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History of RB: Part 1

Added Jun 12, 2014 •

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History of RB: Part 1

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a strong High School is essential to the growth and development of the community it lifts the value of Housing and if word spreads makes the community more to terrible two people moving into the area that very circumstance has occurred in Riverside Brookfield High School and amazing series of events Has Lifted the high school higher than it is Spin and brought national attention there exists an unprecedented partnership between the school and Community Resources and among teachers and the Board of Education the students have benefited in wonderful ways how did Riverside Brookfield High School get to this point of growing Ville Riverside wanted to provide the best possible education for children in Riverside and 1836 a two-room school was open to teach elementary graders and by 1878 Elementary teacher mr. Charles Marsh was also teaching some High School courses no one now remembers why that's East the between 1880 and 1885 the high school students from Riverside at 10 and Lyons Township High School in LaGrange by 1885 the population in the I had grown large enough that a high school was proposed for Riverside the first High School class in Riverside met at the Town Hall in September 1885 under principal Lane and superintendent Mister AF Ames that Year mister Lane taught 19 high school students after a fire destroyed the school on September 3rd of 1896 the children and all 12th grades attended class in an overcrowded Riverside Town Hall while a new building was constructed on the site of the old one this school Central School in compass all the grades with the high school grades occupying a rented room in the East wing of the building School District 95 in Grove still pay tuition to enable high school students to attend what was called Riverside High School a drawing class was added in nine 100 the year that saw a graduating class of just for students Mister E Lee Hardy became principal in 1901 and a drill instructor began using real guns manual training was added to the curriculum In 1902 the same year that the residents of Croasdaile voted to read name their Village Brookfield physical education was started in 1904 and home economics in 1905  in 1906 teenage Ziegler was named principal and soon the graduation standards were raised to 16 units of credit  in 1909 do high school district was proposed that would Encompass all of the Proviso Township including those high school students in Riverside District 96 and Brookfield District 90 superintendent and Cassidy of District 95 decided to ride the available public transportation between Riverside and Brookfield and the site the proposed new High School in Maywood to see how long and difficult a commute it would be for the high school students according to the history of the Riverside Brookfield High School pilot 1952 from District 208 board minutes superintendent Cassidy notice that it would be necessary to take the West Town Street car from Riverside Brookfield to a Harlem Avenue Streetcar which would take them to 12th Street at 12th Street they would change to a 12th Street streetcar which went to Ocean Avenue in Forest Park at Madison Avenue they would have to change to a Madison Avenue car which would take them to Maywood to the proposed site of pro so Township High School the time in the transfer involved we're obviously going to be a problem for students from Brookfield and Riverside in April of nineteen notice was given to the Proviso board that the voters in District 95 and 96 would be voting on April 19th on a proposal to a new District within the Proviso School District the majority of Voters approved and District 208 was launched the students of the new riverside-brookfield Township School District continue to attend their classes at the central grammar school building and mr. afms District 96 superintendent served as superintendent of the new high school dist is well  1909 also saw the first publication of the new high school this six graduating seniors published a combination yearbook newspaper litter play magazine call the senior sextet as a gift to the school by 1915 the combine grade school and high school or becoming overcrowded and the dish face the possibility of loss of accreditation so action had to be taken to build a high school three or four sites were considered for the building on November 20th 1915 the voters of District 208 we're given a choice of a portion of the present site of Riverside Brookfield High School or another site which essential grammar school by a healthy margin this site facing Forest Road between Elm Street and Golf Road and Hollywood one almost another year passed before especially turn on October 21st 1916 was held to approve a bond issue for 100,000 to build furnish and equip a high school plan for a 100 people capacity a portion was built in 1917 that had a capacity of 350 pupils and which seem to be more than since just 127 students were enrolled during the 1917 1918 school year Mr George Muller succeeded mr. Z as principal in 1916 and became superintendent as well after Mr Eames resigned in 1917 World War 1 saw patriotic buy five of Riverside Brookfield High School students four of whom served in the artillery in France and the fifth in the engineering course six weeks before the end of the school year 1988 patriotic students join the boys working reserve and left to work on farms George Mueller led the new school as