Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1907-03-21
A COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
Guthrie County's Institution is One
Of which Any Community Should
be Proud. A Great Success

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Of which Any Community Should
be Proud. A Great Success
In the quaint little city of Panora
on the shady banks of the Raccoon
is located IN institution that is
particularly unique in the history
of education in Iowa. Heartily en-
dorsed by the entire county, the
Guthrie county High School stands
as an emblem of higher education
and Intellectual advancement. It
enjoys the special distinction of
being the only school of it's kind in
Iowa and it's unbounded success is
evidenced by the generous stand.
ing which all of it's graduates re-
ceive at the Institutions of higher
education throughout the state.
This high school was organized
in the year 1876 under sections
2728-2733 inclusive, of the school
laws of Iowa. The purpose of it's
establishment was to provide a
place where those who had COM
pleted the course of study in the
rural schools and smaller towns
might continue their studies, A
great many pupils who have taken
advantage of the opportunity here
offered, would otherwise never have
extended the narrow limits of their
rural school requirements.
The fret permanent building of
this institution was a brick struc-
ture built in 1870. On the second
floor of this building was an as
sembly room, library halls and
cloak rooms. The first floor and
basement contained five recitation
rooms. As the school increased in
numbers the capacity of this
building became inadequate to &C.
commodate the pupils and in 1897
the Board of Trustees authorized
the erection of large modem
structure suitable to the needs of
the school. This building cost the
county about $4,000, including
heating apparatus, furniture, etc.
The second floor contains a large
auditorium with seating capacity
of over four hundred. On the
same floor and opening into the
auditorium are found the princi-
pals office, library, girls cloak
rooms and a large hall. On the
tirst floor are four recitation rooms
equipped in the latest improved
style, boys cloak rooms and three
large halls. The furnace is located
in the basement of this building
and furnishes steam heat for both
buildings.
The large room on the second
floor of the odd building ia now
used for an armory by the military
department The main floor is
equi.. .ped as chemical, physical
and soils laboratories, the base
ment contains the music room,
gymnasium and bath rooms.
These two buildings are pleas
ingly located in the center of a
beautiful campus which comprises
an entire block in the very center
of the business district of the town
The campus is used for military
drill, athletics, open air concerts
and various other amusements.
The teachers now employed in
the institution are graduates of
the leading educational institu.
tions of the state. Two courses of
study are open to the students, the
latin and scientific. The freshman
and sophomore years are practic-
ally the came as in any fully ac-
credited high school. In the ju-
nior and senior years, besides ad.
vanced work in latin, german and
higher mathematics, complete
course in agriculture is now taught
IN the agricultural work special
s2attention is given to animal hus.
bandry and agronomy. The work
in animal husbandry consists
mainly of score-card practice sup.
plemented by lectures on the orr.
gin and history of the various
breeds of live stock. In agronomy
special stress is laid on the Judg-
ing and selecting of corn and the
smaller grains.
During the last year course in
military drill has been esta blished
and is meeting with much tavor
among patrons and students alike
The battalion is composed of two
companies of about forty men each
one of which ia completely uni.
formed aud both are supplied with
Springfield rifles furnished by the
state. Weekly lectures in military
tactics are given for the student
officers of the battalion.
The small sum invested in the
work of education in this institu-
people of Guthrie county by the
women who are yearly graduated
from this institution better equip.
ped to do the work of life. From
every phase the high school is an
unbounded success and although
it is the only institution of it's
kind in Iowa. it's example ia such
that will warrant the esta ablishine g
of many similar institutions thru
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