USA > Minnesota > Renville County > The history of Renville County, Minnesota, Volume I > Part 75
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The so-called industrial subjects were added to the courses of Renville High school in the following order: Sewing in 1908, Mammal Training in 1909, Cooking in 1910, Agriculture in 1911 and Normal Training in 1911. The first Winter Short Course, a twelve-week course in Elementary English, Arithmetic, Manual Training. Agriculture, Sewing and Cooking, was held in 1911.
In the year 1913, Renville Publie Schools were reorganized as follows: Primary Department consists of the first, second and third grades; Intermediate Department consists of the fourth, fifth and sixth grades; Junior High School includes the seventh, eight and ninth grades: the Senior High School includes the tenth, eleventh and twelfth grades. The Graded School is com- posed of the Primary and Intermediate Departments and the High School includes the Junior and Senior Departments.
Furthermore, in the same year, 1913, the courses were reor- ganized and extended, especially in the industrial subjects, so that instead of offering only one high school credit in each of the subjects, Home Economies, Manual Training and Agricul- ture, the school then and thereafter offered three high school credits in Home Economies, three in Manual Training, three in Agriculture and four in Normal Training, besides giving ele- mentary instruction in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grades in Sewing, Cooking and manual training. The Normal Training Course is offered to twelfth grade students and is a one-year course counting four credits toward graduation from high school and which confers upon its graduates Minnesota First Grade Teacher's certificates. With the class of 1916 the Normal course of the Renville High School has graduated forty-five girls and four boys.
Under the reorganization in 1913, the complete High School Course of Study is as given below. Subjects marked (*) are re- quired, others are elective. Twenty periods a week are required of all students.
Junior Iligh School, Seventh Year: * English, *History, *Eng- lish Grammar, *Arithmetic, #Geography. #Sewing (for girls), *Manual Training-Woodwork (for boys).
Eighth Year: * English, *Arithmetic, *Sewing and Cooking (for girls), *Woodwork (for boys), *American History, English
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Grammar, Civies, Agriculture, Commercial Geography, Physiol- ogy. .
Ninth Year: * English, #Biology, Latin Grammar, German Grammar, Commercial Arithmetie and Accounts, Sewing, Wood- work, Mechanical Drawing.
Senior High School, Tenth Year: * English. #Elementary Alge- bra. Ancient llistory, Caesar, German Literature, Commercial and Physical Geography, Household or Farm Accounts, Farm Crops and Horticulture, Cooking, Mechanical Drawing and Shopwork (wood and cement work), Music.
Eleventh Year: * English (American Literature, Debating), *Plane Geometry, Modern History, Cicero. General and House- hold Chemistry (for girls), General and Industrial Chemistry (for boys). Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shopwork (wood. ce- ment and forge work). Music.
Twelfth Year: $English | English Literature-Periodical Lit- erature). Senior American History, Civies. Higher Algebra. Solid Geometry, Virgil, Physies, Farm Management and Soils, Home Management and Invalid Cookery, Commercial Law-Economics, Normal Training, Music.
One of the most important departments of the school is the Library. From the first, a school library was maintained. About the year 1910, a Library Association was organized in Renville and money was raised by it to maintain a public library. This was conducted in connection with the school library at the school house. The Association besides purchasing additional books, fur- nished a librarian who loaned books to the general public twice a week. In 1912, thhe Association turned the management of this library over to the Board of Education and since that time the librarian and library has been under the supervision of the superintendent of schools, the library remaining, however, both a public and a school library. This library contains reference works of almost every class as well as a large number of volumes of standard and popular fiction. At the close of the year 1915-16, the library will have over 2,000 volumes catalogued.
The most recent development in connection with the Renville Public Schools is the organization of the Associated Schools under Chapter 239, Minnesota Laws of 1915. According to the provi- sions of this law, five common school districts adjacent to Dis- triet 33, voted in favor of placing their schools under the super- vision of the Superintendent of the Renville Schools so that the work in their schools would be more uniform with that done in the Renville Schools and so that they would get the advantage of the Renville School's special equipment for carrying on indus- trial education. This action on the part of the outlying districts was ratified and their applications For association accepted by the Board of Education of District 33. The area of Independent
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District 33 is twelve and one-fourth square miles and the area of the five associated districts makes the total area associated to nearly forty-five square miles. As the city of Renville is essen- tially a rural community, this union of educational effort is a natural union of interests and ideals. The distriets associated are Districts 9, 37, 50, 52 and 140. The whole organization is legally known as "The Associated Schools of Independent Dis- triet No. 33 of Renville County, Minn."
