ROOSEVELT HI IT SCHOOL CORNER-STONE. "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it." learning.
The assertion of Holy Writ applies to the house of Every step of real progress includes four things--
religious culture, domestic virtue, intellectual development and training, business activity.
Representing the 1Test Side of the
City of Dayton, and particularly members and friends of the West ..... t
t
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cognition.
It is with becoming appreciatipn that this hour affords
opportunity to stress one of these four vital points. It was on I arch 9, 1915, over eight years ago, that the West Dayton Civic League, in the Carnegie library, at Fifth and Euclid, passed the first formal act looking toward this day and this occasion.
Along with its discussion of flood prevention,
and city government, and public health, and public playgrounds, and garbage collection, and street paving, and new uniforms for police and firemen,
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I. Robert Blackburn, president, appointed
S. G. Carr chairman of the committee on Public Buildings and ~t~i~lities,
and Dr. A. W. Drur
was a
ointed to COWlt the pupils
that would attend a iest Side high school.
At this time, the
League had a membership of 213, and Hr. Hartin, representing the city, made an address.
By the next meeting, two weeks later,
the League had a membership
0
243, increase of 108 in three
months. For some wee s, little was done beyond quiet investigation, with rather general reports.
Mr. Carr, and committee, and friends
were given a hearing by the Board of Education.
Resolutions pre-
sented to the Board, signed by President Blackburn and Secretary
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Hively, were order d filed; but no action was taken. The League meeting of 11ay 11, 1915, was important.
Mr. Carr ,
made a verbal report, and Superintendent E. J. Brown, of the city schools, made an address, of which the official minutes speak thus: "Mr. Brown gave us a very instructive talk on the school system of the city, and gave as his personal opinion that West Dayton was the logical place for the next high school; and that we should have it in at least five or six years, prOVided we kept up the present agi-
three years.
I~ay
be the West 3i e did not agitate enough, but it
1s customary to blame delays on the war.
Immediately afterward,
Superintendent Brown said to a friend that the peo Ie would be harmonious and enthusiastic till the time came to select a site.
He
was a prophet. The rest of the calendar year recorded nothing but interviews, and it was reported at the last meeting of the League in December that the Board of Education would take no action till after the holidays.
During this time, the matter of athletic grounds was
being canvassed by a committee, with reports to the League. ased to function,
In blch
fact caused the committee on Public Buildings to consider athletio grounds in connection with the desired high school.
That interest
lagged through delay is indicated by a suggestion at the meeting of December 7, 1915, that an open meeting be held to arouse sentimente With the first West Dayton meeting of 1916, held January 11, a new interest was created.
J. E. '/allace was ele ted president
of the League by unanimous vote, and to his wise direction much of the present-day accomplishment an
promise of the future is due.
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At this meeting, a resolution of condolence for then plunged into the sorrows of widowhoo.
r~rs.
Brown was passed,
Two of the three appoint-
ed to prepare the paper have gone to join her husband. It was at the meeting of January 24 that a new committee was appointed
y President Wallace, which served till the location of the
new high school was determined.
It consisted of J. M. Phillippi,
chairman, E. G. Pumphrey. elected secretary, S. G. Carr, W. D. Long. and G. W. Bish. hour, was elec
At this meeting, Frank B. Hale. a speaker of this d vice
t the followin
meeting. he paid
his dues, the only member out of twenty paying double dues, perhaps indicating delinquency for the former year. W. A. Weber came into the
Lea~ue,
At that time Professor
now president of the Board of
Education, and in charge of these ceremonies. Practically all the rest of 1916 was spent in study of the situation and in cowlsel with members of the
chool board.
The
'oard itself was divided, some thinking that all high-school work should be centralized.
Those on the West Side knew that Stivers
was not likely to be discontinued as a high school, and thought that a corresponding school should be established west of 1Iiami River.
With this view, many of the large board were in sympathy,
including President E. H. Herr, a resident of the West Side. Wisely, the committee reserved its presentation till what seemed the proper moment.
In the meantime. Frank W. 1Iiller had been
chosen superintendent, and on the night of December 15, 1916. addressed the League. Secretary Hively recording this comment: 'He dwelt on the matter of school extension, and thought that the West Side was in line for the next high school.'
He did not
predict the years of waiting. The month of January. 1917. stands out as the most important
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period in the whole eight
ears--irnportant because it recorded the
final conferences and the ultimate cone of some character were hel
u~ion
to proceed.
