History of South Division "Central" School, 1906-1956

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This paper was written by Savena Ahbe Gorsline and Jeannette Jefferson Baranski for the Central School 50th Anniversary.

HISTORY OF SOUTH DIVISION "CENTRAL" SCHOOL
1906 - 1956

This afternoon we invite you to go back with us fifty years, and reminisce the early days of the South Division School, now known as the Central School. Some of you here may remember through the years, and many of you who were not early students will learn something of the school's history and growth.

In 1905 Des Plaines was a village with a population of about 2080. The village limits were, Rand Road on the north to Algonquin Road on the south; the Des Plaines river on the east, and the Soo Line Railroad on the west. There were no paved streets, some wooden side-walks, a few street lights, one police officer and a curfew bell that rang at 10 o'clock each evening. There was one public grade school at that time. It was the North Division School, part of which was built in 1874. Many of our parents attended that school and told us interesting tales of the school days in the eighties and nineties.

With just one school in a growing village, the crowded conditions made it quite evident that another school was needed. The School Board whose members were P.M. Hoffman, L.G.Held, H.C.Geils, J.Radloff, H.T.Bennett, F.C.Barcel and E.D.Jones decided to have a school on the south side of town. They purchased one half block of property on Thacker street, Center street and Ashland Avenue. The contract to build the new school was given to Mr. William Koehler, Sr., and the work was soon underway.

By September 1906 the building was completed. It contained four class rooms, which comprise the center portion of the building today. The first and second grades were on the main floor with the third and fourth grades on the second floor. A large play room was in the basement. Some of you may remember the exciting first day of school in the new building with the shiny new desks and the polished floors. How curious everyone was to meet the new teacher, learn her name and see just what she looked like.

Miss Florence Haugh taught the first grade. She had thirty pupils in her class including two sets of twins.

Mrs. Lizzie Cook taught the second grade from 1906 - 1921. She kept a little black whip in the chalk rack of the blackboard, and when she didn't get the attention she wanted, she would wave the whip, and this always got results.

Miss Annie Cooney taught the third grade. She is remembered for her want drills. The wands were made of broom stick handles and were covered with red, white and blue ribbons. It was quite a sight to see the wands being maneuvered by the students to the accompaniment of music.

Miss Alma Salstrom taught the fourth grade. By this time the lessons became more difficult and much time was spent in study.

These were the four grades at the South Division School and there were one hundred and fifty pupils in the school. Mr. W. Don Smith was the superintendent and remained in that position until 1915.

Report cards were issued monthly to the students with the following system of grading: E for excellent, V.G. very good, G good, F - fair, and P - poor.

In 1906 there were no buses or taxi cabs, and very few people had automobiles so there was no transportation. When the bad winter weather came, the children would bring their lunches to school which they ate in the basement playroom. Apples were always baked on the radiators along with wet leggings that everyone wore.

Mr. Fred Tegtmeir came as janitor of the school in 1906 and remained for many years. He was a friend of all the children and would entertain them during the lunch hour in the basement playroom. He also kept perfect points on all their pencils through the years.

Because there were only four grades in the South Division School, the fifth grade pupils went to the North Division School.

In 1912, a petition signed by 218 parents asking for an addition to the South Division School was presented to the school board.

The population of Des Plaines was then 2348 and four more class rooms were added to the school on the south side or Ashland Avenue side of the building. This completed the eight grades of the school. The building contract was given to Mr. Frank Cook for the sum of $13,487 dollars. Mr. W.E.Downing did the heating installation, and Mr. Walter Wheeler did the electrical work. Mr. Otto Johns laid the concrete side-walks.

On the second floor of the new addition was a large auditorium, which has remained unchanged these many years, until this summer when some remodeling was done. In the new basement addition was a Manual Training room for the boys with W. Don Smith, the superintendent as the teacher. A domestic science room was also in the basement, and Miss Annette Hoffman, now Mrs. Ellis Johnson, was the teacher and taught the seventh and eighth grade girls their first cooking lessons. Some of the dishes the girls learned to make were: cream sauce, potatoes on the half shell, chocolate pudding and fudge. Sewing was taught to the fifth and sixth grade girls; and a night-gown was one of the first pieces of wearing apparel the girls made.

The fifth grade teacher was Miss Harriet Leaming, who will be remembered by her pupils for the continued stories she read to her students each Friday afternoon. If the story was not finished, and it never was, by the time the bell rang for school to be dismissed, Miss Leaming would continue the reading the next Friday afternoon.

The sixth grade teacher was Mrs. Frazier who also taught water color painting after school. In this grade many new friends were made when the pupils of the Immanuel Lutheran School entered our sixth grade class.

Miss Viola Lines taught the seventh grade. She taught her pupils the names of the Presidents of the United States, and the names of the Kings and Queens of England in rhyme. The first class room club was organized in her room; it was known as the SENIALP SED which is Des Plaines spelled backwards. Miss Lines was loved by all her pupils; she is now Mrs. Leon Newton and is with us today.

