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Early History Public Schools |
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| Partial history of
Traverse City Public Schools Extraction from the 1900 Traversian Traverse City, Grand Traverse, Michigan |
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There is a variety of topics covered from this book regarding students, teachers and more. Enjoy |
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History of 1900:
The educational institutions of any community are a priceless heritage. The character of these institutions determine very largely the intellectual and moral tone of the people who sustain them. As in a community so in a nation, schools are an essential consequence and the standards of morality and intelligence which they set up are the bulwark of the nation's political institutions. The life of the public schools will be continuous with that of the nation, when they perish the nation will parish also.
It is the peculiar pride of Traverse City that her citizens have always manifested a deep interest in the welfare of her public schools. Public education was one of the first solicitations of the pioneers who, nearly a half century ago, settled upon the shores of the beautiful Grand Traverse Bay. From that time to the present her interest in education has not waned.
It would be interesting, if time and space permitted to trace the history of the public schools of Traverse City since 1853, when all the children of the settlement were comfortably quartered in small log school houses on what is now East Front Street down to the present time when over twenty-two hundred are enrolled in beautiful and well equipped buildings. But it shall be our purpose in this brief article to trace their progress more especially since 1884.
From 1853 to 1880 the schools of the village were organized under the general law as an ungraded district; in the latter year, during the superintendent years of S. G. Bulkhead, they were organized as a graded school district which was continued until 1895, when Traverse City was incorporated as a city under a special charter.
In the fall of 1884, the schools of Traverse City occupied a six-room frame building situated where the Central Building now stands: three one-room buildings on the corner of Park and Washington Streets; two one-room buildings on the corner of Elmwood Avenue and Randolph street: and the small one-room building on the corner of union and tenths streets.
The enrollment of pupils for the year 1884-85, as shown by the records of that year, was 480, about fifty of them were enrolled in the high school department. At this time thirteen teachers were employed; eleven in the grades and two in the high school. At the present time the schools occupy four large, commodious and well-equipped brick buildings and two small, wooden structures, all built and equipped at an expenditure of about $110,000.00. The enrollment for the present year is something over twenty-two hundred, --three hundred and thirty-five of whom are enrolled in high school.
In 1884 the equipment of the schools, aside from the general store furniture, consisted of a library of less than fifty volumes, a set of outline maps and a globe. Today there are few schools in the state better equipped for doing thorough work along secondary lines. The special library for the high school contains about 1200 well-selected volumes, and in addition to this, grade libraries are established in each building, containing books especially designed to supplement the work in geography, history and science. A small but well-selected pedagogical library for teachers has also been established. The physical and chemical laboratories are stocked with apparatus, so that these courses can be carried on in accordance with strict laboratory methods.
Fourteen years ago the high school contained but one course of study--the English. Since that time the former lines of work have been extended and new studies added until at present five thorough and comprehensive courses are maintained, any on of which gives a thorough training for the active duties of life or fits for admission to the State University, the Normal College, the Agricultural College, and the various denominational colleges of the state.
In 1889 an application was made by the Board of Education, through the superintendent, for a committee from the State University to visit the high school and examine its course of study, equipment, strength of teaching force and so forth. After a thorough investigation, the committee reported the school as doing work of a high character and that it was thoroughly prepared to enter into academic relation with the University. Since that time the University relation has been continued so that graduates from the high school have been admitted on their diplomas without the formality and annoyance of an entrance examination.
The first class to graduate from the high school was the lass of 1885, and consisted of five members. Since 1885, two hundred seven have graduated from the various courses. The record which the graduates have made in all departments of human endeavor in which they have engaged is a source of pride, not only to those who were responsible for their instruction but also to the citizens of the city who so generously maintained the institution which sent them forth.
The public schools of Traverse City have played an important part in the material, social, intellectual and moral progress of the community, and it is hoped that the high standard they have reached will be maintained through the coming years.
"Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, school and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.
Traverse City Alumni
"A school is known by its Alumni." Such being the case, there is nothing surprising in the fact that the TRAVERSE CITY HIGH SCHOOL holds a very enviable position among the schools of the state. Among the Alumni we have no state's prison convicts. We have, however, a few lawyers, editors, drummers, and insurance agents. Advancing up the scale, we have a few doctors, some merchants, several mechanics, a great many teachers, some farmers, a few ministers, a number of wives and not a few mothers.
A very much Alumni Association is kept up, in which the honor of the Presidency is exceeded only by its expensiveness. An annual meeting is held in which the Alumni orator invariably speaks to a "crowded" though not a "full" house. Old acquaintances are renewed (to some extent) and old corns are trodden upon (to a very great extent). The class that has just completed the course think of how the school has improved since these old classes were graduated. The older graduates think of how the school has improved since these old classes were graduated. The older graduates think, "How little these youngsters know compared with those of who were graduated in the good old days when solid work was done!"
The officers of the Alumni Association are at present as follows: -President, Parmius C. Gilbert; Vice-President, Stella Schneider; Secretary, Minnie Wait; Treasurer, Mrs. George W. C. Navarre. All members of the Association being so willing to do all that is asked of them in the way of work, and pay all that is asked of them in the way of Alumni dues and assessments, the work of the officers of the Association is very simple and easy indeed.
Fortune has been kind to those who have finished the work of the TRAVERSE CITY HIGH SCHOOL. (continues but is all philosophical jibber jabber about no one in general.)
| @Grand Traverse Region History by Brenda K. Wolfgram
Moore Email Brenda with comments or help with family names MIGenWeb Grand Traverse 6Nov2003-23Sep2008 |