Volume 15 , Issue 3

Alva Public School Teachers (1906)

This is another story taken from the Vol. IV issue of the OkieLegacy Ezine. About ten years ago I was at the library looking through old microfilms of old newspapers, I ran across a frontpage article, dated Friday, September 14, 1906, in The Alva Weekly Courier, Alva, Oklahoma Territory.

It concerns a story of the Alva City Schools and lists the date school opened -- Monday, September 10th, 1906 and lists the superintendent, principal and teachers. One of those teachers was my grandmother Constance Warwick.

That year Miss Warwick was in charge of the fifth grade for the Alva City Public schools. It also mentioned that Miss Warwick graduated from Northwestern Normal school and taught 4 years in succession in District #43, Woods County. Now would someone remind me where, what District #43, in Woods County was located?

Some of the others that had been obtained for the 1906 school year were... Miss Stella Ernest, Principal. Miss Ernest had 4 years experience as principal of public schools with a diploma from several different schools.

Then there was Prof. Guy M. Lisk, superintendent (2nd year for the Alva City public schools). He graduated from Illinois State Normal University at Normal, Illinois and was the former vice-president of Northwestern State Normal, in Alva, O. T.

The 1906, Alva PUblic school teacher in charge of the sixth grade was Mrs. Anna R. Stevens with 12 years experience. The past 3 years in the city schools. She graduated from Kansas State Normal and Kansas University. It reported that Mrs. Stevens was the "Best teacher Alva ever had."

Other teachers that year (1906)... were Miss Stella Stull (taught 4 years in Newkirk schools); Miss Edna Kelley (4th grade teacher, graduated class of 1905); Miss Lula Keith (3rd grade teacher, graduate of Emoria State Normal); Mis Pearl Bickel (2nd grade teacher, graduate of Northwestern Normal, also taught at Cleo, Geary and Cherokee); Miss Edith Norris (3rd year as intermediate, primary teacher, graduate of Northwestern Normal); Miss Jesse Converse (primary teacher in West School, graduate Univ. Kansas, 2 years training primary, kindergarten, 4 years experience training in teaching); Miss Jennie Monfort (2nd & 3rd grade teacher in East building); and Miss Myra Taplin (primary teacher in East school, graduate of Emporia School).   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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