Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-06-04


the superintendent of the South Omaha schools. N.
M. Graham.
Surprise, and even doubt, will fill the mind Of
the inquirng nonresident" said Prof Graham, when
he presented with the facts concerning the school
system here. Even of local people are
astonished when they learn that 1911 children Of
school age on the census roll, while the annual
enrolment averages very close to 5000"
Counting principals and supervisors 165 teachers
are the educational staff of the busy little city.
The high school is OF the finest buildings of its
size In the wholS country delight to all visitors.
One of the yer frat buildings in South Omaha in
which public money invested the Central
building, erecsd in 1887, shortly after South Omaha
had taken its place the map municipality.
The newest ward school, called the Franklin, was fin
ished and occupied last year. The sixteen grade
school buildings testify by their number, that the
matter of education is always foremost in the thoughts
Of the citizens Rooms in these buildings reach the
total of 1874, and they are all occupied. The cur
riculum compares favorably with that of any other
city in land and thirteen contemplated
as the school course. from kindergarten to gradua-
ton from the high school
South Omaha Alumni Widely Scattered
The graduates from the high school of South
Omaha admitted without question to the colleges
and universities of the North Central Association of
Colleges and secondary schools. Graduates who call
the South Omaha High their alma mater scat
tered all over the globe, and measure up with the
men and women turned out by any public school
tenn In the land. In the alumni ranks is paymaster
IN the United States navy, lawyers DOCTORS teachers
minister's electricians poets cartooniss, journalists,
civil engineers and business men. In the University
of Nebraska is always be found strong delegation
from the South Omaha schools, taking front rank in
ali activities The present manager of the Daily Me-
braskan, the university paper is from South Omaha
as was his immediate predecessor; and the recently
elected editor of the Cornhusker is also South
Omaha alumnus. In the list OF pupils at present
a number from the surrounding country paying
tuition and a good many come from distance to
take the course offered in the Magic City schools.
Modern in equipment and methods, the schools
under the of Superintendent Graham are source
of pride every citizen In them industrial training
is characteristic OF the work throughout the entire
course. Free hand cutting. clay modelling, weaving
paper folding basketry wood carving drawing and
bench work, are the dominant lines of manual work.
and a large proportion of the pupils exhibit fine
degree of aptitude and cleverness All this is. of
course subsidiary to the general course ia the fun
damentals OF well-rounded modern education.
standard Of work that makes for efficiency in active
life aftsf school days over. and a standard of
scholarship that ranks second to is carefully
maintained and upheld
Public improvements Pushed Through
While quite youthful, cities go, in the
west dating back trife a quarter of a cen
fury South Omaha constructed for itself to May
l. 1911 public improvements TO the amount of almost
$4,000, 900, in round numbers
1t took some time TO get the municipal finances
In shape TO proceed with the public works. but
the quick building of the earlier city that it the
title Magic City, the people settled down to serious
consideration of the things needed min
lister 10 their comfort and happiness.
At the present time South Omaha has thirty-five
miles OF well graded streets. costing S47s,ss2 It
has eighteen miles of paved streets. which cost $751;