029_Douglas and Dunlap Schools

029_Douglas and Dunlap Schools

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.

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

Page027DouglasandDunlapSchools.jpg

Cowles (Photograph) Douglas (Photograph) Dunlap (Photograph) Edmunds (Photograph) Cowles was a pilot school for the Waupum project. This project screens, evaluates and places all Kindergarten students so the teacher can best meet the individual needs, developing the weaker areas and enhancing the strong. School spirit was enlivened through the selection of school colors, song and mascot. An active student council pursues student interests and desires. This K-6 organization is in the process of completing a student center. Principals of Cowles School— 1958 - 1960 Almeda Nelson 1960- 1963 Jean McClintic 1963 - 1972 Lorene Lightfoot 1972 - 1975 Tom Stokes 1975 - Lester Rees DOUGLAS SCHOOL East 38th and Douglas Grades K-5 Dates of construction—1910 Three rooms 1920 Three rooms 1965 Sixteen rooms Site—5.7 Acres Douglas school was named because of its location on Douglas Avenue. The first P.T.A. was organized in 1912. Douglas was a small primary unit for many years. Gradually the empty farmland was subdivided by home developers. Booming housing developments made it necessary to build a 15 room addition in 1964 at a cost of $506,958.00. Before the addition was completed, many children were bussed to Longfellow School for several years. When the addition was completed and ready for use in August 1965, the enrollment had grown so much there were 160 Kindergarten children- 40 children in each session which necessitated hiring 2 full time teacher associates, and -it was necessary to have 5 - 1st grade classrooms of 34 each. In 1967, Hoyt Elementary school was built as a Primary SchooL This helped alleviate some of the large sized classes for several years. In 1972 Hoyt was changed to a Middle school so the sixth graders from Douglas attend there, that made Douglas a K - 5 school. Principals of Douglas School- 1911 - 1915 Ann Howland 1915 - 1916 Mr. Evralls 1916 - 1919 Alice White 1919 - 1937 W. Lee Jordon 1937 - 1939 Edna Petersen 1939 - 1944 Ruth Pritchard 1944 - 1946 Almeda Nelson 1946 - 1954 Edith Patterson 1954 - 1958 Lorraine Kimball Reed 1958 - 1964 James E. Wise 1964 - Marjorie Schwein DUNLAP SCHOOL S.E. 11th Street and Railroad Ave. Grades K-6 Site—2.5 acres Dunlap School was constructed in 1952 as a replacement for the old Curtis School located at S.E. 6th and Raccoon, and for Benton School, a frame building at S.E. 12th and Shaw. Benton was razed in 1963 and the site has been sold. Curtis was put en the inactive list since it was a relic of the old East Des Moines School District having been built in 1874. The Curtis School and site were sold in 1965. The Dunlap School was named m honor of Flora B. Dunlap who was a veteran social worker in the southeast section of Des Moines. Some highlights of Miss Dunlap's life are given below: Flora Dunlap was born February 27, 1872, in a log cabin on the banks of Deer Creek near Circleville, Ohio, of early American pioneer ancestry. She attended public schools in Ohio and was graduated from Cincinnati Wesley an College. Miss Dunlap's forty-year career in Des Moines began in 1904 when she became director of Roadside Settlement House, one of the first in the country, located at Eighth and Mulberry Streets. As the flood-ridden southeast section of Des Moines came to be the city's biggest social and sanitation problem, the need for a social settlement house in the area became apparent, so Miss Dunlap took the initiative in planning a new Roadside building at S.E. Seventh and Scott Streets.