17 



History 



The early days of the school were unhappy. Due to lack of fore- 

 sight or insufficient investigation of the field for such a school, it started 

 out on an inflated basis. The idea of a county institution to instruct 

 in the practical subjects of agriculture and domestic science took deep 

 root. It was to be open to pupils who could not by reason of lack of 

 training, age, money, or other reason, go elsewhere. As is often true 

 in such cases no thoro investigation was made. Instead a very com- 

 plete plant was built and then by "booming" advertising methods a large 

 enrollment was built up the first year 1912-13. In this year 243 

 pupils entered. That this was not what should have been normally 

 expected is shown by the fact that in the next year, 1913-14, the en- 

 rollment dropped to 206, and in 1914 15 it went still lower to 191. 

 Average daily attendance in the same years was 146, 135, and 1 18. 

 The 191516 figure will not be available until the end of the present 

 school year. 



The present superintendent entered on his duties with a heritage of 

 over-expansion and a school debt of $10,000.00, handed down to him 

 by a predecessor. 



This brief touch of history is given only for the purpose of furnishing 

 a background for a clearer understanding of present conditions. 



