Growth Of The Shawano County School System

Photo Gallery

Growth Of The Shawano County School System

by Jane Glenz

It was the lake that first drew people to this area. Prior to the coming of the white man Shawano Lake was the hunting and fishing grounds of the Menominee and, to a some extent, the Chippewa (Ojibwa) Indians. Many bands made the lake their summer campground because of its wooded shores, sandy beaches and the great variety and abundance of fish and waterfowl. Also, the great fields of wild rice and wild celery which grew in the lake made a natural feeding ground for ducks, geese and other aquatic birds.

But it was the timber and the river that eventually attracted the white settlers. Lumber had become an important commodity in the Wisconsin wilderness during the 1840’s. Vast stretches of virgin timber were being rapidly cut by lumber barons such as Sawyer and Weyerhauser.  Another lesser-known lumberman, Samuel Farnsworth, from the Neenah area, paddled up the Wolf River from New London in 1843.

With him he brought Charles Wescott and a crew of workers. Together they built a small sawmill north of Shawano Creek (now the channel). Five years later they brought their families and, as the saying goes, “the rest is history.”

The small settlement slowly began to grow as the lumber industry flourished. One of the first things these early Shawano residents knew, like so many others like them throughout Wisconsin, educating the young was a necessity. So early in the 1850’s the first two schools were built. One was located amongst a small group of homes that had grown up around the Powell Trading Post along the Wolf River (near the wayside on highway 22). The school, a lean to, was built adjacent to a house over a large pine stump which served as a desk.

The first teacher was Mary Murray, who had arrived in the Shawano area in 1853 from Indiana. Her permit to teach (next page) was signed by John Wiley, then Town Supervisor of the Town of Shawano and was dated May 19, 1855. Mary was only a child herself — she was just sixteen when she started to teach school. She had eleven pupils, including her younger brother and sister. The first term started in May and lasted three months. The second term began in January.

The other school was built on land just north of Shawano Creek which was purchased in 1854 by William and plastered schoolhouse in Shawano County was built on this site and was called the Grimmer School (near the present Ainsworth School). Records indicate the school session lasted only 16 days in January and February and at various times 25 students, ranging in age from 4 – 15, attended. Though this seems like a short amount of time, it was fairly common. Most schools were in session two months in the fall, three in winter, and two in the spring. It wasn’t until 1915, that a nine-month school session began in this area.

Other small, rural schools also were created but no organized school system had yet been developed. It wasn’t until the population had grown and Shawano had incorporated as a village in 1871 and then a city that an official school system came to be.

The first public school building was Lincoln School. The building was constructed on the present Lincoln school site in 1871, and used as a school until 1887. This first school was a wooden two-story building consisting of two rooms and a recitation room. Caroline Magee was the first teacher. The building was later moved to Main Street so a new school could be built. Later it was moved to South Main, next to Wright’s Broiler, where it was used as a furniture store but was torn down in 1990.

CREATION OF THE CITY OF SHAWANO SCHOOL DISTRICT

In 1876, Shawano was granted a city charter and the city fathers, led by Henry Nabor and L.D. Roberts, saw as one of their major responsibilities the development of a 1-12 grade school system. In 1879, they began formalizing Shawano’s educational system. In that year, on July 14th, the Shawano City School District was officially created by the State of Wisconsin. However, it was under the jurisdiction of the county superintendent until 1920, when its own superintendent of schools position was created.

The first high school classes were held in the second floor of the McCord Building (corner of Main and Green Bay Street) in 1878. The hall was rented for classrooms at five dollars per month. The balance of the upstairs was used as an opera house, a skating rink, and a general meeting place, while the downstairs was a general store. Thirty-one young people applied for admission as students; twenty-nine passed the admission examination, two failed.

L.D. Roberts was chosen as the first principal of the district which included grades 1 – 12. The first high school class graduated in 1881. There were four graduates that year: Edward Farnsworth, George Martin, Clarence Mann, and Marietta Munn.

Soon the number of students outgrew the building and the facilities proved inadequate. The high school was then moved to Lincoln School. The upper half of the building became the high school and the lower half the grade school.

In 1887, a new brick building was built to replace the old Lincoln School at a cost of $8,000. The high school remained here until 1902 when a separate high school was built.

Lincoln School was destroyed by fire in 1924. Fire was a common occurrence in schools at this time.

The following is a description of that fire taken from the Shawano County Advocate (March 4, 1924):

At about two o’clock Friday morning the fire alarm sounded and it was soon learned that it was the Lincoln school building. Some neighbors living near first saw a fire in the northeast corner of the building and gave the alarm . . . It was fifteen or twenty minutes before the fire fighters got to work as they could not get a team or truck to take the hose cart over to the school building.  The fire spread rapidly. It was thought that the new addition might be saved and the fire department had a number of streams on the building within a short time, but the fire had too good a start and not a thing was saved from the entire building. We have been informed that the insurance on the building is $36,400 as the loss was total.

