Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1946-02-01
BY WILLIAM ]. GREEN

THIS is the story of new CEN
L tralized rural high school in the
little town of Barker, population 500,
town of Somerset, county of Mag
ara, state of New York.
Barker is similar to all our home
towns, 1t took years of back-break-
ing work to clear the land, estab-
ish a community and its industry,
plant fruit orchards, and develop a
home town. Gradual prosperity
evolved from that work, prosperity
that was enjoyed by the second,
third and fourth generations of pio-
neer families. But there came a
time to Barker when it experienced
depression, its land prices almost
ruinous, its savings depleted or lost
and economic despair its lot.
In the depths of the depression,
the educational facilities and oppor-
tunities in the Barker area were
limited. There was an academic
high school located in the village
and a one-room elementary school
for each of the districts in the
area. 1t was Lon J. McAdam Sr., for
more than Is years school
trustee, who decided the school sys-
tenn was the place to begin for
Barker to emerge from its despond-
ent plight.
Capitalization Approved.
Serving with McAdam were John
Connolly, Wesley Colts, Raymond
Gardner and Albert Harrington.
When Harrington retired, his place
was taken by Bradford Sherwood.
For more than 10 years the faculty
of the school at Barker had been
under the direction of Milford H.
Pratt, supervising principal, who is
a native of Barker.
Under McAdam's leadership-and
that leadership was often challenged
the voters of the school districts
approved Capitalization. That was
in 1887 and two years later the new
half-million dollar building was &C.
cupied. It was centralized rural
high school, adjoining the old
academic high school, situated on
Quaker road, with As per cent of
its cost borne by the federal gov
eminent. The one-room schools were
abandoned and buses brought even
the elementary pupils to Barker.
The old high school building was
made the elementary school.
Further expansion of the central
lied rural high school came in 1889
when the National Youth admins
tration resident training center was
located in Barker, co-sponsored by
the board of education. The school
extended its facilities to NYA-
selected youths from all over New
York state and received for its own
locality an otherwise unobtainable
shop program - p
Add Many Courses.
Its curriculum was expanded to
include commercial courses, music
department., home economics and
agriculture. In 1910, NYA built a
production shop which became a
wing of the school, and early in 1941
began the production of small parts
for the army and navy. When war
broke out an even faster pace was
set.
At night the shop became the
classroom for adult defense trainees.
In its three years of operation more
than 1000 men and women were
trained in shop practice, machine
operation, sheet metal, welding and
automotive and aircraft mainte-
nance and repair.
When NYA was dissolved by con-
gress in July, 1913, the tools and
building became the property of the
board of education. Barker also OBJ
tanned stock of agricultural
tools from nearby NYA farm prof.
ect, making total acquisition val
ued at more than quarter-million
dollars