Scottville Enterprise,
Thursday, March 15, 1917
List of Teachers from 1877
to the Present Time Including Those Who Taught the Cranley School - Also Names
of First Graduates.
For
sometime it has been the purpose of the Enterprise to publish a history of the
public schools of Scottville from their inception to the present time, and with
the able assistance of David Falconer, present member of the board of education,
we have gathered dates that will be interesting to the citizens of this city and
vicinity, especially to the older inhabitants. We have been to considerable
pains for it has been rather slow work, many of our older citizens lending their
aid to make the report as complete as possible. Mr. Falconer has been untiring
in his effort and to him credit is due for the early dates of the article. Our
object is to publish the names of every teacher who taught school in this city,
and if there are any omissions we will gladly print their names and dates of
teaching.
In
the year 1877 the nearest school to the Pere Marquette railway station, at that
time called Sweetland (now city of Scottville) was a little log house known as
the Jones school, two miles northwest of this city. The present school district
was organized in the spring of 1877, when the first annual school meeting was
held on a lumber pile at the corner of State and Main streets, where the State
Savings bank now stands. The following officers were
elected:
Director -
John Tracy.
Moderator -
C.F. Schumacker
Treasurer -
James Sweetland
They leased the house, just
outside the present city limits, now occupied by J.C. Erbaugh, for school
purposes and Miss Bessie Bates was engaged as teacher for the summer term of
three months. At that time there were ten families in the district with children
of school age, and the charter pupils enrolled were: William, Gusta, Bertha and
Marie Schumacker; Edward, Mattie, James and Bert Mustard; Celia, Emma and John
Sweetland; Ollie, Alta and John Green; Amasa and Mary Conrow; Lowa and Ina
Tracy; Lucinda and Henry Eoff; Sadie Tuttle, Frank Gingie and David
Falconer.
Of
this number four are in parts unknown; one rests in Brookside cemetery, eleven
reside in Mason county, three of them in this school district. The first
teacher, Mrs. Bessie Bates Bishop, now resides at Waukesha, Wis., and of the
first school board Mr. Tracy has been called to his reward; Moderator Mr.
Schumacker is at present one of the oldest and most highly respected citizens of
Scottville, While Treasurer James Sweetland, in whose honor the village was
first named, passed away while in the state of Washington a few years
ago.
First Building Used as
Church
In
1877 our fellow townsman Charles W. Jones was engaged as teacher for the winter
term of four months, while in 1878 Sarah Turner succeeded him as teacher for a
three months summer term. The late W.F. Fairbanks, in 1878, was hired for the
following winter. He used to wear slippers on his feet, and for other purposes
also. He was the first teacher to occupy the new school building which was
erected during that year. This building is now doing service as a church in the
south part of the city.
Made Herself
Useful
During 1879 Miss Flora Hill
took charge of the school for the summer term. She is still teaching in the
upper peninsula of Michigan. a man by the name of Stanton was engaged to teach
the winter term of 1879. Up to this time it had been customary to hire a male
teacher for the winter term as a woman was not considered physically able to
handle the larger boys who attended school during the winter months. About that
time, 1880, Mrs. Emma Bishop, a young widow from New York state, arrived in the
village and told the board that she could manage the big boys without using her
"fist" or a beech rod. She finally succeeded in getting the contract for one
year's teaching. Besides looking after her little daughter and school work, she
found time to act as a member of the county board of examiners, taught music and
dressmaking, acted as nurse, assisted the doctor, acted as undertaker; in fact,
she made herself so generally useful that even the village blacksmith stated
that he could not get along without her and he did not. She made this city her
permanent home and remained with us until 1915, when she was called to her
eternal home.
Mrs. C.D. Coddington was
awarded a year's contract as teacher in 1881, but about two months before her
school was completed she resigned on account of the way the boys acted, and Miss
Catherine Coburn took the reins and brought the school year to a successful
finish. Miss Coburn - or Mrs. John N. Mack, as she is best known among our
townspeople today - had the ability to succeed in anything she undertook. She
was a member of the board of education for this school district for twenty
years, during which period she was treasurer of the board. She is residing in
Scottville and is considered one of the best business woman of western
Michigan.
In
1882 Miss Anna Coburn succeeded her sister as teacher, and the year following,
1883, H.E. Scott, who erected the first store in the village and in whose honor
the village was named, was the teacher for one year.
In
the year 1884, after being out of school work for five years, W.F. Fairbanks was
engaged as teacher and served for one year. He was considered one of the best
mathematicians of his time.
1885 A.P. Starke taught for
one year. The year following, 1886, Mr. Larkin, who was noted for thrashing his
own children at school, wielded the beech rod during that
year.