superintendent until he in is it in the Navy in 1918 at which time mr. W Paul Wyatt who taught physics and Science and was an athletic coach succeeded him the new high school building was finished before the school year began in 1917 but was not immediately occupied due to a cold sorted on World War 1 classes met in the afternoon in the Brookfield grammar school until 1918 when it lasts on April 1st the building could be open and 164 enroll East could enjoy their new school the handsome symmetrical design of the initial building still stands and anchors all of the additions that have been since then  a yearbook the Rouser was published in 1917 by class of 1918 it has been published every since copies of each year with a couple of exceptions are available for viewing through the RB High School library and some later years can be purchased also they are an invaluable source of information for alumni groups or historians by 1923 it became obvious that the enrollment in District 208 soon exceed the capacity of the building enrollment was growing rapidly and stood at 320 that year the original plans had called for a plant to a plate 600 peoples and now is the time to build the part of the building that had been delayed a bond issue for 200,000 was passed and classrooms were added to the back the original building as well as a gymnasium and Auditorium and a cafeteria study hall on the second floor the classrooms were open for use on February 4th 1926 the auditorium would be open three or four months later because Plastering had to be completed and a power line had to be from Ogden Avenue to accommodate the new 150 kilowatt lighting system a newspaper The Sentinel was published by the journalism class 1924 to 1926 in addition to some news editorials and many corny jokes much of the content consisted of please for subscriptions by stew set alarm 9 so that it could continue publishing an interesting article from the November 20th 1925 issue reported that a teacher from the National Academy of Dance drive to teach Ballroom dances the foxtrot to step and the walls but the students had heard about the Charleston and wanted to learn it so it was that week a story in the next issue noted that the Charleston was less popular than had been feared and the students were still dancing the older more sedate dances The Sentinel ceased to exist in 1926 due to the lack of advertising and subscription doctor why it was succeeded as principal in 1927 by Miss Grace who had been a teacher in the English Department by 1928 the rapidly-growing student body now numbering 550 required the division of the second floor study hall into three classrooms in 1932 the library was decentralized into various classrooms to save space at about the same what time the Brookfield Zoo is being organised next to the backyard of the school in an editorial on March 12th 1926 The Sentinel asked does Riverside want the zoo the peace explained Miss Edith Rockefeller McCormick gift of 8.3 acres of land and outline the advantages of the zoo did the surrounding Villages even speculated that an elevated train might eventually run out to the zoo bringing throngs of people to the area Miss Dorothy class of 1932 during her classes 60th reunion in 1992 related that her class had watched the Brookfield Zoo being built she and her friend enjoyed hanging out of the second floor window during good weather to see the construction the zoo open on July 1st 1934 has been a wonderful resource for art science and photography classes ever since by 1930 the RV Clarion a better organized newspaper was being publish fairly regularly usually semi-monthly the October 10th 1930 issue featured the visit of an 84 year old Civil War veteran to the school mr. Glenn Kate Kelly became principal in 1932 and let R be through some of the worst depression years before he left 1939 his title change to superintendent the Depression was especially bad in 1933 and 1934 and the enrollment of RV with steadily increasing funds where to come from the state of Illinois we're overdue money became so scarce that it was feared the school might have to close emergency steps were taken tax ocean warrants were sold as well as merchandise coupons the school year was shortened from 9 1/2 months to 9 months and 32 teachers took the work of students helped by selling merchandise coupons so the teachers would have classroom supplies some Merchants accepted tax warrants and coupons in lieu of a plan was launched at allowed students to attend school activities for about half of the previous cost it was during this time that the RBI is adopted the bull what is their mascot Miss Rose and a bow musical director at RB was fond of animals and her students gave her a lot of animal figurines she founded the stop and would one of the members asked which was her favorite she replies the Bulldog because of its loyalty and tenacity the Pet Club adopted it as its emblem and it soon became the mascot for RB throughout several of the Depression years the yearbook the Rouser was published in two editions one was hard cover for the could afford it and the other was paper about the content was identical in each a payment plan was available for those who wanted to pay in installments and the Clarion reminders when payments were due I'll look at the copy of the prospectus of required and elective courses from April 1936 reveals watch the academic program at RB had grown in the 27 years since its Inception eight departments were listed conference English foreign which homax industrial Arts mathematics music and science physical education was required for freshmen