USA > Missouri > Lafayette County > Alma > History Of Alma Missouri > Part 2
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The Federated church now has seventy-five members and ninety enrolled in Sunday School. Rev. J. G. Korb, the present pastor, is also pastor of the Corder Methodist church. The present Sunday School teachers who assist E. B. Becker, superintendent, are as follows: Mrs. Henry Nolte, Mrs. A. H. Knipmeyer, Mrs. E. B. Becker, Mrs. F. T. Mc- Clure, Mrs. Frank Becker, Mrs. S. W. Fletcher, and George W. Sandford.
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ALMA PUBLIC SCHOOL
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CHAPTER V Schools
One of the first schools in the vicinity of Alma was the old Shelby College on the present S. W. Fletcher farm. This institution was founded and established several years be- fore Alma was settled; in fact, by 1880 the college was no longer maintained. It was constructed on a five-acre track, and to the north of the college was built a home for the teachers. Among the students of this boarding school were Ike Taylor, Jonas Lewis, and the mother and uncles of S. W. Fletcher. One of the first instructors of the college was Professor Clark.
The history of the Christian Day schools began in 1878 when W. G. Bullinger of Sioux City, Iowa, was engaged as the first teacher. He served one term. Then Rev. Rohlfing taught for five years, after which A. Eichmann from Addi- son, Illinois accepted a call. He taught forty-three years in the same school room. This was the church building originally located one and one-half miles northwest of Alma.
When the new church was built in 1895, a part of the old building was remodeled to make it a more suitable school room. In 1891 another school was erected four miles south- east of town. Miss Harms of Concordia was engaged as teacher. In 1892 C. Topel took charge of the south school and served until 1900. The enrollment at the north school increased so rapidly that a change became necessary. There- upon, the south school was moved to one mile south of town and those pupils living in town, who had previously been attending the north school, were now sent to the south one.
After the Flora congregation was organized in 1900, the south school was closed and all the children attended Mr. Eichmann's school north of town. With an enrollment of ninety pupils, it was apparent that the teaching load was was too heavy for Mr. Eichmann. Consequently, W. E. Homann, a student, was engaged to open the south school which had been moved to town in 1903. Mr. Homann taught in 1906-1907, after which a call was sent to Ed. A. Wendt
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to teach here. Mr. Wendt taught the school for twelve years. From 1919 to 1921, Rev. P. Breitag, Rev. H. Meyer, and Martin Kiehl taught in this school. In 1911 the new brick school house was built.
During the summer of 1921, a call to this school was accepted by V. C. Lang, who was then teaching in Omaha, Nebraska. That year there were sixty pupils attending the brick school. During this time the community had been divided into two school districts. Those pupils living in town and southeast of it were assigned to the town dis- trict; those living north and west belonged to Mr. Eich- mann's school. However, in 1921 and 1922 the town school became overcrowded and a new arrangement had to be made. It was decided to move the north school building to town and divide the grades so that one teacher would have grades one to four, and the other, grades five to eight. Mr. Eichmann chose the primary grades and Mr. Lang taught the upper grades. This plan was discussed and accepted in the July meeting of 1922; the same plan is now used.
In the fall of 1922 and the spring of 1923 the two teachers' dwellings were built. In the meantime Mr. Lang accepted a call which brought E. W. O. Rotermund here as his successor. In 1926 Mr. Eichmann died and Carl Wyss- mann accepted a call here from Stover, Missouri. In 1930 Mr. Rotermund accepted a call to St. Louis and Walter Beyerlein came here from West Ely, Missouri.
The work done in the secular branches of the Christian Day schools is acknowledged by the county superintendent of schools as being equal to that done in the best first grade schools of the county. The present enrollment in the schools is approximately one hundred pupils.
The heritage of public education in Alma can be traced to the building of the little frame school house in 1880, the year the village was incorporated. This building was locat- ed just north of the present high school and was attended by thirty pupils, among whom were S. W. Fletcher and Daisy Corder. Cassie Bascom was the first teacher. She
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received forty-five dollars a month for her services. The original building, erected at a cost of seven hundred dollars, was moved in 1912, and was later used in the construction of the present home of L. T.Francis.
Among the pupils in the early eighties were three en- ergetic young ladies; namely, Bettie Goodwin, Georgia Fletcher, and Nora Reynolds, who edited a little paper call- ed the Alma Courier. This was a monthly publication of about fifteen pages, all written by hand on a good quality of essay paper and tied at the top with pink and blue silk ribbons. The issues of 1883 contained news of Alma and surrounding community, editorials, a few line ads, and some school news. The subscription prce was two dollars per year.