Meetings
on the nights of January 4,9,15,16,18,
and 23--six in all. The meetin
of January 4 was with the Board of Education, George
H. Schmidt, the new president, in the chair.
After formal presenta-
tion of the appeal, others of the West Side spoke informally, including John Dolan, George Holland, S. G. Carr, W. O. McCabe, M. M. Hively. On behalf
the Boar,
0
•
spoke in favor of the school.
ker, an
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Tne number of high-school students on
the West Side had been oounted, and their percentage of the whole. This seotion gladly had helpe
to build three other high schools, and
had none within its own territory.
No appropriations had been made
for schools of any kind on the West Side for twenty-five years, and back of that only Whittier and Weaver. ing had
Jackson and Harrison and Irv-
een incorporated into the city by its growth, and cost the
city nothing.
They saved cost of construction.
The West Side fur-
nished twenty-two percent of the pupils for the schools, yet ha.d only 11
____~--The
percent of the school values in lands, buildings, and equipments. ahool pop
aSBd
one xear, and
the Roosevelt families were on the West Side, which the present Board of Education duly recognized on November 1 , 1921, when it named. this buildin. garrets an
All the buildines were overcrOWded, and basements and auditoriums were in use, and the west bound ry of Central
district had been pushed far across the ri er to help relieve the congestion on this side.
The Board had power to issue bonds, at
least enough to secure a site, an
there was a ready market at a
good premium. These and other points were presented to the Board on January 4.
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On January 9, an enthusiastic meeting of the League was held, at which time these matters were reported, which report was endorsed and a formal petition of four pages ordered presented to the Board. On January 15, the committee, with friends, met with the finance committee of the Board of Education, and discussed figures, and, on suggestion of the finance committee, m t the Board in comnittee of the whole the next night.
And, at the regular Board meeting of
January 18, a laree delegation from the Civic League was present, when C er
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recited in formal way the oral arguments made before the same body two weeks before.
At this meeting a bond issue of :lJO,000
voted, members expressly stipulatin condition that <"30,00
as
that they cast a yea vote on
be appropriated for purchase of a site for
a high school in this section.
This was the first official step
forward, January 18, 1917. At the League meeting on January 23, a full outline of the activities to date was presented by the committee and approved. During all this time, the question of site was not allowed place in the deliberations--for obvious reasons. t the meeting of the League on January 23, the committee presented a resolution which was adopted and ordered the Board of Education.
pas~ed
to
It recited the school life and activities
of Superintendent E. J. Brown, noted his long service at Weaver, pointed out hia residence on the West Side, and respectfully petitioned that the new building be named the Brown High School. Following instructions, a copy was presented to
uperintendent
Frank W. tUller, and one to the Board of Education. referred this resolution for a
fittin~
The Board
memorial to the committee
of the whole, in which hole it still safely reposes.
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Bonds were advertised in
~ebruary,
the site question took precedence.,
and then sold.
Immediately,
The Leae;ue asked the same com-
mittee to investigate and report on site, the Leafue votinr in advance to send su h report to the Board of Education. of the Campbell block, this present site, for
It had a signed offer '30,000.
On March 27, at a well-attended meeting of __the League, the report on site was made, and ordered tabled.
So, one copy was tabled as
ordered, and another copy, as ordered previously, was sent to the Board of Education, which perhaps was parliamentary.
The committee at first
hand had studied eight si tes--the Campbell block on
~{est
Third; Carne-
gie Library, Fifth and Euclid; the Hosket plat, between Eaton and National avenues; the Km.tz plat, west of the Kuntz fOill1dr,y; the Gr ulich tract,
est of Broadway, southeast of Vfillatd sChool; the Whitmore
lots, east of Western avenue; the Neibert ground, the brow of the Soldiers' Home hill; and Bonebrake Seminary, on 짜lest t'irst street. The committee regarded these eight as comprising all that could receive consideration.
Everyone was stQdied with reference to six
points--size, accessibility, centrality, environment, cost, display. By an equal
n~~ber
of votes, the committee
and Library sites as its first choice. hou d require e
e1 iv
recom~ended
the Campbell
On condition that the Board
th etic gr
djoi ing the
uilding,
also by an equal number of votes, but smaller number, the committee recommended the Hosket ground and the Soldiers' Home hill, the two tying for first choice having
li~ited
grounds.
At once partisans were active, and purchase of location was postponed.
It was not till January 9, 1919, that the Hosket tract
was purchased--for somethin slow down motion.
over $20,000.
The war had helped to
The new and smaller Board came in, disapproved
of the act of its predecessor, aided by public opinion, and, on November 11, 1920, officially decided to purchase the library site.