The average attendance in days per pupil in the Renville schools has steadily increased during the past few years, being in 1913, 141.6 days; in 1914, 145 days, and in 1915, 146.1 days. According to the United States Commissioner of Education Re- port of 1914, the average number of days attended per pupil in the United States was 115.6 and in the same year the average for Minnesota was 143 days per pupil. In 1914, according to the same report for the U. S., the number graduated from high schools was 14.27 per cent of the total number of high school students while in the Renville schools the number of graduates was 18.8 per cent of the total number of its high school students.
During the history of the Renville schools many good and able men have served on the Board of Education, giving liberally of their time and their best thought. In 1915, R. T. Daly, now Judge of the Twelfth Judicial Distriet of Minnesota, F. Il. Born- ing and Timothy O'Connor severed their connection with the Board of Education after the long terms of service of twelve. fourteen and eighteen years respectively. J. 11. Dale and A. R. Holmberg, members of the present board, have served continuous terms of fourteen and twelve years respectively. During all this time the large business experience and breadth of view of these men have been distinct assets to the district.
The Board of Education for the year of 1915-1916 is organized as follows: Chairman, F. A. Schafer (formerly County Super- intendent for Renville county; ; clerk, A. R. Holmberg (manager of the Farmers' Co-operative Elevator) : treasurer, J. Il. Dale (president of the First National Bank), Dr. JJ. R. Butters (V. S.), Mrs. M. L. Hassinger, James Dvorak.
The full corps of teachers for the year of 1915-16 are: The Graded School, Primary Department. First Grade -- Sena Peterson ( Winona Normal, Appleton, Minn. Second grade-Margaret Cunningham Potsdam (N. Y.) Normab. Canton. N. Y. Third Grade-Frances Holmberg (St. Cloud Normal), Minneapolis, Minn.
Intermediate Department. Fourth Grade-Annie Hawes iSt. ('lond Normal), Hector, Minn. Fifth Grade Josephine Larson (St. Cloud Normal , Georgeville, Minn. Sixth Grade-Emelyn Warner ( Moorhead Normal), Renville, Minn. Junior High School Department. Principal and Teacher of Eighth Grade Subjects and
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Biology-Abbie Chestek (St. Cloud Normal), Hopkins, Minn. As- sistant and Teacher of Seventh Grade Subjects-Olga Wolberg (St. Cloud Normal), Wilmar, Min. Senior High School Depart- ment. Principal and Instructor in Latin and English -- Emma J. Frederick (B. A. Macalister), Northome. Min. Assistant and in- structor in German, Mathematics and Science- Clara J. Mealey (33. S., University of Min.) Minneapolis. Home Economies- Mary L. Winter (Stont Institute , Trinidad, Col. Manual Train- ing-S. W. Bierlein, Renville, Min. Agriculture-Franz Krause (B. S. in Agr., Ames), Renville. Min. Normal Training-Mary Rourke (Mankato Normal), Minneapolis, Minn. Librarian-Gu- drum Lee ( Winona Normal), Renville, Minu. Superintendent, L. J. Farmer (B. A., St. Lawrence Univ., Canton, N. Y.). Renville, Minn.
The Associated School Corps of Teachers are: Distriet 9- Theodore Berning (R. H. S., '15). District 37-Amanda Schemel (R. H. S. '15). District 50-Vera Lumley (R. H. S. '14). Dis- triet 52-Emma Leostokow (R. II. S. '14). Distriet 140-Emma Dahl (R. I. S. '14).
Bird Island Public Schools. The schools of Bird Island main- tain a high standard and in addition to a complete graded and high school course give thorough instruction in Agriculture. Do- mestic Science and Manual Training.
The court house erected by the people of Bird Island for county purposes is the present public school building. The size of the main building is 64 by 80 feet, with a vestibule, now used as a front entrance, 24 by 40 feet. There is a basement under the entire building eight and a half feet in height. The first story is 12 feet in height, the second story is sixteen feet in height and there is an attie ten feet in height. The foundations of the build- ing are of granite. The walls of the building are of solid brick. The grounds of the building embrace an entire block.
[Note. At the time of going to press, March, 1916, this building was destroyed by fire. |
Fairfax Public Schools. The Fairfax High School building is one of the largest and most imposing between Minneapolis and Watertown. It ocenpies a prominent site on large and well-ap- pointed grounds in the southern portion of the town. This build- ing, ererted in 1905, is modern in every respect. It is a three- story brick structure containing twenty-two rooms. The library, text-books, laboratory, furnishings and apparatus equipment is fully equal to the needs of the school.
