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Schools, Public
1838-40
John Chadwick school
somewhere between 1838 and 1840; the first teacher in Watertown. Became brick maker.
1855
Patrick Rogan
organized the school system here in 1855, having secured the passage of the
act providing therefore.
07 08 Bible reading, Superintendent Gill WD
08 12 Examination
of teachers WD
09 09 Teachers for fall term of the public
schools WD
09
09 Miss P. G. Jones conducts
private school WD
09
23 Failure to build two union school houses WD
1859
02 10 Cancel
contract by P. B. Basford with the City of
Watertown for the erection of two Public School Houses WD
06 02 Charges
against members of Board of Education; Jacob J. Enos;
Charles R. Gill, removed from office WD
09 01 Select
school proposed for city WD
1860
05 17 Ashley D. Harger keeps
one of the best schools in this city. WD
10 12 Miss Susan Perry opened private
school WR
1861
07 18 Summer term for public schools
1866
Watertown High School established.
1870s
Mr. John Ford
was first Superintendent of Schools under the union plan, afterward
Commissioner of Schools for the Sixth Ward for one year, and in 1878 was
Commissioner of Schools for the First Ward.
1873
08 14 A. Luboueveau resigned as Principal of Union School No. 2;
John Kaltenbrumm appointed WD
1876
08 23 Mrs. H. Gallup's private school, fall
term begins WR
08 23 School
census for the present year shows 3,678 children between the ages of 4 and
20 WR
1880-1904
Prof
Charles Viebahn, Principal and Superintendent of
School (1880-1904)
While he was principal of the schools
of Manitowoc in 1873 he established the first kindergarten in the state to be operated in connection with a
public school.
1887
-------- The average salary paid in 1887,
including high school teachers, was $45 per month; in 1908 it was $60.50
1898
03 19 Union School No. 1, 700 E Main, drawing, Weltberger
Demolished and replaced by motel
1903
Death of Orlena Moak
(and sister); taught at No. 4 School
1904
10 16 Superintendent
of Schools William D. Roseman gives the following
excellent advice to parents relative to signing the monthly report cards of
students:
"You
are earnestly urged to examine the cards carefully and sign them in English or
German. Please do not delegate this duty to your child. The interest which you
show in examining the cards will, to a great extent, determine your child's
progress in school. If the marks are low, inquire why, and encourage them to
earn higher marks next month. It takes much time and energy, on the part of the
teachers, to issue report cards and unless you examine them, and sign them
personally, the result will not warrant the expenditure of the same. It can be
spent to a greater advantage in other directions."
1904
11 12
Some
day, perhaps, we will return to sane methods in the teaching of children:
Speed that day. At the present time the little ones are the victims of
education gone mad. Their small heads are troubled with things beyond their
understanding and they are made to say things like a parrot. Fancy a little
grammar student of 10 attempting to diagram a sentence taken from a history of
mythology! And fancy a child of 9 struggling to read ancient history with all
the latter's unpronounceable names! It is all - all wrong. We are not teaching
children in these days. We are simply attacking their nervous systems and
racking their undeveloped brains.
WDT
1907
10 17 New compulsory education law WL
1908
02
05 Truant Officer appointed
-------- The average salary paid in 1887, including
high school teachers, was $45 per month; in 1908 it was $60.50
09
11 Eighth grade transferred from High School
to vacant room in School No. 4 WG
10
16 Public
school teachers entertained by Board of Education WG
11 20 Public night school twice a week began
in the High School building WG
11 27 The Horace K.
Turner art exhibit will be under the auspices of the public school teachers
and pupils WG
12 04 Diphtheria in public schools, report
on cases WG
12 18 American National Red Cross campaign;
stamps placed in schools WG
1909
02
19 Pupils of 4th grade No. 4 School enjoyed
a sleigh ride; teachers of No. 2 School gave a valentine party WG
06
25 Eighth grade graduation at Turner
Opera WG
1910
04
15 Visiting day at public schools WG
1910c
1911
05 25 No Public School Picnic This Year
Almost
from the beginning of the public school system in this city it has been the custom
here for the teachers and pupils of the public schools to hold an annual picnic
at the close of the school year: a band
was engaged for the occasion and the pupils and teachers marched in a body to
some central picnic ground and enjoyed the day (at least so it has been
thought) in feasting and in merrymaking.
The pupils carried U.S. flags and banners, and in gay holiday attire
presented one of the happiest-looking sight's that could be witnessed anywhere.
For
some years past, however, there has been considerable murmuring against the
picnic from teachers, parents and pupils, and this year again much
fault-finding was heard regarding the holding of the picnic, and even going so
far as to say that only the Board of Education wanted the picnic.