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West Dayton citizens are pleased to acknowledge our debt of gratitude to these various Boards of Education ents.
and school superintend-
And we, here and now, on April 20, in the year of our Lord
1923, record again our allegiance to the public schools, and to those who give them high-class direction in the development of mind and establishment of moral character.
Roosevelt, My Roosevelt Sung at the laying of the comer stone of Roosevelt High School, April 20, 1923 WORDS BY W. D. BLAIK Member Board of Eduration To tune of "Maryland, My Maryland"
I love thy name, 'tis one of fame, Roosevelt, my Roosevelt, It fills my heart with choral strain, Roosevelt, my Roosevelt. Thy massive structure I adore, Thy name be known from shore to shore, I'll sing- thy praises evermore, Roosevelt, my Roosevelt. My voice with rapture I will raise, Roosevelt, my Roosevelt, And strive to bring thee endless praise Roosevelt, my Roosevelt. No matter where I chance to be Thy name I'II praise on land or sea, And join with song in thanks to thee Roosevelt, my Roosevelt. VucationaJ Dept.
SIl\路C'r~
HiJ.:b School. Daytun. Ohio
PERSPECTIVE. ROOSEVELT HIGH SCHOOL, DAYTON, OHIO.
The Dayton School Building Progratn Paul C. Stetson, Superintendent of Instruction, and Schenck & Williams, Architects. PART II. Dayton is definitely committed to a junior high school organization. When the building program has been completed, almost every form of the junior high school will be found. This is due to the feeling that the demands of the co=unity in which the school is to be located will determinJ:", in large measure, the type of junior high school organization which will be best for that section. The location of the Hoosevelt high school led us to the conclusion that the best type of school for this part of the city was the six year high school. This building, then, has been definitely planned to care for the pupils of the seventh through the twelfth grades. This has had considerable influence upon the size of classrooms a.nd upon the use of study halls. Th classrooms have been designed to acco=odate a larger enl"ollment thau i'8 usually found in a senior high school, due to the fact that the number in,a class in the jun'or high school is about 35 as against 30 for the senior high school. Junior high schools need more study halls than do the enior high school pupils. There have also been provided rooma for general science, extra rooms for pre-vocational work and for work in physical education. In short, an attempt has been made here to build a building to meet the needs of the particular type of school it served rather than to try to fit an organization into a building which was not primarily planned to meet the needs of the school as. contemplated.
The Roosevelt high school, because of its unique location in a section of the city where facilities for public assembly are lacking, will be used to a large extent as a community center. This feature, together with the fact that Third Street which the building adjoins accommodates a very heavy traffic, had a very decided influence in the selection of the plan arrangement which was finally adopted. The fact that the building site is rectangular with a south frontage of 338 feet on Third '~1
double open court "E" shaped plan, as best meeting the requirements of the problem. In the south wing of the building, facing Third Street and forming a definite buffer against the traffic noises, will be found the gymnasium and auditorium units, together with two swimming pools and the necessary lockers, shower, and toilet rooms, phvsical director's offices, examination rooms, home and visiting team rooms, rest and apparatus rooms, etc. The swi=ing pool rooms are located on the ground floor and each room is provided with generous visitors' galleries on four sides, and is amply lighted by large steel sash windows, and well ventilated by a forced system. A girls' gymnasium is also located in this wing, providing facilities for special training or development where needed. The gymnasium and pools are conveniently arranged for private co=unication to the toilets, showers and locker rooms, affording ample supervision at all times. Each pool is 20 feet wide by GO feet long with ample space on all four sides for the bathers, with unique provision for drainage of these spaces without polluting -=
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the water in the pool. During the use of pools the water is continually circulated thrm filters and sterilized by the most improved ch~ inators. The large gymnasium, measuring 82 feet w and 96 feet long, wi th visi tors' gallery on four sides, offers one of the most complete I rno 1:'1'11 ron iums. for practic>..al igb 8cb use. A heavy duck division curtain, SUSpell' f.rom the central truss, and secured to flush-fl sockets when lowered, provides ample space I facilities for two classes to be conducted at same time without interference. A running track has also been provided i very unique position in this gymnasium, w out increasing the actual height of the ro This has been accomplished by supp<Jroing track within the tnlSs design, kept well all the visitor's gallery and affording perfect vis of the track from the gallery for exhibit work. The entire .gymnasium floor is under the fj stant vision of the director while seated in office, insuring full use of e'ach period by classes. --i.
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