The high school department has a present enrollment of nearly seventy pupils. A comprehensive course of study, recommended by the state department, together with graduation requirements based on the University Entrance Requirements, is in force. A
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large number of electives enables the pupils to select a varied and individual range of subjects.
Special departments in home training, manual training and agriculture are also maintained.
The teachers' training department has been temporarily dropped but will be resumed in another year.
The elementary courses have an enrollment of about one hun- dred and fifty pupils. Though only half the expected number of pupils for communities this size, nevertheless it is sufficient to form the groundwork for a well-graded and highly organized department. Needless to say the teaching is modern and ef- feetive, the work thorough, and the advancement regular. The teaching force is recruited from progressive state normal schools, whose business it is to develop the art of school-room manage- ment, and whose unequalled success in training a capable corps of teachers for public school work has become traditional. This, together with the equipment made possible by a liberal scale of financial aid from the state, enables the graded school department to carry on its superior elass of work. As a machine for uni- formly developing proficiency in the common branches of knowl- edge it challenges comparison. Little wonder that this depart- ment has been referred to as "the backbone of the whole system."
The associated districts departments comprise what is tech- nically known as the central school of District No. 17. Asso- ciated with the local school district are eight outlying rural dis- triets, numbers 23, 26, 30, 31, 39, 54 and 109 of Renville county, and No. 62 of Nicollet county. The purpose of this association between central and surrounding schools is to enable the rural schools to have some of the advantages which the larger school enjoys, such as training in agriculture and the other industrial branches, and closer supervision. The association also entails financial benefits for both schools by way of state aid. Other mutual advantages are attained which cannot be measured in monetary terms, such as a broadened educational horizon and a more sympathetic understanding between the schools involved.
Two literary societies, the Minerva and the Utopian, are do- ing effective work in debate and literary presentation. Both hold monthly meetings under the advice of the high school l'aenlty. The school is also a member of the Inter-High School Debating League and offers the pupils opportunities for debate with the other schools of the state.
An athletic association offers advantages by way of physical training through athletic sports, such as foot ball. basket ball, base ball and field sports.
Plans are under way for installing extensive playground equip- ment. providing outdoor recreation for both l'all and winter weather.
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Following are some items taken from the reports of 1914-15: state aid received. $5,105.36: valuation of district, $506,440; bonded debt. $27,000; special tax levy, $7.000: expended teachers' salaries, $8,859,50; department expenses, agriculture, $2,012; home training. $725 ; shopwork, $90; teachers' training. $805 ; high school (3 teachers ). $2.640; average monthly teachers' wages, grades, $57: high school, $91.90; children of school age in dis- triet. 288: attending. 218; average yearly cost per pupil for text- books. $1.25.
The early settlers of this community were of a character that set a high value on education and edneational privileges and one of their first actions was to form a school district, No. 17, which included the territory on which Fairfax now stands and even be- fore they had comfortable residence themselves, some still living in primitive sod shanties, they erected a comfortable log school house within what is now the corporate limits of the village. The logs were hewn by C'ol. Charles H. Hopkins. The school was opened in the spring of 1870 with Nellie MeKenzie as teacher. It is interesting to note that the old log school house is still standing in the sonthwest corner of the village. The school was made a fully independent district May 12, 1900. In 1902 it be- came a state high school. In 1905 a splendid high school build- ing was started and was fully completed in 1906 at a cost of over $35.000. The normal course was introduced in 1910: the domes- tie economy course in 1912; the agricultural course in 1914, and the manual training course in 1915.
The superintendents have been: R. MeKay, 1895-99; Geo. F. Forster, 1899-1902; L. H. Pryor. 1902-04; D. A. Grusendorf, 1904- 09; J. E. Palmer, 1909-11 : John Farmer, 1911-14 ; O. E. Youngdahl, 1914 to the present time.
The following have served as principals of the high school : Bertha Foss, 1902-03: Esther Hokanson, 1903-05; Helen Hanken- son, 1905-08; Miss Steichen, 1908-09; Helen Roberts, 1909-11 ; Eva Benson, 1911-12: Grace Dorens, 1912-13; Jennie Erickson, 1913- 15; Agnes MeGarvey, 1915 to the present time.
