected great credit on the Welch High School. The class of 1912 consisted of four boys and three girls, as follows: Merle Woods, Roscoe Woods, lCarl Matthews, Elmer Brown, Trella McCleary, Marie Neff and Mary Glasscock. This class has proved to be a very worthy one. Each member is showing a marked individual career. The year 1913 found a very small class but of excellent quality. It consisted of our most congenial townsman, Marion Dudley, who has the distinction of being elected to the Phi Beta Kappa in his Junior year at the University of Oklahoma 0915.3 The irst three classes were graduated under the eiilicient man- agement of Prof. J. B. Rogers, ably assisted by Miss Josephine Barker. The class of 1914 consisted of eight girls. A jollier, happier bunch of Oklahoma girls would be hard to End. They were: Glenora McCleary, Merle Trollinger, Lela VanAusdal, Ruth Dudley, I-Ielen Woods, Violet Trollinger, Nettie Gorton and Tessa Lewellan. Two of them are in college and four of them will be teachers next year. 1 QMQMQ

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illilzxnual Elraining Bvpartmvnt Superintendent Provines, being an ardent believer in the indus- trial education, began talking to the High School boys and girls, the school board and the citizens, about the need of adding other industrial courses. As a result of this, about the First of january, 1914 it was decided to give a High School course in agriculture and supplement this with a High School garden. The school planted a. garden of about ten acres, and the first of May, the equipment arrived for complete Manual Training Department. It was installed immediately and Prof. B. W. Carper, of Columbus, Kansas, assisted Supt. Provines in conducting a summer industrial schoolg the pupils spending the forenoon in the shop and the afternoon in the garden. Thus the Manual Training Department was organized at the begin- ning of the school year of 1915. The Department started out in the fall term with thirty-six mem- bers under the very able instructions of Prof. C. C. Victory, a grad- uate of Tahlequah State Normal. The term under Mr. Victory's management, has proven more than was anticipated for the department. The boys and girls have not only received a technical knowledge of the tools and how to use them but are the possessors of many useful things made with their own hands under his direction. It is estimated that the market value of the finished products, if sold on the market, would pay for the entire equipment of this department, which cost about S450.00.