Miss Bascom, now Mrs. John Kirkpatrick of Odessa, Mo., taught three terms, after which she was followed by Mary Young. Dick Woodle was the next teacher. He con- ducted many spelling matches; his best spellers were Daisy Corder and John Fletcher. Other pupils taught by Profes- sor Woodle were S. W. Fletcher, August Buck, Addie and Jesse Corder, John, Victor, and Carrie Tieman. At that time only the section house, depot, and the houses where William Stuenkel and Milton Garrison now live, were on the north side of the railroad track with the little school house. A road ran diagonally from a point where Hermann Dieckhoff now lives to Mrs. Dave Riepe's property. One of the excit- ing sports of the school children then was to chase the rab- bits to cover under the board porch and walk about the school building.
The enrollment gradually increased to the extent that it became necessary to add a second teacher in 1894. By 1909 the enrollment was fifty-seven and the average wages paid to the teachers was fifty-five dollars per month. That year the assessed valuation of the district was $97,000. Three years later the little frame building was replaced by a brick building with a full basement. The total cost of this construction was $6,000.
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In the fall of 1920 Professor Scotten offered to teach the first year of high school in addition to his regular work. His proposition was accepted by the board, and in this way a campaign for a permanent high school developed. In 1921-1922 Mr. and Mrs. Roy Nolte were engaged to teach two years of high school, and the next term a third-year course was added. A course in French was introduced in 1921, and the following year physics was added to the cur- riculum.
While Mr. Nolte was superintendent several interested patrons began an earnest campaign for a new building which would be adequate for a first class high school. To make the plan possible it was decided to attempt a consolidation of the Sunny Bank and Eureka districts with the Alma district, thereby increasing the assessed valuation to the desired amount and thus distribute the tax burden. An election was called and the consolidation was assured by a very nar- row margin of votes. Members of the board of education at this time were A. H. Kueck, S. W. Fletcher, J. W. Good- win, Ed. Corley, John Schmidt, and Charles Lovercamp. Prior to this time only three members composed the Alma board, but under the consolidation law provision was made for six members. Immediately voters of the new consolida- tion established a precedent by selecting two members from each of the former rural districts to serve on the board.
Soon after the consolidation another election was called to vote bonds for a new building. The $30,000 bond issue carried and immediately plans were made to construct the building which included a gymnasium, laboratory, and a series of classrooms. New plumbing was provided and a modern heating plant was installed. Also, new seats, desks, and other equipment were purchased at this time. The bonds for the building have been paid regularly and prompt- ly as they come due, the last of which will be paid in 1938.
Since the new building was completed during the win- ter of 1923-1924, it was necessary to make the transition from the old to the new building in mid-term. That day
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was an eventful one in the career of those high school boys and girls, who, with their books and accessories, moved out of the overcrowded, dark basement into the new, spacious, well-lighted, and adequately equipped rooms.
In 1924 a complete change was made in the teaching staff, including the grade teachers. The following year the high school faculty was changed, but since then there has never been a complete change in the high school faculty for any one year. The same has been true of the elementary faculty since 1926. A list of th teachers since 1880 follows:
1880-1883 Cassie Bascom
1883-1884 Mary Young
1884-1885 Dick Woodle
1905-1908 John Taylor
1888-1889 James Thomas Florence Kidd
1889-1893 George W. Marquis
1908-1910 Wm. H. Guenther Winnie George
1893-1894 S. I. Arthur
1894-1896 S. I. Arthur Johnny Masterson
1910-1911 Ben McGee Nan Branch
1896-1898 S. I. Arthur
Suzy Campbell
1898-1901 W. R. Flint
Suzy Campbell
Beulah Gerrard
1917-1918 O. M. Scotten Gertrude Zeitz
1901-1902 George Osborn- Prof. Jenkins Clara Porter 1918-1919 Gertrude Zeitz
1902-1903 Arthur O'Neil
Nina McIntosh
Mary Larkin
1903-1904 Arthur O'Neil Florence Kidd
1919-1920 Gertrude Zeitz Elizabeth Ashurst
The following are the teachers since the establishment of the high school. The first three names in the latter groups are the high school teachers, with the superintendent principal, and assistant listed in the order as read; the next is the intermediate teacher, and the other, primary teacher.
