Whiting High School - Reflector Yearbook (Whiting, IN)

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 ype ’ e ctos7 SUPERINTENDENT W. W. HOLLIDAY 6

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Board of Education 5 E. O'HARA... CHAS. NAEF. ... C. B. MANBECK President Secretary Treasurer

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History of the Whiting High School IN 1896 when the first class graduated from the eighth grade those who wished to continue their education were obliged to attend the High Schools of neighboring towns. At that time the Whiting and East Chicago schools were under one superintendent, Mr. M. J. Woods, and so East Chicago received the majority of the Whiting pupils. The year 1898 marked a new era in the school history, for then it was decided that eight pupils attending the neighboring schools, formed a sufficient number to start a local High School, and for the first time Whiting had a school system of her own with Mrs. Florence B. Homman, who had previously been principal and grade teacher, as superintendent. A large room and two recitation rooms were fitted up for work on the second floor of what is known as the Old High School Building and two new teachers were employed; Miss Maude E.Van Sickle as assistant principal and Miss Marguerite Ascher as teacher of German. These teachers, together with Mr. Robert L. Hughes, principal and Miss Mabel F. Doty consti-tuded the High School faculty of fifteen years ago. The larger room was used as an assembly for the High School and for the seventh and eighth grades as well. An alcove off this assembly was fitted with book cases and a reading table, while books and periodicals were added from time to time. And finally a science room was furnished with the necessary tables and apparatus and a piano was placed in the assembly room. The work in the High School had been planned to meet the requirements both of the pupil who would quit at the end of the course and he who would enter a university or college. In order to complete the course which was four years, the pupil had to earn thirty-two credits. English was a requirement but all other subjects were elective. Four studies were all that any pupil was allowed to carry at one time and this rule still holds with the exception of those who have won the honor mark of “W” which signifies an average of 90% in all their studies with no grade below 85%. Two literary societies were organized and healthy rivalry held sway. In this first year there were no graduates, but there were four juniors, three sophomores and one freshman. Their commencement Excercises were held at Goebel’s opera house, June fourteenth, nineteen-hundred. This was attented by all the citizens of whom Whiting could boast. In nineteen hundred Mr. Hughes became superintendent and John C. Hall was elected principal. The graduating class of nineteen-hundred one, consisted of only three members and the year following there was but one graduate. During the next year Mr. Hall was made superintendent to fill the vacancy left by Mr. Hughes and Mr. Schacht came to serve as principal, the following two years. Other new departments of study were added to the curriculum, among which were Manual-Training. and a business course, both of which necessitated new teachers. In 1906 at Mr. Schacht’s resignation, Mr. Holliday was employed in his place. The class of 1913, entering the High School in the fall of 1909, was the largest class which had thus far taken up the High School work. I n all there are some sixty odd members, and although during our four years the number dwindled down to thirty, 7