The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1910-01-13
the BUILDING DEDICATED
An Appropriate Exercise Was Held to
Dedicate the Splendid High
School Building Today.

Dedicate the Splendid High
School Building Today.
What the board of education, the
high school faculty and the higt
school students have Leen waitins
for a long period of time came to /,
full accomplishment today-when TIL.
new high school building was dedi
Gated under the most favorable ant
delightful circumstances. The colo
weather had partially subsidized, the
sun was shining brightly, and every
thing pOriended for a successful day
The exercises were set for 1C
O'Clock and before that hour many
gathered at the new building, but il
was thirty minutes later before the
exercises commenced. On the stage
were seated President Litchfeld and
the members Of the board Of educa-
ton, the speakers of the day, the
members of the high school faculty,
representatives of the college and
county educational interests, with
Superintendent Gughill and Contract
or Banner.
The assembly room was a little
over half filled when Superintendent
Hoff called the people to order. The
superintendent in introducing the
speakers of the day spoke with ex-
ceeding' kindness of the manner in
which they have been identified with
the building project and their inter-
est in educational matters generally.
The high school orchestra and the
high school chorus gave the opening
numbers on the program, the former
playing the Watch Tower and the
latter by singing in fine style 1.-TWO
Grenadiers.'" Both appeared under
the direction of Miss Jessie Walrath,
supervisor of music in the schools.
The other musical numbers were CIV
en- by Prof. j. G. Lindsey, who ang
"The Clang of the Forge" and the
orchestra gave the closing selection.
President Litchfeld in presenting
the building to the citizens of the
city spoke as follows:
Mr. Chairman and Friends of the
Mitchell School:
Some fifteen years ago Mitchell
opened n Of the best high school
buildings in the state. Our present
honored mayor, was at the time pres
ident of the board, and with his char
acteristic thoroughness, guided the
thought and labor that gave us the
beautifully designed stone structure,
standing on the west side school
grounds, which has been, all these
years, the pride of our city. 1t was
thought, at that time, that the board
with due wisdom and foresight, had
looked far into the future and that
Michel had a high school building
that would fill all requirements for
many years.
Under the guidance of Supt. Quig-
ley, whose memory we all delight to
honor, some Of the best citizens of
our state have gone forth from that
building. In five years time that
school which had been thought so ,
large, was full; in another five years,
overlooking, and WI were trying to
devise ways to bring relief to our
crowded conditions. We considered
additions and engagements and f.
nally came to the conclusion that it
was necessary to erect a larger build
ing.
The to~wns-people had to be shown
the conditions, Inc educated to see T.
the necessity of a larger school house.
And then we talked school every
where. and kept up the agitation.
Three years ago this winter, Pres.
Winsor called a meeting of the tax
payers at the City Hall to sound them
on the school house proposition. At
that meeting the sentiment was
nearly unanimous, that Mitchell
should have a new high school. That i,
1T should be the best that could be
built, modern in every way and that
the board would be justified in ex-
pending 500, 100000 on such a build
ing. f.
To bring relief to the crowded con-
ditions in the grades, we built the
new Longfellow school in the Second
ward, and while it answered it's pur-
pose and brought relief in the grades,
it did not relieve conditions in the
high school. /:
In December, 1907, the board pas
sed a resolution asking Mayor Bran
son to call an election, to vote on the
question of issuing bonds for the pur-
pose of erecting a new high school
building. /
The election was held in February,
1908, and out Of a total vote of 1917,
756 were for the high school.
In June, 1908, the bonds were sold
at a handsome premium. That same
day this site was selected for the
new building, and in July, 1908, after
putting much thought on the selec-
ton, Patton & Miller, school archi-
tects of the city of Chicago, and Of
Oberlin University, were asked to
prepare plans and specifications for
our building.
In September the contracts were