sophomores and juniors a house in class for girls was included in the industrial Arts offering in addition to many classes for boys 39 suggested courses of study were listed which would lead the students to their goals of college technical school or entry into Commerce industry or home making directly from high school 1936 saw and an moment of 900 students who crowded into classrooms design for 600 students just 11 years before students had to attended two ships the upper Jasmine meeting from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. and the underclassmen from 10:25 a.m. until 4 p.m. the situation was becoming desperate and it snowman was needed for expansion talk had begun in 1930 between the school district and the Cook County forest preserve for land Exchange here's to complete in 1938 a trade was negotiated between the Cook County forest preserve and District 208 to Exchange Land from the East end of the school the football field north of the school parking lot which was used by the Brookfield Zoo and was dedicated as Elm Street late and mediately to the east of the building it was vacated which cleared the way for an expansion that added 10 new classroom the class of 1938 witness groundbreaking for the two new Wings in turn off 1937 but the addition was not finished in time for them to use it in the meantime certain staircases were designated one way to speed move during breaks between classes by money from the Public Works Administration and the rest from a $200,000 bond issue the edition how English foreign language and social science department a one-story Wing was home for industrial Arts there was now room again for a centralized live a new furniture including round tables with shelves for students books and new chairs made it comfortable in 1939 Mr IE Habig became superintendent as science teacher science department chairman dean of boys and assistant principal he had witnessed all the changes to RV since the complete of the original building in 1918 Homecoming in 1939 was a Gala Affair celebrating the 20th year of District 208 Riverside Brookfield High School 27 clubs and organizations entered floats in the parade which travel does circuitous route through the Villages of Riverside and Brookfield on November 1940 the Board of Education purchase land on the west side of Golf Road in Brookfield for an athletic field at a cost of $47,000 to the houses on the property were demolished and a third move to the rear of the high school to serve as a laboratory for the home economics Department it was called the car or The Bungalow and provided a place for home economics students to host teas and other special events by 1940 the enrollment had increased to 1 thousand forty students but subsequent years were to see a gradual decrease in attendance caused by a decrease birth rate during the Depression until play the low of 832 in 1949 six students enter the Marines at the beginning of World War II by the end of World War II more than a hundred alumni had served and 42 I've been killed many of the school activities during the warriors were directed at helping the war effort within 38 days after the official declaration of war Avenues were open for contributing at RB defense stamps were sold for a dime to raise money for the Armed Forces turn one fill the special book with the stamps he could turn it in for a war bond competition between classes for the most stamps sold ramped up the excitement mini volunteered for Relief work with the Red Cross which ran first aid classes that became a requirement for upperclassmen  groups of who's from RB also participated in scrap drives they collected books for the victory book Campaign which was started by the American Library Association the Red Cross and the USO in 1942 to provide reading material to the gi's far from home keep him smiling keep and reading was its motto semester classes in 1943 included one and agriculture to teach fundamentals of farming to students who were going to spend weekends and summer helping local farmers 50 boys signed up for the program  patriotic efforts became so numerous that they were Consolidated under a war activities come in run by superintendent heybeck a separate organization the victory core ran the war bond Drive patriotic sports shoes were a popular clothing choice with a blue saddle and red soles they sported tri-colored shoelaces gray recycle paper and non Rubber and racers in the classroom reminded students daily of the war effort while all this was going on classes met new clubs were organized the sport of wrestling was initiated annual TB tests were given and improvements continued at the Cottage many of them completed with the help of mr. shuey and the industrial art students  by the fall of 1943 a new football field a quarter I'll track 6 Tennis Courts and a girls hockey field were constructed on the property that it been purchased earlier on the west side of Golf Road but Stadium construction would have wait until after the war in 1948 the long-awaited stadium was finally built at a cost of $130,000 it was complete locker rooms and shower facilities for home and visiting teams restrooms for spectators and a food-service facility it was named for William shuey who addition to teaching industrial Arts had been a popular and successful sports coach and athletic director it was the first Stadium built at any school in the West Suburban what's some improvements in alterations it serves an enthusiastic Sports crowd today

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History of RB: Part 1

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