School House
Inadequate
In
1886 our school house was inadequate to-accommodate the larger number of pupils
and it was deemed necessary to have more room. The school board rented a room of
Mr. Watrus and installed his daughter, Miss Millie, as teacher for the little
folks in the southern part of the village. This plan was followed up the next
year with Miss Alida Welch as teacher in the house now occupied by M.S. Stowell
on West State street.
Lawyer E.J. Richmond taught
the last year - 1887 - in the old school house. He was never known to smile, but
he was a good teacher. He is living at present in
Manistee.
Brick School
Built
The
first part of the present brick school house was erected during the year 1888.
It was a two story structure and proved to be too small to accommodate the large
number of pupils at that time, but the board put up with conditions for a couple
of years, when the little wooden building - now north of the central building
and at present used as a school parlor to hold extra sessions in - was built.
With this addition there was still an overflow of pupils and the next move was
the renting of the G.A.R. or Odd Fellows building, which did the housing of the
children until 1903 when an addition was built on the front of the present
structure. During the year 1911 the north and south wings were added to the
building, as it now stands today.
In
1888 our school was listed as a graded school, teaching all grades to the
eighth. We had some eighth grade graduates, but the first graduating exercises
were conducted under the management of Miss Florence A. Smith as superintendent
in the year 1893. This was considered a very important event in the history of
the Scottville school. There was a class of eight, four boys and four girls, as
follows: Myron Tracy, William C. Freedy, John Greenway, Joseph Snell, Jessie
Falconer-Rozell Fannie Green-Stuber, Effie Tracy-Tubbs and Ruth M.
Bishop-Falconer. Of this class three reside in Mason county, four in various
parts of Michigan, and one - John Greenway - in the state of Michigan. This
class is planning for a reunion on the 25th anniversary of the occasion, which
will take place in June, 1918.
The
first 12th grade graduating exercises was (sic) conducted in 1903 with R.C.
Young as superintendent. There were two graduates: Miss Nora Cranley and Miss
Pearl Shelly.
Teachers at Cranley's
Corners
Following are the teachers
who taught while the school was at Cranley's corners:
1877 - Bessie Bates
1877-78 - Charles W. Jones
1878 - Sarah Turner
1878-79 – W.F. Fairbanks
1879 - Flora Hill
1879-80 - Mr. Stanton
1880-81 - Emma Bishop
1881-82 – Mrs. C.D.
Coddington. During the year Catherine Coburn taught for two months.
1882-83 - Anna Coburn
1883-84 - H.E. Scott
1884-85 - W.F. Fairbanks
Spring of 1885 Celia Schick
1885-86 - A.P. Stark
1886-87 - E.J. Larkin
1887-88 - E.J.
Richmond
1887 -A1ida Welch in the
Mills house
1886(sic) - Mr. Watrus in
the Stowel house.
The
following are the teachers who have taught in the present school building from
1888 to 1917:
1888-89 - R.S. Parker,
Supt., and Mrs. Emma Hill.
1890 - E.P. Bidwell Supt.
and Celia Schick
1891-94 - Miss Florence A.
Smith Supt.; Mrs. Clara Kilbourne-Martin, Miss Hattie Butler and Miss
Titus.
1895 - Henry Williams Supt.;
Mrs. Clara Kilbourne-Martin, Bertha Wright and Laura
Robinson.
- Don Harrington Supt.; Minnie McClatchie Alice M. Smith, Grace
Griffin-Wever, Miss Anderson, Bertha Smith, Maude Upper, Dora Schumacker, Nell
Murtha.
1906-07 - Don Harrington
Supt.; Minnie McClatchie and Alice M. Smith..
The
same teachers taught during 1908.
1908-09 - Mr. Harrington,
Miss McClatchie, Miss Smith, Grace Ellis, Fannie
Meads-Crowley.
1909-10 - Don Harrington
Supt.; Miss McClatchie, Miss Smith, Miss Knoll, Emma Fisher, Miss Stewart,
Carrie Bonner, Fannie Meads-Crowley.
1910-11 - Supt. E.W.
Kiebler., Principal - Emma Fisher; Assistant - Verna M. Quandt; 7th and 8th
grades Irene Darr; 5th and 6th - Carrie Bonner; 3rd and 4t - Gertrude
Nethercott; 1st and 2nd - Fannie Meads-Crowley; Sub-primary - Minnie
McClatchie.
1911-12 - Supt. E.W.
Kiebler; Principal - Frank C. Ponko; Assistant - Verna M. Quandt; 7th and 8th -
Irene Darr; 5th and 6th - Blanche Tuttle; 3rd and 4th - Grace Lair (deceased);
Subprimary - Miss McClatchie.