Just
how this custom first originated we know not, but during our long experience on
the Board of Education, we know the Board simply arranged for music, the place
of holding the picnic, and furnished lemons, sugar and ice in behalf of the
people, and always supposed that a great majority of the teachers, pupils and
parents were so set on having this picnic that the members of the Board thought
it was as much as their lives were worth to think of abandoning the same.
Some
two weeks ago, however, the Board decided to test the matter by having a vote
taken of the teachers and pupils on the matter and instructed the
superintendent to first have the pupils lay the matter before their parents.
The
result of the vote was as follows:
School For
Against
Lincoln 41
207
Douglas 169
9
Webster 69
279
High School 68
216
Total 347
711
Teachers in favor of having
picnic 5
Teachers opposed to having
picnic 28
On
the announcement of this result at an adjourned meeting of the Board last
Thursday evening, it was decided to do away with the picnic this year.
At
the same meeting of the Board Superintendent W. P. Roseman submitted his resignation to take effect July
1st. WG
1911
08 24 Visiting Nurse in Watertown report, visited the schools in
Watertown last June WG
1916
03 31 Prof. W. P. Roseman
elected superintendent at Sheboygan; served at Watertown for seven years.
1921
11 02 William
Voss [1847–1921] served a number of terms embracing two long periods as
president of the school board. His interest
was almost passion.
1957
07 12 Margarethe Schurz School,
construction of WDT
1958
04 23 Watertown Citizens Council for Better
Schools formed WDT
1959
02 06 Roger B. Holtz, Superintendent of
Schools, resignation of WDT
05 05 Board of Education organization
meeting WDT
08 22 New hot lunch service equipment; three
elementary schools WDT
08 29 David R. Ross, new principal, Junior High
School WDT
10 14 Open House, Schurz Elementary WDT
10 28 Watertown School District expected to
increase WDT
11 16 Buildings and Grounds Superintendent,
new position created WDT
1960
02 22 Proposed seven man board of
education,
elected from school district at large
WDT
03 17 Position of elementary supervisor
abolished
WDT
05 05 Henry Winogrond
elected president of board of education, succeeds A. E. Bentzin WDT
1983
08 21 Computerized braille
word processor for blind students . . . example of mainstreaming
handicapped students into regular classrooms
WDT
1984
02 14 Special Education Program, Watertown
School District will run its own in 1984-85
WDT
03 17 Asbestos in ceilings at Watertown High
School and Schurz Elementary may be removed
WDT
07 07 Reuben Feld
surprise retirement reception WDT
10 09 Enrollment lowest in two decades WDT
1985
01 12 Wayne Strayer scholarship
fund, former vocal teacher WDT
02 14 Special Education Program, Watertown
School District will run its own in 1984-85
WDT
1986
05 03 Mrs. Jeanne P. Reed, a 17 year veteran of
the board of education of the Watertown Unified School District, was re-elected
president at the reorganizational meeting of the. Other officers elected at the meeting were
Ron Strege, vice president; Kenneth Berg, clerk; LeAnne Fredrick, treasurer; and Angeline Scheid, deputy clerk and secretary to the board of
education. Reed was first elected to the board in 1969 and has been re-elected
every three years since that time. WDT
1997
08 25 30-year-old school completes$250,000
facelift WDT
1998
03 26 All-day kindergarten proposal WDT
08 01 Proposed laws
concerning student conduct in public schools WDT
09 25 Riverside Middle School is bursting
at the seams with an eighth-grade class numbering 325 pupils. WDT
10 18 Federally Subsidized School Breakfasts;
half of schools in Watertown Unified School District
participate WDT
10 23 Educational foundation dedicated to
promoting and strengthening public and private schools in the Watertown
area WDT
1999
02 27 Former
Douglas School property; land division and changes to an existing
conditional use permit approved WDT
04 21 Two
full-day kindergarten sections may be added next school year WDT
03 25 Feed Your Brain;
after-school homework WDT
05 21 Network
schools; District received loan of almost a half million dollars WDT
08 28 Enrollment,
Watertown Unified School District WDT
10 02 Asbestos; class-action suit to recover
the cost of removing WDT
2001
03 29 Declining
enrollments in Watertown public schools will mean cutting approximately
$400,000 from the proposed budget for the 2001-02 school year. If enrollment projections hold, the budget
will have to be reduced by $2.5 million in the next five years. Elementary enrollments have declined 62
students in the past five years and live births are on the decline, the
director said. The estimated
kindergarten enrollment for the 2001-02 school year is 210 students and the
estimated average for the next three years is 195 students. WDT
2008
10 04 Vision
of more college classes taught in Watertown. “We need more people with more
education.” WDT
11 05 $22,385,000 referendum approved for
additions and renovations; second referendum to exceed revenue limits
defeated WDT
2010
06 15 School district to upgrade icommunications system; includes installation of antennas
at all city schools; Full text, WDT
article WDT
Cross References:
Douglas School, chapter on
Lincoln School, chapter on
