Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1914-01-30
RUPERT SCHOOL IS
ELECTRIC SCHOOL
RUN IN ALL DEPARTMENTS BY
APPARATUS THAT HEATS,
LIGHTS AND COOKS.
(By Glenn o. streets.)

The building and equipment of the
school at Rupert comprehend an ex-
penditure of $4,000. There are 575
pupils, 100 being in the high school de-
partment. The staff of twenty teach
ers includes some of the best educa-
tors in the country, and the practical
systems taught at that institution
have been the cause of much inquiry
from the Educational association at
Washington, which is not slow to
grasp the benefit of new ideas.
The heating and ventilating appara-
tus is a rare illustration of the use of
electricity in public buildings, and this
is the first school building in the world
to utilize electricity for all purposes,
the building being electrically heated,
and all apartments being equipped
with electrical apparatus. The coil
system for heating the big eltablish-
ment is a model of construction, and
the cost of operating it is s176O a year.
There is a switchboard in the superin-
/ tendents office where the amount of
current is controlled from nothing to
$50 kilowats in steps of nine kilowats
or multiples of it. One of the prettiest
arrangements exists in the domestic
science department, where each girl
in the class of thirty is supplied
with her own cooking apparatus. A
1O-horse power electric motor drives
the fans, ventilating machinery and
other things. The building is electric
lighted throughout. There is hot water
for shower baths, there are lockers, /
showers. and the teachers have estab- |
lished cafetaria lunch, which is quite
an innovation.
There are manual training, domes |
tic science, sewing and the usual other |
departments consistent with a first class !
school, and the building is equipped |
with a first class auditorium which an
swers the purpose Of a theatre, with
galleries at sides and ends. There is
also a gymnasium 4Ox71 feet on the
first floor are the offices of the super
intendent and principal, library, class
rooms and auditorium, in which there
is a large stage and $50 opera chairs.
on the second floor there are class
rooms, recitation rooms, toilets. cloak
rooms and other accessories. There
are three science and lecture rooms.
Superintendent Dillworth went to
Rupert in 1910. when there were but
five teachers in the district. Now
there IRE twenty, and the people gem
orally feel that through his untiring
efforts and energy the system has been
perfected in such manner that it is
second to none in the state and any
individual on short inspection, read
lily coincided with this opinion. He is
a man of ability, force and character,
and has advanced ideas along every
line of educational work. The clerk
of the district, w. b. Hardy. is another
live wire, whose energies in behalf of
the school work Of the schools has
been productive of marked improve ,
ment. He is generally regarded as the !
father If the school system of the dis I
trict DR.. J. B. Kenagy and c. H.
two other members of the
school beard, are men of energy and
in prompting the best there G
IS in school advancement. Il
Special teachers are employed in d
science, music drawing and u
manual training, and all have had the r
benefit cf the college and normal sys- t
ems All in all. it is one of the best y
title school systems to be seen any p
where, and the people of Rupert are b
determined that nothing be left un d
lone TO keep their schools abreast of p
he standard at all times. c;