1920-1921 O. M. Scotten (1 year of H. S.) Flo Worm 1921-1922Roy Nolte
Nellie Nolte (2 Years of H. S.) Gertrude Zeitz Blanche Erdman
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1904-1905 H. H. Schoperkotter Florence Kidd
1911-1915 W. W. English
Nan Branch
1915-1917 Paul Heerwald
1922-1923 Roy Nolte
Nellie Nolte (3 Years of H. S.) Gertrude Zeitz
Claude R. Short
Ethel Pierce Ruth Utz
Blanche Erdman
1928-1930 J. Otto Huston
1923-1924 Roy Nolte
Nellie Nolte
Mary Ellen Sever Gertrude Zeitz
Blanche Erdman
Claude R. Short
1924-1925 Harvey Devold
Jessie Bannerman
Florence Harrison
Annabell Skillman
Ida Kueck
1932-1934 Milton Garrison
Gertrude Gwinner
Garland T. Scott Alice Bailey
W. F. Crissman Ethel Pierce
Clara Newland
Gladys Meyer
Ida Kueck
Claude R. Short
Celia Liese
1936-1937 Milton Garrison Alice Bailey
Claude R. Short
Garland T. Scott
Ethel Pierce Ida Kueck
Ernest Willer
Clara Newland
Celia Liese
Pauline Mallman
1927-1828 J. Otto Huston
After the consolidation program was effected the two rural schools, Sunny Bank and Eureka, continued for a few years. Eula Jackson taught the former school prior to its closing in 1923. Nearly forty years ago Miss Kate Dean began teaching at the Eureka school. She taught the school for five years, after which she became the bride of S. W. Fletcher. P. S. Read was a member of the school board at that time; in fact, he was a member of the board more than twenty years. Among the last teachers at Eureka were Inga McFarland, Ross Taylor, and Viola Sass. The school was closed in 1933 and the pupils transported to the Alma schools.
A system of transportation was developed beginning in 1932. Since that year E. J. McGuire has been employed to
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Gertrude Ashford
Claude R. Short Alice Bailey Annabell Skillman
Gertrude Ashford
1930-1932 J. Otto Huston
Alice Bailey
Gladys Meyer
1925-1926 J. Otto Huston
1926-1927 J. Otto Huston
transport the Alma colored children to Blackburn. After 1934 Henry Pragman transported one pupil from the north- west corner of the district to Alma. The next year Mr. Mc- Guire was also engaged as bus driver for a group of pupils from the eastern part of the district to the high school.
When the new building was constructed in 1923 it was necessary for the board to employ a full-time janitor and caretaker. William Fette served in this capacity until 1928, after which August Buck was employed.
There have been 113 graduates since the establishment of the Alma High School, forty-four per cent of whom have attended schools of higher learning. There were six grad- uates in the smallest class, 1924, while the largest class, 1929, had seventeen members. However, twenty students are expected in the graduating class of 1937. The follow- ing is the alumni directory at present.
1924
Ellmaker, Charles Holtzen, Gertrude
Farmer
Alma, Missouri
Mrs. Hans Schmidt
Delmont, S. Dak.
Kleeschulte, Wilburn
Salesman
Kansas City, Missouri
Lohoefener, Selma Tieman, Erich Weisbrodt, Esther
Mrs. Alvin Lange
Wimbledon, N. Dak.
Creamery Manager
Higginsville, Mo.
Burwell, Nebraska
Corley, Anna Lee
Sweet Springs, Mo.
Erdman, James
Salesman
Marshall, Mo.
Fette, William
Day Laborer
Alma, Mo.
Fletcher, Frances Lu Jackson, Anna Mary Schaefer, Erich
Instructor
Mound City, Kans. Sweet Springs, Mo. Alma, Mo.
Buhlig, Laura Fette, Louis
Mrs. Herbert Schmidt Waverly, Mo.
Baseball Pitcher
St. Paul, Minn - Bostor. Mass. Alma, Mo.
Fischer, Florence
Mrs. Fred Rolf
Henning, Marie
Mrs. Emerson Farrell
Henley, Mo.
Lewis, Lester
Road Builder
Parkville, Mo.
Rohlfing, Esther
Mrs. Stanley Haslett
Schmidt, Walter
Farmer
Los Angeles, Calif. Alma, Mo.