Miss Nellie Jones taught the eighth grade. She was raised in Des Plaines and lived with her family on Lee Street. She is now Mrs. Fred Blume and resides in Florida. She is unable to be with us today, but has written the following letter.

In 1914 the first grade of 1906 graduated from the South Division School. Six of the original pupils were in the class, seven from the North Division school plus six others who had entered later, making a total of 19 graduates. The graduation exercises were held in the school Auditorium, and the diplomas were presented to the graduates by Mr. H. H. Talcott, a member of the school board at that time. The graduation program dated June 18, 1914, is in our possession today and may be seen along with school pictures which are on display at the Central school.

In 1915 Mr. David Mac Luckie came to the school as superintendent and remained until 1922. Mr. Mac Luckie was interested in Scouting, and started the first Boy Scout Troops here in Des Plaines.

The school playground at this time was not large enough to accommodate the increasing number of students, so the school board purchased some additional property adjacent to the school on Lee Street from Mrs. Sophia Costello, the grandmother of Mayor Kenneth G. Meyer. This was done in the year of 1916.

In 1917 - 1918 were the first world war years. War stamps were sold in the school and knitting and bandage rolling was taught to the girls.

In 1921 Mr. Fred Grewe came to the school as custodian and maintenance man. The boilers to heat the building at this time were hand fired, and each winter season in the extreme cold weather, three car-loads of coal were shoveled into the boilers. In 1938, stokers were installed which made it a bit easier for Mr. Grewe, and in 1953 the coal heating was converted to oil. Mr. Grewe is still at the South Division school and has been a faithful worker these many years.

Mr Harry Knaar came to the school as superintendent in 1922. During his regime the P.T.A. was organized, and the Boys Patrol was started. Mr. Knaar remained until 1928.

In 1925 the Parent-Teachers Association was organized, with Mr. E.H.Rittmueller as the first president of the north and south schools. In 1926 separate P.T.A's were formed in each school.

In 1925 Mr. Walter Dahm was principal and he helped organize the Patrol Boys and took charge of their work. This safety measure has helped greatly toward the safety of the children at all street crossings near the school. Mrs. Mabel Maine is in charge of the patrol leaders today.

In 1926 the Nurse and Welfare organization was started in Des Plaines, and a room in the South Division School was used to store clothes for the needy; all welfare work was handled from this room. Miss Allman was the first nurse to come to the school.

In 1926 Miss Zollinger, now Mrs. Leo Knittle, came as music supervisor. She not only taught singing in the schools but also started the first orchestra, with many children taking part. A class of violin students known as the Fiddlettes were started under her supervision.

In 1928 plans were made by the school board to build the second addition to the school. The contract was given to Mr. Axel Carlson for the sum of $52,000 dollars. This addition was built on the north or Thacker street side of the building adding eight more rooms. members of the school board at this time were:

The population of Des Plaines was now 7731, and it was decided to change the name of the South Division School to Central School.

Mr. Eugene Selleck came to Des Plaines as superintendent of the school in 1928. He had charge of the three schools that were now in Des Plaines; they were the North, South and West schools. Mr. Lee Foster came this year and assisted Mr. Selleck as principal of the Central school.

In September of 1929, a group of mothers with children of preschool age, felt the need of a Kindergarten in our school system, so a petition was signed by the parents of small children and by other interested citizens, and was presented to the school board asking for a Kindergarten. Because there was no available space in the school, the Board of Education offered to supply a teacher if a place could be found to hold the classes. Mrs. Fayette Merrill and Mrs. Frank Baran ski accepted the challenging situation and took charge. The American Legion offered a room in their home free of charge. The women solicited funds and purchased five tables, 48 chairs of various sizes, a sand table and a blackboard. A doll-house, record player and many toys were donated. And now the Kindergarten was ready. On October 12th, was the registration day, and the enrollment at Kindergarten was 65. A morning and afternoon class was held each day with Miss Olga Manguel as the teacher. Transportation was furnished to the children by the Geisen Taxi Cab Company for ten cents a day for each child. In 1931 the Kindergarten was divided among the various schools. In September of this year, 1956, the enrollment at the Central School Kindergarten was 101.

In 1929 the first school band was organized at Central School with Mr. Rollins A. Seabury as the director. The band started with eight boys, but soon grew in membership under Mr. Seabury's fine direction.

In 1930 Supt. Sellectk told the P.T.A. about the new summer round-up plan which other schools were using successfully throughout the country. The plan called for all school children to be examined by the school nurse and local doctors, and any defects found in the child would be reported to their parents for correction before the school started in the Fall. The children were again examined in the Fall, and all found in perfect health, were given a blue ribbon. The P.T.A. voted to adopt this plan which proved to be a fine thing for the school. The local doctors who so generously GAVE their services to this work were: Dr. C.A.Earle, Dr. Edward Meier, Dr. A.M.Purves, Dr. J.H.Krueger, Dr. Henry Heller, Dr. M. Fahey and Dr. F.F.Fuhlbrigge. Miss Menard was the school nurse who was active in this work.

