(cont'd from p.2)
water for sanitary
drinking fountains and
f 1 ush toi 1 ets ... A
barn is also provided
for the children's
horses, should they
drive to school."
The author seemed also
impressed with the
"recently constructed
stone building .
equipped with a large
lecture room having a
steri opt icon for ill¬
ustrated lectures."
This was Healdsburg
High School .
Recitations were
very big in 1916. In
his research Mr. Baker
discovered that even
in small schools teach¬
ers managed to hear
from 12 to 73 recita¬
tions each day!
IN HIS BOOK, Wind¬
sor History and Happen¬
ings, William Beedie
tells about the remin¬
iscences of Clarence
Rich. Clarence attended
Hill School which was
located on Chalk Hill
Road. He started school
there in 1892. Clarence
tells about "three boys
who had plans to go
fishing during a school
day. The teacher had
forbidden them to go.
So the evening before
the opening of the trout
season, the boys sneaked
up to the school after
hours. There they climbed
the roof and stuffed a
gunny sack down the chim¬
ney. Of course when the
teacher started the fire
the next morning, the
schoolroom soon filled
with smoke. She had no
choice but to dismiss
school for the day and
the three boys got to
go fishing."
In the California
School Laws, 1915, we
find that it was the
County Superintendent's
duty, among others, "to
superi ntend. the schools
at 1 east once a year. "
In Baker's 1916 thesis,
he tells. us that"she can
no more than glance over
school management, for
the number of schools
under her and the cler¬
ical duties of the of¬
fice prevent more than
an hour's duration in
each school room once
a year." For this duty
she was provided with
an automobile.
Apparently the
superintendent did get
around. William Beedie
relates this instance
in his book: "Two boys
with a group of girls
for an audience, decided
to fight it out. They
were doing very well
until Florence Barnes,
the county superintend¬
ent of schools, drove
up in her vintage car.
She stopped, got out
of her car, walked
over to the boys, grab¬
bed each by the scruff
of the neck, and walk¬
ed both of them back
to the school (about
three blocks) where
she knew the teacher
would still be, and re¬
commended the punish¬
ment. Fighting on the
way home from school
lost its thrill for a
while after that. These
fights took place about
1916. "
ELSEWHERE IN SONOMA
COUNTY Esther Small was
attending school in
Fulton. In her book, The
Life and Times of Minnie
K. Miller A Valiant
Lady , she describes
Fulton School: "It was
a regular old-fashioned
school, with a potbellied
stove in the center and
a long ’recitation bench
in front of the teach-
(4)
er's desk. The desks,
built for two, were in
long rows running the
length of the room.
Blackboards were across
the front and down both
sides with chalk and
erasers handy.
A big clock on the
wall, a flag in the cor
ner, maps hung and rol¬
led above the chalk¬
boards, a tap bell, and
a ruler on the teacher's
desk provided all the
essentials for the beg-
i nni ng of school . "
ESTHER CONTINUES:
"To graduate from gram¬
mar school , we had to
take a written county
examination, prepared
by the State Board of
Education. School would
be dismissed, except
for the seventh and
eighth grades. The test
had several sections:
Arithmetic: In addition
to fractions, decimals,
and simple algebra, we
must know how many
rol Is of paper were
needed to paper a room,
how to figure wall-to-
wall carpet, or paint
a room, how much wood
in a cord- anything
the "powers that be"
wished to ask.
We had to trace
the blood through the
body, naming the veins,
arteries, valves of the
heart, the lungs and
uses of the kidneys,
liver and gall bladder.
We must know how to
stop bleeding, set a
broken leg, and recog¬
nize different diseases
and their cures.
Spelling words
were given out and our
overall penmanship was
judged.
The questions in
Art were about famous
painters and their sub-
( cont'd on p.9)
LETTERS , CONTINUED.
in session, we were en¬
rol led... and thi s was
our first school exper¬
ience. . . we can say
that we attended a
one room school, even
if it was just for
one term. Our attend¬
ance did not save the
school, at the time,
however, as it was
closed the following
year.
Emma Doda Morri 1 1 ,
who received her early
education i n the Fort
Ross School , tells me
that they had a cousin
come and live with
them, inorder to keep
the school open (she
attended in the late
1 890 ' s , early. 1 900. )
But Ede, who attended
in the 1920's tells
me that her f ami ly
comprised the school
population, as there
were NINE of them! ( no
need to bring anyone
else in!)
Our mother taught
in the one room school
at Preston (near Clover-
dale) for one year.
She said the little
ones would become
restless by being con¬
fined until 4 pm (ever¬
yone had to be dismiss¬
ed at the same time)
so she would send them
outside to count the
pickets on the fence...
one day a school board
member saw this happen-
i ng and. she was FIRED!
Her ideas were too
progressive for the
times! (late 1890' s )
Mercedes
Pearce
Stafford
(cont'-d from p.4)
jects. We must be able to
to name the artists
and describe his picture.
We might have to draw
a spring flower, such
as a lily or poppy.
History: Dates to re¬
member. Name the "Sever'
Wonders of the World".
That was a stock ques¬
tion. Wars and Presi¬
dents were not neglect¬
ed. 11
IN 1908 SANTA
ROSA HIGH SCHOOL TUI¬
TION cost three dollars
a month plus an addi
tional cost of three
dol 1 ars a month for
train fare. When it be¬
came time for Esther
Small to enter high
school in 1908, she re¬
ceived bad news. Her
mother couldn't afford
to send three children
at once. So Esther vol¬
unteered to spend ano¬
ther year in eighth
grade.
After she gradu¬
ated from high school
in 1913, Esther went on
to attend Normal School
in Santa Rosa. It was a
five month course, after
which she had to pass
her exams. Upon passing
she was awarded her
teaching credentials.
Her first teaching as¬
signment was at Merritt
School in the hills
above Mirabel Park on
the Russian River.
PRESIDENT:
SUSAN SILVER
ЁК
VICE PRESIDENT:
SHERMAN BO IVIN
SECRETARY:
KAY CHRISTIANO
TREASURER:
ED FRATINI
MEMBERSHIP:
JO NATTKEMFER
CURRATOR:
GLENN BURCH
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
SHEILA BELL
EMILY DOLL
HARRY LAPHAM
DOROTHY MAROVICH
BOB WHITING
JOURNAL EDITOR
DON SILVEREK