1912-13 - Supt. Mr. Kiebler;
Principal - Jason P. Dick; Assistant - Laura J. Haggart;
7th
and 8th - Helene Lennon; 5th and 60 - Izetta Culbertson- 3rd and 4s - Grace
Lair; 2nd and 3rd
-
Jessie Harding; 1st - Iva Donaldson; Sub-primary - Miss
McClatchie
1913-14 - Supt. Mr. Kiebler;
Principal - Jason B. Dick; Assistant - Laura J. Haggart; Assistant - Blanche
Howell; 7th and &h - Helene Lennon; 5 and 6th - Mrs. J.P. Dick; 4th - Alice
M. Smith; 3rd - Jessie Harding; 2nd Bernice Terwilliger; 1st - Ethel Snyder;
Sub-primary Miss McClatchie.
1914-15 - Supt. Kiebler;
Principal - Mr. Dick; Assistant - Laura J. Haggart; Assistant Blanche Howell;
7tb and 8th 4 Caroline Sengatock; 6th - Mabel Adams; 5th - Anna Tazelaar; 4th
Alice M. Smith; 2nd and 3rd Bernice Terwilliger; 1st - Ethel Snyder; Sub-primary
- Miss McClatchie.
1915-16 - Supt. Mr. Kiebler;
Principal - A.B. Calkins; Assistant - Laura J( Haggart; Assistant - Blanche
Howell; Assistant - Caroline Sengstock; Assistant - Austin Olney; 6th Mabel
Adams; 5h - Anna Tazelaar; 4th Alice M. Smith; 2nd and 3rd - Lelah Frye; 1st -
Ethel Snyder; Sub-primary - Daisy M. Brown.
1916-17 - Supt. Mr. Kiebler;
Principal - Emma E. Fisher; Assistant - Laura J. Haggart; Assistant - Blanche
Howell; Assistant - Carl B. Waters; 6th - Margaret Andrews; 5th - Bernice
Wilson; 3rd and 40 - Alice M. Smith; 2nd and 3rd - Marie Snyder; 1st - Willa
VanPutten; Subprimary, music and art - Daisy M. Brown.
Six
and Six Plan
What is known as the "Six
and Six" plan of school organization was started about two years ago. The main
features of the plan are as follows: In general the plan is to abandon the eight
years of elementary and four years of High school work, and organize the
elementary in six years and the secondary school into six years
work.
The
true function of the elementary school is to furnish the tools of education viz:
Reading, writing to cipher, etc., and also adapt the child to his environment.
The latter point is of most importance in the beginning grade. In the beginner's
grade no attempt is made to teach formal subjects during the first part of the
year, but the child is taught to move about and to be accustomed to a new
situation. He is encouraged to express himself in his play.
During (these months) a foundation is laid for when taken up later that
by year more books are with less effort than formerly. Again it has been found that four years
are too short for secondary worry.
Our pupils, when they finish college, are two years behind those in England and
other European countries. Investigation has proved the loss results from the
sameness of the work in the seventh and eighth grades. Heretofore the work of
the seventh and eighth grades has been a rehash of the previous grades.
Lastly
and most important it has been determined that the Six and Six plan
corresponds more exactly with the age of puberty.
The age of puberty is the age of explorations. The pupil is filled with
energy and needs a varied course to satisfy his longing to know and understand.
The Six and Six plan does much to feed his soul during these all-important and
momentous years. As far as has been determined it is found that what a boy or
girl has desired during these years is the thing he or she eventually attains in
later life, be it high or low. The
six years of secondary work are divided into two groups of three grades each,
called respectively the "Junior" and "Senior" high schools. In the larger cities
these two schools are housed in separate buildings.
Jackson is now building two very large buildings for the Junior High
schools and, will use the present buildings for the Senior High schools. Grand
Rapids, Detroit and other cities have built large buildings. One feature of the
plan is to include in the teaching force of the Junior High the most experienced
and sympathetic teachers possible.
Grand Rapids has a large number of former school superintendents and
county school commissioners among their teachers. The plan has the endorsement
of the best experts in school work as being the most advanced step taken in
education in our country for a long time.
Standard of School
Excellent
The
standard of Scottville school is excellent and with Supt. Kiebler at its head
and the competent corps of teachers that are employed, the school is considered
one of the best in western Michigan. It has turned out capable young men and
women who are today holding responsible positions in this and other states. Last
year the largest class in the history of the school graduated, there being 30 in
the class, and this year a class of 23 will have completed its high school
year. For the past few years the
citizens are working in harmony with the teachers, and the average citizen is
proud of the work that is being done in the educational line year after year in
Scottville.
Following are the members of
the board of education for this school district t
President - Edward E. Kobe
Secretary - Dr. W.C. Martin
Treasurer - Arthur R. Siegel
Trustees - Mrs. J. Jay Cox and David Falconer.
The
annual school meeting will be held early in July.