Iowa Heritage Digital Collections
State Library of Iowa

016_Other School Districts and Curriculum

Title

016_Other School Districts and Curriculum

Description

This is a page from the collection "Bicentennial Reflections: History of Des Moines Public Schools, 1876-1976" by Dr. Robert R. Denny, published by the Des Moines Public Schools in Des Moines, Iowa in 1976. .

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JPEG scanned at 600 dpi resolution on an Epson Expression 10000XL Scanner

File Name

016_OtherSchoolDistrictsandCurrculum.jpg

Transcription

Scott SchooL (Photograph) S.E. 25th and Maury Slinker SchooL (Photograph) 15th and Center They continued to argue that the city was not too large for all of the teachers to assemble in a grade or general teachers' meeting yet they pointed out that five superintendents were employed. They pointed out that present arrangements led to needless multiplication of high school units and there was no reason for more than three or four high schools in Des Moines, rather than the six or seven doing high school work in early 1900's. They further pointed out that the high schools in the distant suburbs were cut off from all contact with supervisors and yet were within easy access of the teachers' meetings in the city. Oakdale School District Oakdale was a separate school district in the northwest part of Des Moines, The first building was a log school house at the corner of 30th and Hickman near the site of the present Monroe elementary school. The next school house was one 16 x 18 and built on Beaver Avenue. Further additions in the Oakdale School District included building of a building in the northwest part of the district named Pleasant Hill. The main buildings in the Oakdale District were Elmwood School at 31st and University and Kirkwood School at 27th and Clark. Rawson at 43rd and Franklin was another building designed for lower grades. The establishment of Drake University in 1885 was a great stimulus to the Oakdale District and the many homes built in this district required additions to the various school facilities. Greenwood Park School A separate school district and a small one was the Greenwood Park School located on West Grand. A picture of the small building is given. Very little is known about the early history. Jordan School was a frame structure near the present Merrill Jr. High School. Summit SchooL (Photograph) 21st Street between Forest and Clark Noah Webster School,(Photograph) E. 12th and Lyon Street Curriculum Beginning in 1870 and continually through the 1970's there is a continuous adding to the curriculum. New courses are added; others are changed, modified or dropped. Here are some highlights of some of the additions of courses to the high school curriculum. Various electives and new subjects added to the curriculum 1870 - Geology Drawing (an elective for botany) Moral Philosphy - an elective for astronomy 1871 - Moral Science National History Political Economy Rhetoric - an elective for chemistry Bookkeeping - an elective for botany Ancient History - an elective for astronomy 1873 - Elocution Physiology Physical Geography Science of Government General History Caesar English Literature Virgil Mental Philosophy Advanced Algebra 1875 - Zoology Higher arithmetic 1879 - 1880 Cicero English Compositio