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"During the years 1865-68 the country
around Rossville was not very thickly populated. There not being enough
to make a new district school successful, a number of the citizens of
Rossville formed a little association and built a small one story frame
building on the corner of North Main and Marion streets. A teacher was
hired, and most of the children in town attended that private
school."
"By the year 1870 the country was
in a very prosperous state and was much more thickly settled than it had
been four or five years previous. So it was at this time that District
34 was formed and a two room frame building was built on the corner of
Navarre and Marion streets. This was the first public school that was
ever known in Rossville. As the school attendance was steadily
increasing, a few years later, a large two story frame building, now
known as the Rossville Hotel, was built on the same location as this
former school had stood. Mr. Higginbotham bought the old building, moved
it away and used it as part of his house."
"School in this new building was a
perfect success and prospered wonderfully. In the year 1884,
it was decided that a new and better school house should be built. So
in the fall of 1885, a new two story building of red brick, which is
still standing and is being used at the present time for the Grade
School, was ready for use. It was greatly appreciated by all
those who had a part in it. The building has undergone many
changes and improvements and today it is a place dear to many people
because it is there they received all the education they have. There
being two rooms upstairs and two rooms downstairs, four teachers have
always been employed."
"In about the year 1910 it was
voted by the citizens of Rossville to build a High School building in
this community under the Barnes law. Until the High School
was completed the High School students were instructed in the fourth
room and library of the grade school building. In order to do
this, the first room children were moved down into the old Baptist
church. The two upper rooms were then moved: the
fourth room pupils occupying the third room and the third room pupils
occupying the second room and so on down."
"The site for the new building was
thought to be the best just east of the grade school building, so work
was started immediately. The building is a beautiful
structure made of buff colored brick, the lower part of the building
being pebble dashed. It is heated by oil, lighted with
electricity, has a fine ventilating system, domestic science and manual
training rooms, a large auditorium, and four recitation rooms. It
was thought the building would be ready for use by the fall of 1912, but
every one especially the students who were ready to enter High School
was sadly disappointed. On account of the weather and other hindrances,
the contractors had not completed the work. High school was
held in the Fritz Opera House for the first part of the year, but at the
beginning of the second semester the students entered the new building. Four
teachers were employed up until the years 1915-16 when, in order to
lessen expenses, and there not being a very large enrollment, three
teachers were hired. This year 1916-17 also there are only
three teachers employed in the High School."
The average enrollment of the High
school is about forty-five. The first class to graduate from
Rossville high school was composed of one member but the following year
and each succeeding year, there has been on an average, a class of about
twelve or fourteen. this High school is on the accredited
list of High schools and a diploma will admit you to any higher
institution.
In athletics, the school has always
taken a prominent part. They have taken all the honors and
prizes at the County Track Meet every year they have entered, excepting
the first year when they were not so experienced as now. So
we should all extend our heartiest wishes for the success of Rossville
High school and hope that nothing will impede her progress.
Irene
Howard
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