Among the prominent members of the school board since 1894 have been : Ed. O'Hara, L. MeBride, J. F. Russel, C. Il. Hopkins, M. D. Brown, O. H. Grasmoen, E. F. Sell, Dr. Win. P. Lee, I. A. Whitmer. Paul Albrecht, A. E. Carver, G. A. Rieke, J. C. Filler- ton. A. M. Wallace, John Albrecht, C. W. Heimann, Dr .. A. E. Ferske and C. W. Fiss. Among the presidents may be mentioned : L. McBride, J. F. Russel, C. II. Hopkins. O. H. Grasmoen, E. F. Sell, Dr. W. P. Lee, G. A. Rieke, A. M. Wallace and Dr. A. E. Fenske. Some of the treasurers have been: O. H. Grasmoen. E. F. Sell, and A. E. Carver. Among the clerks may be men- tioned Ed. O'Hara, M. D. Brown and C. W. Heimann.
The present officers of the school board are: Dr. A. E. Fenske,
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president; C. W. Heimann, secretary; A. E. Carver, treasurer ; W. A. Fiss; J. C. Fullerton and John Albrecht.
0. E. Youngdahl, the present superintendent of the Fairfax Public Schools, was born in Red Wing, Minn., March 2, 1888. He received his early education at the public school of Red Wing and later attended Gustavus Adolphins College at St. Peter, receiving the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1911. He taught rural school at Northwood and at Anamoose, North Dakota, the graded sehool at North St. Paul, was principal of the graded school at Becker and then came to Fairfax, where he has served as superintendent since 1914.
Franklin Public Schools. The history of Franklin School Dis- triet No. 96 is similar to the history of the school in the average Minnesota small town. The district was organized in the year 1883 and the following summer a two-story frame building erected. One room only was completed and made use of at the start.
Mary Breen was the first teacher in the newly-organized dis- triet and taught for one year. A. J. Anderson, who still lives in this vicinity, taught the following year and the succeeding years until 1891. For varying lengths of time Rose Reagan, Ella Traynor, and Keegan sueeeeded Mr. Anderson.
In 1892 it became necessary to finish the remainder of the building and employ two teachers. George Sugden was elected principal and Katie Brown was his assistant in the lower grades. Miss Brown is at the present well known in the community as Mrs. Charles E. Freeman. Miss Brown remained in the employ of the district for three successive school years. Succeeding Mr. Sugden as principal was A. E. Young, who was unable to com- plete his term and was succeeded by Chas. J. Freeman. The fol- lowing year three teachers were employed, Ella Powers being the additional member of the corps. JJ. C. Serland as principal and Ella Powers were employed for the term of 1893. The following year N. L. Erickson was principal, assisted by Belle Sampson, who taught the lower grades for several years in succession. Mr. Erickson was succeeded by P. G. Anderson, who remained a year.
In 1899 the present site was purchased and the building in use today was erected. School was organized immediately with four teachers, including the principal, E. R. Bottomley. Belle Sampson, Edna Westphal, and Miss Bottomley were the teachers.
Mr. Bottomley remained in the employ of the school only a short time, but those who were in elose touch with the school at the time, inform the writers that he was an active, original and independent man and did much for the school through sheer force of character. The following year Mr. Freeman was the principal. assisted by Ada and Edna Westphal and Belle Sampson. This year the school was placed on the aceredited list of state graded schools and received its first state aid. The entire faculty suc-
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ceeded itself for the following year. G. A. Magnusson succeeded Mr. Freeman in 1903. His assistants were Edna and Ada West- phal, Francis Davis and Miss Kirwan. In 1904, C. Youngquist succeeded Mr. Magnusson as principal and Belle Sampson and Miss Bean succeeded the Misses Westphal. Mr. Youngquist re- mained at the head of the school for two years when he was sue- ceeded by T. J. Eastburg, who remained for three years. Dur- ing the administration of the school by Mr. Eastburg he was as- sisted by Agnes Bryan, Nellie Bryan, Agnes Kirwan, Mayme Casey, Emily Broder, Catherine Brotherton, S. W. Swensen, Reyka Dahlgren. In 1909. M. B. Hogle succeeded to the office of prin- cipal and remained at the head of the school for five years. Dur- ing Mr. Ilogle's tenure of office the faculty was increased from five to seven members and the curriculum of the course much extended until students received sufficient credit to graduate and be allowed to enter the University of Minnesota on the same terms as graduates of other schools. Teachers who assisted in the school under Mr. Hogle's supervision in 1910 were: Miss Engstrom, Jennie Erickson, Margaret Farrell, Reyka Dahlgren, Mayme Casey, Margaret Speeker, and during this year the school received for the first time an additional $500 state aid for main- taining a high school department. The next year Mollie Hummer succeeded Miss Casey. With this exception there was no change in the personnel of the teaching staff. In 1911 Miss Dahlgren and Miss Engstrom were succeeded by Carrie Scoble and Hulda Afdem. All of the teachers were re-elected and served the dis- triet during the year 1912-13. The following year, with the ex- ception of the principal, an entirely new faculty took up the work of the high school. Katie White was assistant principal and high school instructor; Joey N. Nugent taught the 8th grade and as- sisted with some high school work; Julia N. Devlin taught the 7th grade; Beatrice Grimes, the 5th and 6th : Ananda Nelson. the 3rd and 4th; and Edith Anderson, the 1st and 2nd grades. During this year no new courses were established.