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Mrs. Edgar Brohm 1925 Mrs. Oscar Lemke
Mrs. Frank Kenney
Farmer
1926
Dieckhoff, Walter Goodwin, Jack Kurtz, Emma McGuire, Edwin Rist, Walter Stewart, James Tieman, Emil
1927
Farmer-Radiotrician Clerical Work
Mrs. R. O. Sweaney
Bus Driver Hardware Dealer Truck Driver
Farmer
1928
Corley, Helen
Mrs. Lilburn Cooper
Telephone Operator
Fletcher, Harold
Salesman
Mrs. William Weber
Farmer Merchant
Mrs. Theodore Evert
Salesman
In School
Columbia, Mo.
Farmer
Alma, Mo.
1929
Ashurst, Robert
Credit Man
St. Louis, Mo.
Fette, Viola
Deceased
Franz, Alfred
Bank Bookkeeper
Alma, Mo.
Fuchs, Laura
Mrs. W. C. Foreman
Kansas City, Mo.
Goodwin, Phillip
In School
Marshall, Mo.
Hader, Erwin Hampy, Lorna Holtzen, Otto
Mrs. Fred Zobel Clerical Work
Colorado Springs, Colo.
Wichita Falls, Texas
Horstman, Gertrude
Domestic Service
Kansas City, Mo.
Jackson, Dorothy
Instructor
Lexington, Mo.
Kessler, Lolita Melin, Edward Northern, Alonzo
Pump Shop Employee
Alma, Mo.
Rolf, Herman
Creamery Employee
Higginsville, Mo.
Instructor
Alma, Mo.
Runge, Theodora Schmidt, Arthur Williams, Irene
Farmer
Alma, Mo.
Mrs. Luther Fox
Corder, Mo.
1930
Allen, Woodrow
Newspaper Agent Alma, Mo.
Fette, Irene
Creamery Employee
Alma, Mo.
Lewis, Eugene
Farmer
Alma, Mo.
Schuette, Albert
Creamery Employee Alma, Mo.
Farmer
Alma, Mo.
Trucking Service
Alma, Mo.
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Alma, Mo.
Kansas City, Mo. Cedarvale, Kans. Alma, Mo. Alma, Mo. St. Louis, Mo. Alma, Mo.
Horton, Kans.
Fischer, Velma
Alma, Mo. Milwaukee, Wis.
Sweet Springs, Mo. Alma, Mo. Alma, Mo. Sweet Springs, Mo. Kansas City, Mo.
Francis, Violet Hader, Lilburn Henning, Ralph Kleeschulte, Ruby Melin, Henry V. Jr. Rolf, Herbert Tieman, Albert
Tieman, Raymond Wendt, Bernhard
Clerical Work
Kansas City, Mo. Slater, Mo.
Instructor
Service Sta. Attendant Alma, Mo.
1931
Branscum, Avis
At Home
Kansas City, Mo.
Brockhoff, Waldo
Mechanic
Alma, Mo.
Ellmaker, Russell
Farmer
Alma, Mo.
Fuchs, Emma
Mrs. Russell Stofer
Kansas City, Mo.
Hink, Norman
Instructor
Cole Camp, Mo.
Krause, Regina
Nurse
St. Louis, Mo.
Northern, Henrietta
Mrs. W. Wyrick 1932
Marshall, Mo.
Fletcher, George B.
Salesman
Reno, Nevada
Griesse, Ruth
Nurse Training
St. Louis, Mo.
Krause, Kordula
Mrs. Bernhard Wendt Alma, Mo.
Mueller, Albert
Garage Bookkeeper
Alma, Mo.
Rolf, Renata
Post Office Deputy
Alma, Mo.
Tieman, Richard
Farmer
Alma, Mo.
Wagner, Anita
At Home
Alma, Mo.
Wyssman, Ruth
Domestic Service 1933
Kansas City, Mo.
Bargfrede, Vernita
At Home
Alma, Mo.
Becker, Howard
In School
Columbia, Mo.
Corder, Carl
Farmer
Alma, Mo.
Franke, George
CCC Camp
Litchfield, Calif.
Franz, Erna
Mrs. Albert Schuette
Alma, Mo.
Kammeyer, Armin
Day Laborer
Alma, Mo.
Kappelman, Hosea
Creamery Employee
Alma, Mo.
Krause, Werner
Government Clerk
Wichita, Kans.
Maddox, Billy Tom
In School
Fayette, Mo.
Wahlers, Marie
In School
Warrensburg, Mo.
