This
file portion of www.watertownhistory.org
website
High Schools
1858
09 09 Rollin L. Reed, Principal; Miss
L. A. Rockwell, Assistant WD
1864
08 11 Watertown Seminary WD
1872-1876
The Upper High School
Grade from 1872-1876.
Two rooms on the upper floor of Union School, No. 1. Theodore Bernhard.
1881
Charles
F. Viebahn appointed superintendent of schools and principal of High School
WDT
1915
03 17 Death of Charles F. Viebahn WDT
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Watertown
High School from 1881 to 1904
From 1913 High
School Orbit
(first Orbit published)
1866, First High School
Theodore
Bernhard
In the
summer of 1879, after the death of Theodore Bernhard, under whose principalship
the Watertown High School had been established in 1866, and who had been its
efficient head ever since, the board of education offered me the vacant
position. Being at that time bound by contract to the position I then held at
Manitowoc I had to decline the offer.
In the
fall of 1880, the position having again become vacant the board of education,
supported by the urgent invitation of many citizens, again offered it to
me. I agreed to accept the position on
condition that the school superintendency be combined with the high school
principalship. My condition was accepted.
The
duties of city superintendent of schools had hitherto combined what are now the
duties of the clerk of the board of education with most of the administrative
duties of the superintendent.
Rohr, W. H.
W. H.
Rohr, who had held the office of superintendent before the change was made, was
now appointed to the new position of clerk of the board of education. He had
formerly been a successful teacher, and during the thirteen years I was
associated with him in the administration of school affairs, he did much to
lighten my work. His excellent qualities as an official have always been
recognized.
I
entered upon the duties of my position as superintendent and principal
1881
High School part of
Union School No. 1 (
In
1881 the home of the high school was in what was then called Union School No.
1, now a part of the high school building. It occupied only two rooms on the
upper floor of that building. As the attendance increased and more room was
needed for the lower grades, the boards of education in 1883 determined to
erect a new building.
1883
High School part of
Webster School (
The
result of this was the building now known as the Webster School, the rooms on
(the) upper floor of which were assigned to the high school, and those on the
lower floor to grammar grades.
1893
High School part of
Union School No. 1 addition (
In
1898 additional room was provided by building an addition to Union School No.
1. The part added is the present assembly room of the high school, with its cloak
rooms and the rooms on the first floor directly below. Alterations were also
made in the basement and other parts of the building. A room for manual
training was provided.
The
enrollment of pupils of the high school in 1881 was fifty-two. In 1878, under
the principalship of Mr. Bernard, it had reached 145. In 1904 it was 215.
Increased
attendance in the high school is due to several causes. Among these the
following may be mentioned:
1.
Increase in wealth. There are more people now in our city who can afford to
give their children a secondary education than there were formerly.
2.
Higher appreciation of the value of high school education. Formerly most of our
citizens held the opinion that an elementary education is sufficient for all
except the few that want to prepare for a learned profession. This notion is
slowly changing.
3. The
course of study has been extended and made to contain more subjects which most
people regard as of more practical value than the usual staple subject of the
ordinary high school course.
4.
More teachers are employed. This permits the assignment of each to the branches
which he can teach best.
5.
Occasionally, the too rapid promotion of pupils and admitting them to the high
school before they are properly prepared for it.
High School,
1881 definition of
In
1881 the term high school did not mean exactly what it meant in 1904.
Formerly
the eighth grade was a grade of the high school. In 1884 it was made one of the
grammar grades.
Formerly
the school year was divided into three terms of instruction, beginning with the
spring term at the end of the Easter vacation. Since 1888 the school term has
been divided into semesters and the year of instruction was made to end in
June. This was one of the most difficult chances to make, because it interfered
with an old German custom. For some years the fourth year high school class
existed during the spring term only, the regular annual promotions taking place
at Easter and the commencement exercises in June.
It was
our aim not to allow the high school to constitute an entirely separate
institution. To indicate this it was determined not to use the college terms
freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors, but in order to show their relation
to the grades, to use the term ninth grade, tenth grade, eleventh grade and
twelfth grade. But this effort proved an utter failure. The boys and girls
persisted in using the college terms.
Only
two courses of study were followed in the high school, the general science
course and the modern classical course. There were some optional studies -
bookkeeping, commercial arithmetic, drawing, and later, shorthand and
typing. But we could not teach all the
subjects that should have been taught, nor divide up our classes to the best
advantage because our teaching force was too small. The principal, who should
have had the opportunity to give most of his time to supervision, generally had
to teach five or six classes a day.
