1916  New School
 


This modern one-room building with basement and equipment in 1916 cost $1,689.

                                                                       Oregon Historical Society, # 71153


1916 McKinley School — Bell Tower Added, Still a One-room School.

The new school was large enough for two rooms, but only one was used. McKinley now had a bell tower and the teacher would assign students to ring it each morning. Inside the front door in the upstairs entry, student’s coats were hung on hooks. A shelf above held lunch buckets. Inside the classroom was a glass library case.

 
The teacher would read a chapter a day from one of the selected books. “If your work was done, you could read.” Primary grade desks were on the left side of the room, upper grades on the right. There were also two big tables. A wood stove with a protective grill around it was everyone’s favorite spot, especially on a cold day. Alma Foege Spies

The students would recite on a recitation bench, read, and work on math. They did a lot of mental math and oral arithmetic. Math contests were on the black board to see who was the fastest. There were spelling bees. The younger students listed to the older ones to learn all they could.

There was a pump organ painted white. Kerosene lamps added light. There was a clock that students would wind once a day. Alma Foege Spies

Steps lead down to the basement. If it was raining during recess, students could play tag in the basement. Other times the boys would take a bucket and collect fir cones in the woods and have a game of war.

The teacher was also the janitor. Sometime the boys came early to light the wood stove. Water was still a problem. Each morning two girls were sent to the pump to fill the water pail. No indoor plumbing, just two privies.

1916 Five More Acres   More land purchased from Jesse Hansen.

1918 Community Club Organized for the War Effort

The McKinley Community Club was organized during the war for Red Cross and emergency work.

Clara Meurer , “McKinley School Reunion Attracts Over 300 Alums” Hillsboro Argus


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