In 1925, a new Lincoln School was built on the same site.  It cost approximately $130,000. It was considered, at that time, to be one of the “most up-to-date school buildings in any city in Wisconsin.” This building still serves the district as Lincoln Elementary School.

In 1902, because of increased enrollment in both elementary and high school, it was decided to build a separate high school. It was built on the corner of Franklin and Presbyterian Streets. (Currently the Franklin School playground). This remained as the high school until 1916. It was vacant after that and was finally torn down in 1932. In 1917, a new building was built next to the high school. (Currently Franklin Middle School). It stayed as Shawano’s high school until 1955 and when the present high school was built.

Below is part of an article from the Shawano County Advocate (March, 3, 1917) which describes this new $100,000 high school.

The new high school will be one of the most complete in northern Wisconsin new conveniences not found in other schools have been installed…The main part of the building is 154 by 160 but this is not solid as it is built in a T shape. . . The exterior is dark red with white mortar and looks attractive. The stone work gets the building off in nice shape. There are practically three stories to the building, the basement and two other floors, but the basement being all above ground makes it light as any of the other floors …On the south side of the basement the manual training department will be situated, and the rooms will consist of a drawing room, bench room, stock room and a small room for the instructor…On the other side of the basement is the domestic science department.

On the first floor will be the principal’s office …commercial and typewriting rooms and one or two recitation rooms …The second floor will be found the large auditorium …classrooms for science … darkroom and developing room …and the reference library.

Many at first glance do not like the looks of the small windows in the building, but it is said that all of the modern school buildings are built that way at the present time, claiming that the small glass is much better accustomed for school purposes.

In 1933, an addition was built to the high school. This was a PWA project when the gymnasium was extended to Washington Street. Two new classrooms on the second floor and new shower rooms were also installed. Two stories were also

built over the boiler room. In 1958, there were other improvements. The main study hall was shortened to provide for a library and two classrooms. Another addition was completed in 1963. This included a suite of offices for Joint District #8, the Board of Education room, office and supply room for the superintendent, kitchen and cafeteria, two guidance offices, three classrooms and a music room.

CONSOLIDATION

Beginning in the 1940’s the State of Wisconsin began the movement to consolidate the rural and urban schools. In 1948, Shawano became a part of this process. Shawano and surrounding rural grade schools became Joint District No. 8. The new district included 22 branch schools and two central schools — Gresham and Shawano. District No. 8 became one of the largest integrated school districts in the State of Wisconsin. It had an enrollment of 2300 students and a teaching staff of over 100.

The first Board of Education elected for District No. 8 was composed of the following: Dr. W. H Cantwell, president, Fenton Muehl, clerk; A. W. Gast, treasurer, all of Shawano.  Directors-at-large were: Mrs. Harold (Ruth) Meyer, Shawano; John Libby, Shawano; A. H. Klebesadel, Town of Belle Plaine; Everett Gueths, Town of Richmond; Al Prey, Town of Waukechon; Victor Sousek, Gresham. Mrs. Robert Mayhew (Lucille) of Shawano was appointed to this board after the resignation of John Libby.

These board members, as well as others to follow, began an ambitious plan to eventually close all the rural schools and bus the children to Shawano where they would attend grade school and high school. This plan was completed by 1968.

The Board also realized with the increased enrollment; a new high school would have to be built. At various board meetings the following considerations seem to be of major concern:

1-The Shawano high school building, erected in 1918 for a “maximum” enrolment of 450, last year had an enrollment of 740.

2-More space was needed in the expanding subject areas of agriculture, home economics, business education, and industrial arts.

3-The trend in school buildings is to erect structures on sizable properties, free from heavy traffic and factories.

4-The proposed site for the new Shawano high school is the properties in the southeast section of the city, comprising 27 acres and one block from the Athletic Field.

5-If voters give approval to the pending plans, the present high school building would be used as a junior high school alleviating the crowded situation at Lincoln school, where 618 students are in quarters designed for 300.

After much discussion and investigation, they made this recommendation. On July 11, 1953, after the need for a new school had been stressed repeatedly in the newspapers, over the radio, and at public meetings, the citizens voted to bond the district $725,000.

On September 1st, the site was chosen by the electors. According to the sketches prepared by the architect, the new school would include a practice football field, a half-mile track, parking lot, three softball diamonds, one baseball diamond, five tennis courts, and sheltered bus loading facilities next to the building.

Construction was started in the spring of 1954 and in 1955, the high school was moved to its present site. It was made up of grades 10-12. In 1968, the ninth grade was moved to the high school and Franklin Junior High became Franklin Middle School, which now included grades six, seven and eight. New additions were added to the high school in 1962 and in 1968. These included the math/ science complex and the auxilary gym/ girls locker room/ band area.