Most
of the teachers employed during these years were interested in their work and
did good service. When it was found to be desirable that shorthand be taught,
one of the teachers devoted his summer vacation to the study of this art, and
in the fall he was prepared to teach a large class in shorthand.
In
1881 and during a few years that followed, the high school had no supplementary
or extra literary reading matter. The school library contained a few good books
for references, but no books to speak of that boys and girls would care to take
home to read.
All
this has since changed for the better; classical reading matter has been
supplied, the school library has been supplied with many good books, and the
pupils have been given the advantage of using the public library.
The
natural sciences had been given a prominent place on the course of study, but
the apparatus provided was insufficient for the proper teaching of physics and
chemistry. As it is easier to supply the most necessary apparatus and material
for the teaching of chemistry than for the teaching of physics, the former was
for a time made the more prominent study.
·
The
number of assistant teachers required for the high school during these years,
was as follows: 1881, one assistant; 1882, two; I884, three; 1893, four; 1902,
five; 1903, an additional teacher to teach drawing two weeks each month.
_________________________________________________
1885 The
earliest use of the word “gosling” when referring to
Watertown high school students.
1906 Night School
11 17
1906
The
night school opened at the high school building last evening under quite
favorable circumstances. The attendance, however, was not as large as was
expected, at least by some of the members of the board of education which
authorized the opening of the school at its last meeting.
One of
the members of the board last evening when informed by a Leader representative
that the enrollment was twenty-nine, expressed surprise and said he thought it
would be at least fifty.
. . . Superintendent
Roseman also thought there would be a larger enrollment ... He is of the
opinion that the attendance will increase, especially when it becomes known and
the fact of the benefits becomes appreciated. It should not, however take
coaxing or persuasion to increase the number of students. There are many young
men seen nightly loafing on the street corners and young ladies gadding the
streets who would do well to take advantage of this opportunity . . .
1908
06 18 Commencement WL
06 25 Senior Class play WL
09 11 Re-shingling
portion of the High School; L. Wright manual training teacher; Eighth grade
transferred to School No. 4.
___________________________________________________________________
1913
Letter from Jack to Jill
1913, New High School note
1913, Spring weather note
From 1913 High School
Orbit (first Orbit published)
WEATHER
LETTER.
Watertown,
Wis.,
Dear
Jill:
Your good
letter found me in a most receptive mood when it came yesterday. I am glad that
you are so much enjoying the apparently perpetual sunshine of California.
I
cannot help contrasting the beautiful weather you describe with that which we
are now experiencing. We have our rubbers on our feet, are holding our skirts
in one hand, and our umbrellas in the other, after the fashion appropriate to
Wisconsin people at this season of the year. The backbone of old Winter has
passed, but we are not yet out of range of the last expiring whisks of his long
caudal appendage. An operation upon him similar to the one you and I performed
on our old cat would do him good, don't you think so?
Do you
remember how people used to tease us when we went up the hill to get a pail of
water? Well that kind of an excursion would not be necessary now, for we could
use rain water, or melted sleet, or extract of hail stones, just as we chose to
select, for we are having all of these in monotonous rotation.
You
will wonder with me whether the people who named this good old place Watertown
were trying to be truthful, or just sarcastic. Our old high school has not yet
been washed away. If you were here today we would jump over the puddles
together and visit the dear old place. They
are going to have a new high school as soon as the weather clears up so
that the carpenters can get to work at it.
The
seniors are going to get out an annual this year unless the weatherman
frustrates their plan. I shall not fail to send you one.
Happiness
here is at present confined to the Watertown geese, and their aquatic
associates, the ducks and frogs.
This
tirade against the weather is not intended to discourage you from coming back
home next year. I much hope you will do so.
Sincerely
yours, Jack.
P. S.
The paleness of this ink is due to the fact that it rained in the ink bottle.
1956
Watertown Daily Times, 03
07 1956
The
City Council decided not to sell the old Home Management House in Dodge Street
which is to be cleared away to provide part of the site for the new high school
addition. A bid had been entered by
Clarence Wesemann for it, but the council decided the condition of the building
is such that it should not be moved and that it would be to the city's
advantage to demolish the house and dispose of the salvaged materials.
