Elwood Consolidated School

This is an article from the Clinton Avertiser, November 1920

ELWOOD GETS NEW SCHOOL AFTER DECADE OF ENDEAVOR

The newest consolidated school district in Clinton county is at Elwood which was established early last spring with an area of 24 sections. This movement marks the consummation of a program for better schools extending over a decade. The first movement toward consolidation in this sectin of the state was begun at Elwood and would have been an accomplished fact years ago had there been a clearer statement and understanding of our school laws.
The Independent district f Elwood built a good brick building five years ago that would cost from $25,000 to $40,000 at present prices. This building contained four class rooms, besides a Manual Training and Domestic Science room, was steam heated and equipped with cloak rooms and modern indoor toilets. A bond issue of $60,000 has been floated to furnish funds for building an addition to this building. The addition will be 30 ft. x 76 ft. with an additional part on the rear which will take care of stairways and additional cloak and toilet rooms. In the basement of the new part is a gymnasium 60 ft x 29 ft. boys and girls' lockers and showers besides the boiler and coal rooms. The entire building as now being constructed will provide for five class rooms, a laboratory, Principal's office, assembly room, three class rooms, and a library together with the necessary auxiliary rooms.

The old building, having been planned with the thought of enlarging, makes it work in admirably with the new addition. The building is located in the northwest part of the town of Elwood where five acres will constitute the entire site. The school board has purchased a home for the Superintendent adjoining the school grounds and the teachers this year have rented a house in which they live. The teachers employ a housekeeper and find the arrangement very satisfactory. The city water and electric lighting systems make the problems related thereto less difficult of solution.

One hundred fourteen children are transported to the school in motor busses; the school board having purchased two G. M. C. and two International trucks for the transportation. The large powerful machines make good time and are comfortable vehicles for the children to ride to and from school in. The school is offering twelve grades of work for the first time. In former years ten grades of work was all that could be handled in the building then in use. The school is graded as follows: First grade, 18, second 21, third 11, fourth 18, fifth 8, sixth 14, seventh 12, eighth 16, ninth 13, tenth 14, eleventh 3, twelfth 2. The school is a member of the State Athletic Association and will have athletic teams, it is also a member of an Oratorical Association. The plan to make the school a communtiy center is one of the definite objects the school board has in view. The town already has a communtiy hall for this purpose an has done much in encouraging the community spirit. During the time in which the addition to the building is under construction all high school classes will be conducted in the Community Hall which was the original town school building.

The school officers are:
A. J. Wirth, President
W. S. Hill, Secretary
C. C. Irwin, Treasurer
J. W. Anderson
S. A. Bloore
Wm. Herkelmann
H. P. Hicks
The corps of teachers are:
U. S. Webber, Superintendent
Fern Faselow, High school assistant
Mildred Dasher, Home Economics and Mathematics
Ella Paulu, 7th and 8th grades
Harriet Flint, 5th and 6th grades
Dorothy Blanchard, 3d and 4th grades
Ruth Rowser, 1st and 2d grades

The teachers have all had special training for their work in every department. The grade teachers will rank as a school above any school in the county in special training as they are all high school graduates and have an average of a little over 1 1/2 years of special training above high school. This speaks well for the school and indicates that the school board believe that special training is needed for grade teachers as well as for high school teachers, a matter that is often not considered but which is of vital importance in insuring the better type of teaching. A consolidated school, supported by a progressive educationally awake community and directed by men of the type that constitutes the Elwood school board cannot fail to become a leader among the educational institutions of its kind in the state.