The Dawson Herald from Dawson, Nebraska • 21

I THE DAWSON HERALD DAWSON NEERASKA HISTORICAL EDITION Dawson Public and High School Is the Pride of the Community usurer Geo Funk Cooper $200420 The tax levy was 8 mills Harpster with an additional levy' of 23 mills Teaching stuff: Adee Sup: for the new building Miss Golda Mountain Prin Mrs For the school year of 1935-1930 Rosa Beck Asst Prin Mrs Arta a total of 93 students were enrolled The new building is a very handsome structure of red brick trimmed with white stone Practically all of the material used in it was supplied through the local yard of the Sullivan umber Co It is modern and complete in every detail and shows that the members of the Board in conjunction with the architect spared neither time nor expense in planning for the convenience and comfort of both teachers and pupils The latest ancj most efficient systems of lighting ventilation heating and plumbing have been installed and it is a source of wonder to visitors that a town the size of Dawson could have such a modern building Among the somewhat unusual features in a small town school are th swinging door wardrobes the well equipped Home Economics room (lulu rich room and the spacious gymnasium The kindergarten department too is a model the little tots Dawson long has prided herself on the educational facilities here-1 and as time goes on they are improved to meet changing conditions In the very early days the first settlers saw the need for educating the young and showed no hesitancy in building schools and obtaining the best possible teachers for them In the village itself the first school district was organized in 1877 by County Superintendent Williams Members of the first board were Wm Fenton Barlow and William Knipe he first teacher in the new district was Miss Helen De-weese 'Mrs Draper) and Hie school was held in a hail where the meat market now stands Following teachers were Miss Helen Burr (Mrs Wesley Hummel who died in June 1936) and James In 1880 a frame schoof-house was built on the site of the present school and when this was destroyed DAWSON PUBLIC SCHOOL in high school beifftt divided a follows: Seniors 20 Juniors 19 Sti-phomores 30 and Freshmen 24 In the grades there were 136: 12 in the Kindergarten 18 First grade 12 Second grade 14 Third grade 18 Fourth grade 17 Fifth grade 17 Sixth grade 15 Seventh grade and 13 Eighth grade Sixty in the giades registered for class music instruction on various instruments and an exceptional record was made- at the various musical contests in which our school took part Buses Bring Pupils To School Seven large well equipped motor buses transport the children from the surrounding country to and from our consolidated school and throughout the years there has been no accident to mar their splendid record The drivers are selected by (Continued on next page) Parriott Home Economics Mr Emil Fiala Seventh and Eighth grades Mrs Rosella Giffee Fifth aiuf'Sixth grades Miss Edna Heim Third and Fourth grades Miss Lucille Triggs First and Second grades Miss Gla-dys McKenney Consolidation of District For several years there had been more or less agitation in the community tor a consolidated school in order to give children from the country districts an opportunity to have the same educational facilities as those in town In 1920 the consolidation was effected with the following districts: all of Districts 3-1 43 44 and 95 and parts of Districts 35 and 92 The total value of the district now known as 15C for 1935 was $1660020 the personal being $147-660 real estate $1311940 and the railroad property being assessed at rool was taken in 1889 and two teachers Hoff and Byrne) This picture of Dawson Public shows the student body and 1 Miss Annie O'Biien iMrs by fire December 18 1901 it was re-pi acari by a brick structure that gave service until 1925 when it was torn down to give place to the present building The New Building The present building was erected in 1925 and is one of the finest buildings of its kind in any smad town in the state The following information is taken from the files of The Herald: "'The new school building was dedicated Saturday evening January' If 1926 a program being given in th school auditorium at which Govern or Adam McMullen was theprinci pal speaker being given every chance under a capable teacher of having an excellent start in their school life Credit for the fine structure and its equipment must go largely to the members of the Board who have worked so untiringly and devoted so much of their own tima to the details of construction Meetings without number have been held both formal and informal at which every question was thoroughly threshed out with the' result that it would be hard now to -make a suggestion of any improvement could be added The building is indeed a cre- dit to the counfy and the state Here are some'facts in connection with the building?" Architect Pampel' Kansas Cty Mo General cpntractor A Johnson Fairbury Plumbing Heating and Lighting contractors KinSey sVns Total cost approximately $51000" Work started May 5 1925 Building occupied Nov 9 1925 Building iK frj facont-rac- tor December 11 1925 Building dedicated Jan 16 1926 Members of the school board Hendricks President Chas Wus-ter Secretary Paul Heim Tre- THE FIRST GRADUATES This -picture vis of the first graduating class -from Dawson High School in 1891 Members of the class Dan Riiey Mary Heim Stratfon Bryan Riley Charles E'von Barlow and Jonas Heim The superintendent of the school at that time was Ralph Waldo Bouton The baskets shown in the picture were filled with daisies and other wild flowers gathered in the fields surrouhding the school and town Three members of this class have children -graduated from Dawson High School and one member of the class Mrs Mary Heim Stratto'n has two granddaughters Evelyn and Lorraine Ulmer who have also graduated Nan Riley daughter of Dan Riley is a graduate as also are- Trlie Stratton Ulrrier and Isaiah Stratton daughter and son of Mary Heim Stratfon Jonas Heim is the only member of the class not now living His four children are Dawson High graduates Linden Heim Edna Heim Waldo Heim and Marie Heim Fiala Supt Chas Davis.