1934
Breder, Paula
Mrs. Ralph Limbach
Blackburn, Mo.
Ellmaker, Frances
At Home
Alma, Mo.
Everett, Gladys
At Home
Almeda, Texas
Francis, Cecil
In School
Columbia, Mo.
Frerking, Herbert
In School
Columbia, Mo.
Fuchs, Lydia Heins, Emma
At Home
Alma, Mo.
Holden, Lacey Mae
At Home
Mt. Leonard, Mo.
Karsten, Vera
In School
Chillicothe, Mo.
1935
Allen, Roy Brockhoff, Ralph
At Home
Alma, Mo.
Produce Co. Employee Alma, Mo.
Hackett, Sherman
Day Laborer
Alma, Mo.
Jackson, J. Y. Jr.
Farmer
Alma, Mo.
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Creamery Employee
Alma, Mo.
Karsten, Wilfred
Produce Co. Employee Alma, Mo.
Kalthoff, Leonard
Farmer
Alma, Mo.
Lohoefener, Evelyn Priess, Violet
At Home
Alma, Mo.
Nurse Training
Kansas City, Mo.
Wahlers, Raymond Wendt, Nola
Farmer
Higginsville, Mo.
In School
Chillicothe, Mo.
1936
Bargfrede, Lucille
At Home
Alma, Mo.
Bargfrede, Olinda
At Home
Alma, Mo.
Corder, James
In School
Columbia, Mo.
Dieckhoff, Lorenz
Implement Dealer
Alma, Mo.
Jackson, Everett Farmer
Alma, Mo.
Krause, Aurelius
Plumbing Shop Work Alma, Mo.
Meyer, Margaret
At Home
Blackburn, Mo.
Nordsieck, Vera
At Home
Alma, Mo.
Schumacher, Warner
Drug Store Clerk
Alma, Mo.
The opening-day enrollment in the Alma High School for the past seven years has been as follows:
1929-1930 - 37
1932-1933 50
1930-1931 - 43
1933-1934 60
1931-1932 - 44
1934-1935 - . 64
1935-1936 - 65
Basketball has been outstanding among the extra-cur- ricular activities of Alma High School. Before the new building was completed, the sport was practiced and played on outdoor courts and a part of the time in the old hardware building. The first team to represent Alma was composed of Louis Fette, Erich Tieman, Charles Ellmaker, Erich Schaefer, Walter Schmidt, and Wilburn Kleeschulte. Roy Nolte was the coach. The record of this team was as fol- lows: 1922, won eleven games, lost two; 1923, won twenty- one, lost two; and 1924, won sixteen, lost eight. The team in 1925, coached by Harvey Devold, won all but two of its games during the season. It also won the Class C champion- ship in the state tournament at Columbia.
The team in 1925-1926, coached by W. F. Crissman, also had an enviable record. It won twenty-four games, lost three, and accumulated 904 points while its opponents made 321. This team was never defeated in the county
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conference, Lexington or Carrollton tournaments. Members of the team were Louis Fette, Walter Rist, Claude Morgan, Erich Dieckhoff, and Walter Schmidt. That same year a girls' basketball team was organized and coached by Super- intendent Huston. It finished second in the county confer- ence. Viola Fette, Helen Corley, Ruby Kleeschulte, Laura Buhlig, Esther Rohlfing, and Marie Henning were members of that team.
The boys' team of 1927, coached by Claude R. Short, won all but two of its games during the season, and accu- mulated 1041 points to its opponents 621. Members of this team were Edwin McGuire, Walter Rist, Claude Morgan, Erich Dieckhoff, and Harold Fletcher. It also participated in the state tournament. No records have been preserved concerning the teams of 1928 and 1929. However, it is known that the latter team was among the best that ever represented A. H. S.
During the season of 1929-1930 the boys' team won twelve games and lost thirteen, while the girls' team won ten and lost eleven. This year both teams had several inex- perienced players. The next season, neither boys' nor girls' teams were outstanding, yet both won a large percentage of the games played.
The girls' team of 1931-1932 was fairly successful dur- ing the season and at tournaments. However, there were fewer girls' teams in the local territory, consequently games were hard to find. This was the last girls' basketball team that represented Alma High. The boys' team that year was composed of Hosea Kappelman, George B. Fletcher, George Franke, Richard Tieman, Armin Kammeyer, Leslie Sum- mers, Billy Tom Maddox, and Werner Krause. It won a majority of the games, including the championship cup at the Central College tournament, Fayette, Missouri.