The present administration, with Principal Wesley Thurman at the head, began in 1914. The school board recently put into effect a wise policy and elected Mr. Thurman to sneeeed himself Tor a period of three years. With tenure of office reasonably sure. the principal can take a greater personal interest in the school and work for certain reforms and improvements. It is also the policy of the board to retain the services of every teacher, who is progressive and who is highly efficient, as long as possible.
The chief improvements, since Mr. Thurman took charge of the school is a manual training department with additional build ing for the same, and a domestic science department. Both of these departments are being well established and are proving very satisfactory to the students and those in charge of school.
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During the first year of Mr. Thurman's administration, Katie White acted as assistant principal, Miss Nugent, eighth grade; Miss Devlin, sixth and seventh grades; Miss Grimes, fourth and fifth grades ; Miss Cora Steen, second and third grades, and Edith Anderson, the first grade. Several changes have occurred in the faculty membership for the present school year. Ethel T. Ander- son has succeeded Katie White; Edith R. Collins has succeeded Miss Devlin and Mrs. Wesley Thurman has succeeded Edith An- derson. Helen Hale has charge of the domestie seienee depart- ment. The present faculty are doing good work, the spirit of the students is first class and the future of the Franklin school seems well established.
During all these years Franklin has been especially well served by its varions school boards. Perhaps no other small town nn- der similar circumstances has been more fortunate in this re- spect. They have always had due respect for the taxpayers' in- terests, but at the same time they have as a rule been men of considerable breadth of vision. The schools have progressed and are still advancing. With no intentions of slighting anyone of the excellent men who have served on the board, it may be well to mention the names of the three veterans, E. S. Johnson, An- drew J. Olin, and H. B. Cole. Mr. Johnson has served as a mem- ber ever since the organization of the district and Mr. Olin and Dr. Cole alnost continuously for the past fifteen years.
The first class was graduated from high school in 1908. Eva Newton, Myrtle Amtsbauer, Amy Frisco, Clara Lund, Jennie Foss. William Casel, Philip Eastburg and Annie Jensen consti- tuted the class of 1908. In 1909 there was no graduating class. In 1910 the class was composed of Julius Jensen, Mabel Skan, Elizabeth Johnson, Julia Lieske and Hattie Erickson. The elass roll in 1911 contained the names of Ebba Nelson, Beatrice Grimes, Julia Prestholt, George Foss, Carl Hamrum, Matt Casey, Ella. Steen, Cora Steen and Lillie Sherman. Again in 1912 there was no graduating class. In 1913, Amy Rieke, Isabelle Forsythe, Hannah Jensen, Beatrice Johnson and Clara Nelson graduated. The 1914 class roll contains the names of Ahna Erlandson, Ethel Freeman, Bessie Scott, Earl Erlandson, Harry Prestholt, Marie Grimes, Verna Rovainen, and Irene Poss. The 1915 class is the smallest of all the classes and consisted of Loretta Fox and Ned Martell.
Of the thirty-seven who have graduated from the school all who are not actually engaged in the pursuit of higher training are self-supporting. Six of the girls have married and from what the writers can learn have prospered in this, too. Fourteen of them are engaged in teaching, two 'of whom are employed in the Franklin public schools. One teaches music, two are milliners. two are located in the West on homesteads, three are living and
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assisting at home on farms, two are clerking in stores, one is as- sistant bookkeeper in a bank, one is an electric lineman, one is at college, and two are studying in hospitals to become nurses. With such traditions, it is hoped that there will be no question about the future of the Franklin school.
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