1957
Watertown Daily Times, 10
19 1957
Sometime
in the next couple of weeks, members of the Board of Education are going to
determine if they want to include a laundry in the high school building
project. At present the subject is under
study, with the provision that a decision be made later. If a laundry is installed it will make
possible the washing of towels used by students, such as athletes and others
who make use of the showers. It will
also enable washing athletic suits and sports equipment. If the school does go in for such laundry
service it will merely be following what some other schools are now doing.
1958
01 05 Edward Hinterberg, principal of the Watertown
Senior High School, retires WDT
04 18 Eugene Tornow replaces Hinterberg WDT
05 03 New gymnasium-auditorium used first
time for graduation. Hinterberg presenter for last time. WDT
06 16 Council approves contracts for remodeling
of high school WDT
07 01 Eugene Tornow, new principal, began his
duties WDT
07 21 Science instructor
Frank James attends GE Fellowship program.
WDT
1983
05 09 Resignation of Principal
Hugh Burkett accepted. WDT
1996
08 28 The Watertown Planning Commission
Monday night approved the second step in a plan to renovate the old Watertown
High School into a health club, child care center and elderly apartment
building. The plan commission paved the way for developers Peter M. Hanson and
the Watertown Athletic Club to continue toward a general development plan,
which, when approved, is equivalent to achieving zoning. In approving the
developers’ concept Monday, the commission brought up several areas which need
more detailed information. Under the concept plan, the athletic club would use
the gymnasium area and Mary Linsmeir School would use classroom space in the
newer portion of the former high school. Watertown Community Church, a
30-member congregation, would use the auditorium area on Sunday mornings and
occasionally on a week night. WDT
Cross-References:
No
1: Theodore Bernhard, first High
School founder, was one of the Forty-Eighters.
Image Portfolio
Click to enlarge
1982 1989
1917, Main entrance
1917, Lower corridor and gymnasium
1917, Domestic science kitchen and manual training
work shop
1917, Assembly room and reference library
1917, Assembly room
1917, Physics and chemistry labs
Peace Garden
Watertown
Daily Times, 11 25 1996
“He
has forever changed the opportunities available to the students, staff and
community of Watertown.” Dr. Suzanne Hotter, superintendent of the Watertown
Unified School District, let the words hang in the auditorium of the high
school this morning.
After
a pause, a standing ovation recognized the man who helped create a technology
center at the school and who, most recently, presented the district with a
$35,000 gift for a more artistic endeavor. Tom Jeffris of the Jeffris Family
Foundation of Janesville attended the ceremony to dedicate Meridian, the steel
sculpture now located in front of the school. It was a celebration of sculptor
Ed McCullough's work and also of efforts to move education beyond the walls of
the classrooms. Fittingly, it occurred during American Education Week.
Watertown
High School Orbit, 1998
The
Peace Garden has come a long way in the past two years. The two-acre plot in
front of the school is filled with plants and trees from over 30 countries
around the world. In addition to the greenery, benches provide a place to
relax, and the Meridian decorates the south end of the Garden.
The
idea of the Peace Garden started with Mr. Jacobson. Two Peace Gardens have
already been established in the world. One is in Hiroshima, where the atomic
bomb hit, and the other is on the Canadian-States border. With these as an
inspiration, the project was started. We live in a world of hate and where
peace is not taught. Mr. Jacobson wanted to teach it. He wanted a place where
people would walk by this garden every day and say to themselves,
"Peace." The more they would hear it, the more they would question
and think about it, and they would learn.
Watertown
High School was chosen as the place to put the garden. Could there be a more appropriate
spot to put an International Peace Garden than the community's educational
center? The garden would be a place for students to reflect not only on their
day-to-day problems but also to remind them of the friends they have across the
globe. It would be a beautiful and living memorial to everlasting peace between
all individuals and all nations.
Many
have contributed their time and money in order to see the garden grow.
Donations have come from the students and individuals throughout the community.
Many students and faculty have also contributed their time to work in the
garden.
Much
has been done with the Peace Garden, but there is still a lot to do. This
summer an amphitheater made with natural stones will be put in at the north end
of the Garden. This will provide a place for class instruction, concerts, and
such. They are also planning on putting in a Community Garden at the north end,
which will consist of plants given from gardens throughout the community. An
integrated watering system is also going to be installed. With all of this
being done, there is still a need for continuing maintenance. The garden, like
peace, must not only be planted, but nurtured so it will grow into something so
wonderful that it will consume all people. - Suzie Zobrist
The
Meridian represents the circle of life. Life doesn't flow in a circle, though.
It has its bumps and bruises, but it is still continuous. It is a symbol of
hope and life.
