SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION

In about 1912 discussion began in regard to adding a 12th grade to the high school. It took some time, but in 1915 vote was taken to issue bonds, to make necessary changes in the building, buy equipment, and hire one more teacher. The issue passed by a overwhelming margin of 110 to 1. 

The interior of the second floor rooms were remodeled to provide more classrooms. 

About the same time athletics were added to the curriculum, but there was no gymnasium. This problem was solved temporarily by acquiring the old Barlow building located at the west end of Market Street. It was converted into a makeshift gymnasium and a place to give class plays. 

The Barlow building was located on the northeast corner of George Harm’s property where the present bus barn is located. This building had been used for a number of purposes throughout the years such as housing general merchandise stores, and pool hall. It also housed Steamboat’s first and only moving picture theater known as the “Unique Theater.” 

Mildred Dunn Lepper gives clear insight into what went on in school in her Book “Tell Me About the Old Days, Grandma” 

“When my sister and I first arrived in Steamboat, in 1918, the Henry Schwitters family had just come to live there also. They lived first in the house where my mother was born, although it had undergone some remodeling. Mr. Schwitters ran the lumber yard, owned by Henry Potgeter. The Schwitters had six children: Ruth, about my age, Alvin, Paul, the twins, David and Daniel, and Bertha Ellen. Some years later, baby Faye was born. Ruth and I became good friends from the first day of school. We were both new kids in town, and that helped draw us together. Ruth had red hair Was there ever a redhead who did not get “picked on”? Some called her “carrots”, and this made me angry. Her hair was pretty. Another who came to her defense, and also befriended me was Alice Potgieter. We were all in the sixth grade. Our teacher was Miss Clara Bootjer, and we liked her much.” 

“The music teacher was Miss Viola Kabric, and she was excellent. In fact, most of the teachers I had those seven years in Steamboat Rock were above the ordinary, and some were outstanding. These made up for the few who did just enough to “get by”. We all gathered in the assembly room to sing songs from the brown book “Glee and Chorus”. I still recall the words and tunes of many old favorites. There was “Kitty of Colerain”, a song about an Irish lass; patriotic melodies such as “America for Me”; songs of other lands -The Linden Tree”, “The Lorelei”, “The Marseillaise”, (the national anthem of our French ally); “The Merry Heart”. When the boys were allowed to choose a song, it was usually “A Capital Ship” or “The Torpedo and the Whale”. Girls favored the dreamy ones, “Love’s Old Sweet Song” and “All through the Night”. 

“I recall an operetta Miss Kabric directed, and most of the school took part. It was called “Windmills of Holland”, and although the little stage in the assembly room was cramped quarters, we thought it was grand.” 

“The old school building had been built in 1869. It was yellow brick. My mother had gone to school in it, and she often spoke of some of her teachers and fellow pupils. The building was too small and becoming out of date by 1918. There was no running water. Coolers for drinking water were filled from pails carried from a well across the street. There was an outhouse, divided, with pit toilets, one side for girls and one for boys. I had never before attended a school that did not have running water and indoor toilets, so this arrangement which had served for many years, seemed strange to me. It certainly was time for a change.” 

“That change came about soon after we came to Steamboat Rock. The new school superintendent, Fred Kutzli, was a young man with advanced ideas. He persuaded the school board to hold public meetings to consider consolidating the smaller districts around Steamboat into a bigger and improved school. Since this would affect the rural taxpayers, the meetings were well attended, and there was considerable arguing among them as to whether it would be worth while to spend all that money Finally the first steps were taken. A well was drilled on the school grounds, pipes were laid, and indoor plumbing put into the first floor and basement which had been enlarged to make more room. A domestic science room, of sorts, was squeezed out of a corner, and a sink and stove installed, along with a few tables and cupboards. There was also a small manual training room. The old outhouse was done away with after new water closets were installed in the basement. The old furnace, boiler and coal room were kept as always, and my jolly Aunt Essie’s husband, whose real name was Ellis Harris, took care of it.” 

“We liked to hear him tell about his young days on the job and how he kept the boiler hot so that the engine could run. He had a habit of interspersing his story telling with long snorts through his nose.” 

The change came about in 1919 when the school district was enlarged through the first consolidation when the rural districts of Pleasant Mound, No. 6 and Clay Center No. 4 were added to the district by a vote of the people. This action was unanimous. 

The move was probably accelerated as the result of a tornado that had destroyed the Pleasant Mound schoolhouse in May of 1918, and the closing of the schoolhouse at Clay Center which was removed several years earlier due to the lack of attendance. 

This merger was one of, if not the first school consolidations in the state, and was typical of the pioneering spirit of the community. The election for the enlargement of the district was held on June 7, 1919. There were 53 ballots cast for the proposition and none against; and one spoiled ballot. 

The school board in office at the time of consolidation consisted of Ray Cartwright, president; A.M. Whitney, H.H. Johnson, Harm Folkerts, and H.M. Schwitters. W. Cartwright was secretary of the board and F.E. Kutzli was superintendent. 

On June 23, of that year , a special election was called for the purpose of electing a board of directors for the newly organized district. The board elected at that time was Robert McCaw, J. Willard Caldwell, H.M. Schwitters, George Folkerts, and A.M. Whitney. H.M. Schwitters was elected president, and J.A. Holmes was named Secretary. 

On May 15, 1920 further consolidation took place when a special election was held to include the rural districts of East Bend and Mineral Point which took in all the territory west of the river in Clay township except the extreme northwest corner, known as Poseyville which then was part of the Clay township school district No. 2, better known as Leverton School. 

Some of those who were the last to teach in some of the one room country schools still recall what it was like. 

Elizabeth Eckhoff moved to a farm southeast of Steamboat Rock, with her parents Mr. and Mrs. Peter P. Eckhoff, in 1927. The Steamboat Rock Consolidated School provided her education. 

Elizabeth, went into teaching and continued in that profession for 37 years. Her teaching experience began in a rural school near Steamboat Rock. She recalled, “Memories of those days include trapping dozens of mice which threatened to take over my desk; finding a live bat in the ash pan; arriving shortly after seven A. M. to drive the minus-twenty-degree ‘chill’ from the room before the students arrived; battling with poison ivy; keeping an emergency bag at school in case a storm necessitated my staying in the district over night; having supper with the families of the district; baking potatoes in the ashes; and preparing monthly report cards, plus unbelievably detailed monthly reports for the superintendent’s office.” 

The county superintendent visited each school frequently to check the premises, he was interested in general housekeeping, and relationship between student and teachers. 

Miss Eckhoff, who taught both in rural schools, and later in modern public schools said, “Rural schools had advantages, two being that older students continually reviewed the things they’d learned from kindergarten on up, while the little ones listened in on upper-grade discussions so that learning new skills came easily. One fourth grader could work square root right along with the eighth graders.” 

The teacher was responsible for everything, and never had a spare moment. There was P.E., music, and art to manual training and sewing; they had playground supervision, and prepared at least one full evening’s program annually, in addition to planning lessons for as many as nine grades. How many of today’s teachers would consider taking on all these duties, along with doing their own janitor work. 

Miss Eckhoff’s starting monthly salary was $60.00.