West High School - Hesperian Yearbook (Minneapolis, MN)

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CORNERSTONES In 1915, the Board of Education voted to take steps toward acquiring a site and erecting a building, which would serve as a high school for the rapidly growing southwest part of the city. In 1906, the property at 28th and Hennepin was bought, and a contract let for the construction of the foundation. In 1907, a contract for the erection of the building was awarded and later it was officially named West High School. The school opened in September, 1908. The first principal was A. N. Ozias, who came from South high where he had a similar position. The enrollment was 700, about 100 less than the capacity of the building. Enrollment grew by leaps and bounds, and West soon was crowded. In April, 1915, more land was purchased, and in March, 1916, the contract was let for building an addition, the cost of which was not to exceed $200,000. West now had two gymnasiums, a music room, a lunch room, a greenhouse, and a new heating sys- tem. The capacity of the school was increased to 1600. Reminiscing E. Dudley Parsons, instructor at West from its founding until 1928, describes the first student body enrolled in the institution: Students at the new West High school were a mixed lot as was inevitable from the re-districting of the city. Having recently been enrolled in Central or East or one of the other schools, pupils found themselves face to face with a new loyalty. It was, therefore, quite remarkable that West High was not more given to cliques than it was. Three years, and Principal Ozias was dead—of a broken heart, it was reported. Then came 'the little man who was chief executive for six following years,” relates Mr. Parsons in his series of recollections. The 'little man’ C. W. Boabdman was named on the records as Riverda H. Jordan: he is known now as Doctor R. H. Jordan, professor of education in Cornell University. It was unfair, therefore, to refer to him as 'the little man.’ He was a reputable scholar lack-

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MILESTONES With colors gaily showing for the first time, West high school formally opened its doors to the public on the evening of September 25, 1908. Guests were welcomed by members of the faculty and conducted on tours of the building by all-important seniors. West, from the Hennepin avenue viewpoint, was the same in 1908 as it is in 1933, although it did not extend so far back on the Humboldt side. Within, the building also presented much the same appearance with its wide front hall and two smaller passages at right angles, terminating, however, in the auditorium. That portion of the school now containing the gymnasiums, some classrooms, and the industrial shops was not a part of the original West. In their tours of inspection, guests were shown, besides the regular recitation rooms, the chemistry, botany, physics, and physical geography laboratories, which were the finest in Minnesota at the time. Visitors also inspected the mechanical department consisting of the shop, wood-turning, machine, forge, free-hand, and commercial drawing classes and the commercial rooms all of which were modestly stated to surpass any in the Northwest. The auditorium, seating approximately fifteen hundred students, was built on much the same plan as the present hall save that the back wall contained windows and the balcony was less spacious. Prior to the erection of West high, the corner of 28th and Hennepin was variously occupied. In 1855 it supported an old claim shanty. This was supplanted by the Russell farmhouse, which, in turn, gave place to a brick house belonging to the same family when the city grew to take in the area. From the time of its destruction until 1908 the lot stood vacant. One problem was presented, however, that was difficult of solution. A considerable number of unsuccessful pupils, thinking that they saw an opportunity in the new organization to enjoy life in various unstudious ways, succeeded in attaching themselves to West. Although some had to be eliminated, and others were susceptible to moral suasion, this group nevertheless helped to create a legend that the school was less inclined to idealism than were its parent schools, and more inclined to frivolity. This legend gathered force from the quite inaccurate supposition that pupils at West came from wealthy homes that indulged their children in all kinds of soft living. At any time a census would have revealed a neat majority of sons and daughters of toil. A. N. Ozjas

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mg the politician’s trickery and incapable of lying to pupil, parent or teacher. He had been something of an athlete, and during his principal-ship did everything to call proper attention to field and track training. On many an afternoon he could be seen in the street between the school-house and the church watch in hand waiting for the harriers to return from their practice dash around Lake of the Isles. He was greatly respected by the lads who won athletic glory for West High school, but whom he also held up to scholarship standards. He possessed the rare faculty of being able to converse on subjects removed from the mere business of school routine.” More School — More Fun! 'Who killed Cock Robin’? used to be a famous question; but 'who lengthened the school day?’ has challenged it. The one o’clock day with its op- L. N. McWhorter portunities for recreation and income-producing afternoon labor died out in this era. It was attacked by three forces, and could not survive. There were manual training and laboratory in- structors who had to clear away the muddle of the day’s operators after one o’clock and therefore seemed to be working longer than other teachers. Forgetting that English teachers especially had sheaves of papers to examine at night, they pressed their case John N. Greer vigorously. There were mothers whom the lure of the club and ready-to-wear was stronger than that of the delayed luncheon with their children, and who felt safer in the knowledge that these children were at school than they could otherwise feel. Finally there were business men distressed by the sight of pupils—and teachers—blithely leaving the buildings at an hour when they were just returning from their clubs to work an hour or so more before calling it a day. These three forces combined to add first one heur and then another to the school day— and that’s that. OVER THERE Playing its part in the world-wide drama which held the center of every stage during the years of 1917 and ’18, West contributed men, money, time, and boundless energy to such an ex-