1931 to 1933 were the Depression years, and money to operate the schools was not too plentiful. The Board of Education was struggling to meet the teacher's payroll and building maintenance obligations. The Faculty was paid in cash the amount of fifty dollars each, the rest of their compensation was paid in Tax Warrants. A letter signed by 43 teachers expressing their appreciation of the support the Board of Education was giving them during these difficult times, and the teachers promised their loyalty in return.

The Riverview school was condemned in 1934 and the new school that had been started in Riverview was unable to be completed for lack of funds. More than 100 pupils from that school were sent to the Central school until the new school could be finished.

In 1936 the Hot Lunch program was started. Prior to this time the P.T.A. mothers would bring a hot dish of food to the school and serve the students at noon hour. To-day a regular lunch room is in operation daily with Mrs. H. Hildebrand as cook.

1941 - 1945 were the second world war years and history again seemed to repeat itself. Pupils of the school saved their pennies to buy war stamps and bonds. Many paper and scrap drives were taken on by the school children. Everything usable in the war effort was salvaged and collected by the children. Fire drills and bomb alerts were practised regularly by the pupils.

Miss Rosalind Wallach came to Central school in 1946 and served as Music supervisor until 1955. She helped organize a string quintette made up of five boys who studied with Miss Wallach. This quintette became very popular for their many appearances on radio, clubs, weddings and other groups.

The boys who were in the quintette were Edward Doemland, Louis Gapinski, Richard Bachli and Robert and Victor Pagel.

In 1952 Supt. Sellect introduced the Rental Book Plan. In the early days at Central school most text books were handed down in the family. If you had an older brother or sister, you scratched out their names and proudly wrote your name on the front page of the cover of the same text book. All the books and supplies were purchased at the F.C. Walton Drug Store on Ellinwood Street, which is now occupied by the paper store. With the Book Rental plan the parents are charged a fee for the books used all year by their children. This rental plan has proved very successful and is still in effect.

Since 1953 Miss Fiona Calder has taught classes in singing and Glee club work at Central school. Many fine programs have been given under her direction, one of the highlights in music through the years was the presentation of "THE LITTLEST ANGEL" by Charles Tazewell, presented at Christmas time by the fifth and sixth grades of Central school.

This history would not be complete unless some mention was made of the teachers who have taught at Central School for more than fifteen years. They are Margaret Walters, Bernice Manuel, Phyllis Stokes, Ethel Nelson, Janice Doherty, Fiona Calder, Margaret Zollinger Knittle, Lucille Melzer, Sue Reif, Mary Gifford, Mrs. Malcolm Moore and Miss Lee.

The following gentlemen have served as principals at Central; they are Mr. Lee Foster, Gilbert Rudiger, Walter Dahm, Ernest Thompson, Philip Jacobson and Henry Lashway.

The school board too should receive special mention. They are faced with many problems during the year. Their job is to provide adequate school facilities to meet the rapidly growing population of Des Plaines. The Board hires teachers and sees that all payroll and maintenance bills are paid each month. The people who serve on the school board are civic minded individuals who give generously of their time for educational purposes.

The following men have served on the school board as President during the past thirty years: Dr. A.M. Purvis, Chas. H. Lueck, Morris E. Houser, R.D. Duthie, W.J. Zenner, Russell L. Peters, F. F. Webster, and Harlow A. Coxe.

The members of the present school board are:

Mr. Leon Smaage came to Central School as superintendent of all the grade schools in 1946. Under his direction the E.M.H. program was started to give special help to mentally handicapped children. The first class room in this specialized work was in the room south of the principal's office, and was called the Individualized Instruction Room.

Before this time, many of us remember the rigid rows of seats all the same size that made up the class room. If you were too small for the seat, you were lost behind the desk and had to sit on a large book or even sit on your legs, and if you were large for your age, you cramped yourself into the seat and made the best of it.

Under Mr. Smaage's supervision, new universal seats were installed in the class rooms. Now the seats are movable and adjustable, and all students sit comfortably.

A new decorating scheme was started, with the Central school used as the pilot school where colors were tried out to get the best effects. Some of us remember the old practical colors of dark brown in the corridors, and glaring white walls in the class rooms. This was all changed to soft greens, grays and yeblow colors that have proved more restful and pleasant to the pupils, than the harsh colors used in the years before.

An important experiment in better lighting program was started. The lighting plan in Mrs. Stoke's room, where the experiment was made, was chosen as the better type of lighting for the school.

Mr. Leon Smaage is the present superintendent of our schools, and with the splendid record he has achieved in the past ten years he has been with us, we hope he will continue in this position for many years to come.

The rest of the school's history is now in the making, and our sincere wish as writers of this history, is the hope that the next fifty years in our school system will be as progressive and worthy of record as the past has been.

And we say in closing:

We hope as you sat and listened

To the history of the Central School, You were able to recall some memory,

That you enjoyed learning the Golden Rule.

In searching through the many old records, Getting facts and dates and such, The old pages to us seemed sacred, And worthy of a gentle touch.

Fifty years has passed almost too quickly, Some of you, I am sure will agree, But time will keep marching onward to add more to the school's history. So we shall keep looking forward,

And watch Central School continue to grow, With an interest and almost devotion, We, who attended there many years ago.

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