Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1904-11-01
FIRST CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL.

Building In the State at Logan,
! Grand Forks County. %, =
The first school building erected in
North Dakota for use as a township
or consolidated school, was formally
dedicated by State Superintendent
Stockwell Friday, in Logan township,
Grand Forks county, with exercises
fitting to the occasion, witnessed by
large audience
| The project of having one central
building in district to take the place
of several small and scattered school
buildings, as under the plan now in
vogue in the district schools of the
state, has been discussed in many Sec
lions of the state for several years
past with the plan of having the pupils
taken to and from the school by con-
veyances, and there have been several
attempts in an experimental way in
this direction, but it has remained for
the people of Logan township, in this
county, to carry the plan to success
full conclusion, by the erection of a
substantial and entirely modern GEN.
trial building. The new school and
the plan has been in operation long
enough now to establish it's claim to
feasibility.
| Logan township is in the western
part Of Grand Forks county and is
distant some Is miles southwest from
Larimore, and about the same distance
northwest from Northwood, and east
of Aneta.
State Superintendent Stockwell who
dedicated the building, was accom-
panied by President Geo. A. McFar-
land, of the Valley City normal
school, Prof. Berg, superintendent of
the Larimore schools, and County
Superintendent J. F. McLain. The
party was met at Larimore by one Of
the new busses owned and used by the
school in conveying the pupils. and
taken out to the school. The day was
beautiful one and the trip was made
in about one and a half hours. They
found the building filled to overflow
ing with residents of Logan. North
wood, Loretta and Grace townships.
The school building itself was a
pleasant surprise to the visitors. In
stead of poor shell of a building with
bare walls, miserable lighting and
heating, they, found a snug, neat build
ing, the walls tinted with beautifully
blended and contrasting colors, i'm
proved blinds and lighting and heat
ing of the most improved type. In
fact the rooms are as neat as those in
the best city schools. In architecture
the building is a model for economy
and neatness, and the building
throughout is as modern as is pos
sible to make a small building. 1t is
heated by steam with a good system
of ventilation. The system of lighting
has the admirable feature of having
! high windows reaching almost to the
ceiling. The blinds are so arranged
that the light is detected to the cell
ing and thus diffused over the entire
room.
The success of the enterprise has
been highly satisfactory, and has sur
passed the expectations Of even its
warmest advocates. The school spirit
is excellent. Every child is anxious
to be at school every day. The county
superintendent visited the school a
few days before and was pleasantly
surprised to see the amount of work
that was being done. The school has
now two teachers instead of the three
previously employed, Mr.. Harold
Westegaard having charge Of the up
per grades and Miss Lillian Bulge of
the lower grades. Mr.. Westegaard,
the principal, is doing most of the
work of the first year of the high
school. He says that the amount Of
money it would cost to send these up
per grade pupils to the university or
to neighboring high schools would
more than pay the expense of main
tanning the BUSES and the cost of
having the pupils Of the eighth grade
and upward educated elsewhere would
build the school house.
The greatest increase in expense is
for transportation, but there is saw
ing in both teachers wages and in
fuel. The school will, of course be
maintained for nine months instead of
seven as heretofore.
The buses used by the school are
of the best grade, with good springs.
and are as pleasant to ride in as a
modern carriage or the best hotel bus
They were purchased Of the DELPHI
Wagon company of Delphi, Ind, and
are the first regular school buses ever
brought to the state. .ss.$& ~ ....> .