The Bulldogs of 1932-1933 enjoyed a very successful sea- son under the coaching of Claude R. Short. They won thirty games out of thirty-four played. They also held the distinction of being the only team to defeat the strong St.
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Paul's academy quintet, a feat twice performed, and until the district tournament, they were the only team to win over Buckner, Jackson County champions. Malta Bend, Saline County champions, also suffered defeat when they met the Bulldogs. Altogether the team scored 869 points to their opponents' 515. Captain Hosea Kappelman had the honor twice conferred upon him of being named a member of the all-star teams, once on the Missouri Valley tourna- ment team from 96 competitors, and again on the all-star team at the Warrensburg district tournament where 112 players competed. Leslie Summers, forward, was the high- point man on the team that year; he "ripped" the nets for a total of 201 points.
The team in 1933-1934 also enjoyed a successful sea- son, winning a large majority of the games played. It made a total of 486 points to 289 for the opponents. J. Y. Jack- son, Jr., was the leading scorer with 145 points. This team remained intact for the succeeding season when Garland T. Scott began coachng here. That year it won thirty-four of the forty-three games played for a total of 1201 points to their opponents' 642. Lambert Zumbehl led the team this year with 267 points. This team participated in six tour- naments, winning first at Odessa; second at Lexington, Brunswick, and Fayette; third at Warrensburg; and conso- lation at Glasgow.
Coach Scott had to rebuild the team at the beginning of the 1935-1936 season as a result of losing six players by graduation. The Bulldogs this year won twenty-one games and lost seven. They were the champions of the county outdoor conference, Lafayette County tournament, Alma Invitational tournament, and the Odessa Invitational tour- nament. Members of this team were James Corder, Everett Jackson, J. M. Elsea, Jr., Rodney Becker, Warner Schu- macher, Bobbie Becker, Harold Schmidt, and Gentry Everett.
One of the outstanding events of the 1935-1936 school year was the first high school invitational tournament held on January 17 and 18. Eight teams, Dover, Conocordia,
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Blackburn, St. Paul's Academy, Corder, Odessa, Knobnos- ter and Alma, participated. The final game was a thriller in which Alma won over Knobnoster in an overtime period. The tournament was a success from the standpoint of in- terest for the spectators, as well as an advertisement for the school.
The high school boys and girls have engaged in base- ball, tennis, track and field sports as spring activities. The latter sport continued until 1932 when the girls played play- ground baseball and the boys had regular baseball along with tennis. The boys' baseball teams of 1933, 1934, and 1935 won a total of eleven games while losing only four. The girls' playground team of 1935-1936 won all of the games played.
It has long been a custom for the junior and senior classes of A. H. S. to present plays for the public. The fol- lowing plays have been given by the juniors since 1930: 1930, "A Poor Married Man"; 1931, "Betty's Last Bet"; 1933, "He's My Pal"; 1934, "Go Slow, Mary"; 1935, "Here Comes Charley"; and 1936, "Dotty and Daffy." The senior plays have been: 1930, "Cheer Up, Chad"; 1931, "Mary's Millions"; 1933, "Fifty-Fifty"; 1934, "Spooky Tavern"; 1935, "Lookin' Lovely"; and 1936, "For Pete's Sake." About 1928-1929 an operetta was presented by the high school pu- pils, A very popular musical operetta entitled "Tune In" was presented by the high school in 1936. Various other programs and entertainments have been presented for the enjoyment of the public since the beginning of the school; among the most enjoyable have been the last day programs, preceded by bountiful basket dinners. A parent-teachers association was organized about 1926. At one time it was very active in sponsoring parties and programs. This or- ganization was abandoned in 1931.
Prior to 1933 it was a custom for each junior class of A. H. S. to give the senior class a banquet in the spring. Since then the juniors have combined education with pleas- ure by taking the graduating class by motor bus or cars to
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either Jefferson City or Kansas City for a day's outing. Another traditional event has been the annual Sophomore Hallowe'en party to which all classes have been invited.
The school has participated in the county literary and music contests for several years. Its spelling team won first in the county contest in 1934. Contestants represent- ing Alma were Nola Wendt, Alice Arndt, Evelyn Lohoefen- er, Bobbie Becker, and Glenn Hanneman. The following year the Alma spellers won second in the county, and first and third individual prizes in the Chillicothe Business Col- lege contests.
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