Shawano High School, now the middle school – additions were completed in 1962 and 1968

OLGA BRENER SCHOOL

By 1968 the one-room elementary schools in the district were closed and Union St. The name was given to honor one of Shawano’s dedicated educator.

Mrs. Brener had been associated with the Shawano school system for nearly 50 years including six years as a member of the Board of Education. For 43 years Mrs. Brener was principal of Lincoln School and in the later years, before her retirement, she also served as administrator of the public school in Neopit and Keshena.

It was while she was principal of Lincoln School, in the earlier years, that she organized the Lincoln School PTA and in, 1922, brought about the organization of Girl Scouting in Shawano.

Her life time of devotion to education was recognized when Shawano’s new elementary school was dedicated in her honor in August, 1968. She retired in 1964 and died in 1969.

In late 1991, a new addition was added to Olga Brener Elementary. The $1.7 million addition included 13 classrooms, a larger kitchen, all-purpose room which is used for physical education classes as well as physical and occupational therapy and additional storage space. The new addition was also made accessible for the disabled.

MENOMINEE INDIANS

The Shawano school system throughout its history has experienced much turbulence but probably no more turbulent times than in the decade of the 1970’s when the district experienced problems with charges of racism by the Menominees.

The history of the Menominee Reservation/ county schools is certainly an interesting, if not confusing story. The Menominee state jurisdiction, developed differently from the Shawano district but later merged with this district when it became a county instead of a reservation.

In 1912-13 the first public school was built on the reservation in Neopit. The site was below St. Anthony’s Church and just across the highway from the millpond. Children had been attending school before this either at the parochial schools in Neopit or Keshena or paying tuition at schools outside the reservation.

This school was built by the U.S. government. It was replaced in 1939 by the present Neopit School. It included grades 1 – 8. Any student who wished to go further went to Flandreau Pipestone or Haskell Institute (Indian Boarding schools).  Some went to Antigo or Shawano High Schools on tuition paid by parents or tribal funds.

On July 1, 1948, the Menominee Reservation school system was placed under the jurisdiction of the State of Wisconsin and became a part of the state school system. The operation of the school was run by the Menominee Reservation public school system at Neopit with Department of Public Instruction. guidance from the Wisconsin State. Arrangements were made with the Shawano school system to accept seventh and eighth graders into the junior high school in 1957. Grades 9 – 12 attended Antigo, Shawano or Suring High on a tuition basis under the Johnson-O’Malley Act from 1947 to 1961.

In 1960-61, another grade school was built in Keshena. This school began with an enrollment of 107 boys and girls in grade K-6. This school and the Neopit school came under the jurisdiction of the Shawano School Board and a part of District No. 8 in 1961, when the Menominee Indian Reservation ceased to exist.

For the next 15 years the Menominee students attended grade school (K-6) in Neopit or Keshena and then were transported by bus to Shawano or Gresham for grades 7 – 12. An uneasy peace seemed to prevail amongst the students when they came together in junior-senior high school, but the next few years were marred by much turmoil with charges of racial discrimination and segregation made by both sides. This came to a head in 1969 when the federal government and HEW began investigation of the charges. Also, in 1972 a lawsuit was filed against the district by residents of Menominee County alleging the students from Menominee County were being discriminated against in Shawano schools.

In 1975, the Menominee Reservation was once again restored and the Menominees began to take steps to create their own school system. As part of the settlement of the lawsuit, Shawano agreed to allow Menominee to break away from Shawano and form its own district.

On July l, 1976, the Menominee School District was created. Many Indian students continued to attend Shawano middle and senior high schools until a new high school was built in Keshena in the early 1980’s.

GRESHAM SCHOOLS

Besides schools in the City of Shawano and the surrounding rural schools, the district includes schools in the Village of Gresham.

The first public school in Gresham was a one room log building established in 1884. In 1892 a frame school house was built. A larger school was built in 1902. This building housed the grades and high school. This building was destroyed by fire in 1934 and replaced later that year with the current building.

The first class graduated from Gresham High School in 1938. The gymnasium was attached to the building in 1948-49 and another addition was added in 1962.

Thus completes the history of the City of Shawano schools – from its humble beginning on a tree stump in 1855 to a district that at one time was one of the largest in the state of Wisconsin.

Table II

Shawano County Superintendents

1863 – 1963

(Position was discontinued by the State in 1964)

Table III

City of Shawano – Superindendents

1920 – 1993

Table IV

Principals of Shawano High School

1878 – 1993

Table V

Principals of Franklin Junior High and Middle School

1955 – 1993

Table VI

Principals of Lincoln Elementary School

1921 – 1993

Table VII

Principals of Olga Brener School

1968 – 1993

Table VIII

Shawano High School Graduates

1881 – 1993

Table IX

Principals of Gresham School

1902 – 1993