Monroe’s First Consolidated High School

Source: Undated article from unnamed newspaper. Submitted by Don Duvall.

“The building shown above is that which will house Monroe County’s first consolidated high school, organized in 1921 by the consolidation of the districts of Wright, Ownby, Evansville, Garrett and Middle Grove, in the southwestern corner of Monroe county. The building was in former years the home of one of Monroe county’s pioneer schools of higher education, housing the old Middle Grove College, one of the first academies in this part of rural northeast Missouri. The structure contains seventeen rooms, counting classrooms, auditorium and study halls. Many improvements will be made during this summer, among them being a modern heating plant to conform with the state regulations for heating consolidated school buildings.

In the building, which is located in Middle Grove, three teachers will be employed during the school term of 1922-23, one of these teachers having the Middle Grove district grade school, the other two devoting their entire time to high school subjects. Three years work will be taught by them during the eight months school year. These teachers have not yet been elected. Grade schools continue to be taught in the one room buildings in each interested district, only the high school students attending the consolidated school. Six directors have charge of their (section) of the teachers in all (… unable to read) the districts, the present ones (being) James Broadus, Homer (Swindell?), Floyd Newman, E.C. Brooks, Ernest Hopper and F.W. Stephens. Teachers already elected for the outlying grade schools are Ownby, Miss May Mills; Wright 79, Roy Reed; Garrett, Miss Bess Walker; Evansville, Earl Farris.

The interested districts voted for the consolidated high school, the cheapest and most practical means of providing for county boys and girls a high school education, October 7, 1921, carrying the proposition by the record vote of 135 to 31. The combined valuation of the districts is slightly over $1,000,000, on which a 65 cent levy has been voted for the coming year. Most of the districts formerly ran on a levy of around 25 cents. In addition to the money received from this source, $800 of state aid will be received. No bond issue was necessary in order to establish the Middle Grove consolidated school, owing to the fact that the old college building furnished an excellent home for it with no expense except that of refinishing and modernizing. Backing the consolidation proposition when inaugurated and put over in the summer and fall of 1921 was the Randolph-Pomona Grange, a powerful and influential organization of farmers of Middle Grove and vicinity, part of the members living in Monroe County, part in Randolph; together with the most influential men in the interested districts. The first term of the consolidated school will begin this fall with the entire county watching the venture with interest.”