Almont North Dakota
1906 Centennial 2006
Almont School
by Roger Nagel
Some
people might think that Almont hasn’t much of a story, but
if the school could talk it could surely give you a tale. The most
interesting and exciting part would probably be about how it got
the new high school.
It all came about one evening as Mrs. Anderson,
the bankers wife and school teacher, was sitting at the supper table one
evening discussing the eighth grade graduating class with her husband. It
was one of those North Dakota evenings in January of 1918 and it wouldn’t
be long before her class of sixteen eighth graders would be graduating.
As the thoughts ran through her mind she wondered,
as all teachers usually do, just what would become of her class after graduating.
There was no high school at the time for any of them to go to, and how could
they amount to anything for Almont to be proud of if they couldn’t
go to a high school. Suddenly she turned to her husband and said, “What
do you think can be done for the future of the graduating class?”
“I think that we should have a high
school here in Almont,’ she added.
Her husband turned to her, but before he answered he sat for a while
in deep thought, and then replied, “I know how much you have thought
about your graduating class and their future training. I don’t
know just what can be done about a high school here in Almont. That
undertaking is too much for you or any one person. I’ll talk to
Nels Becklund tomorrow about it since he is the treasurer of the school
board.”
The next morning Mr. Anderson went down to
the bank as usual and went to work. But it seemed as though Mr. Becklund
was later than usual. Just where he was or what was keeping him Mr. Anderson
couldn’t tell. Finally about 10:30 Mr. Becklund came into the bank,
and as he was hanging up is overcoat Mr. Anderson remarked about how late
he was. Mr. Becklund said that it was so cold out that he had had a hard
time getting the horses taken care of. Also he had to confess that he overslept
a little that morning. He was going to his desk, Mr. Anderson said, “Before
you sit down I have something that I want to talk to you about.”
“Go right ahead,” said Nels, “there
is no one here now and I don’t have so awfully much work to do.”
“Well,” began Mr. Anderson, “last
night my wife and I got to talking about the children graduating from the
grade school this spring and we thing that something should be done to give
them a chance to go to high school. Since you are the treasurer of the school
board, I was wondering if you had given it any thought.”
“I haven’t really given it much
thought,” said Mr. Becklund, “but now that you mention it, it
sounds like a good idea. I’ll try to take it up at the next school
board meeting.”
He did take it up at the next meeting and
it was met with favor by most of the members present. They voted to call
a special election of the Almont School District, to be held in March, 1917,
in the school house at Almont. They also wrote to the State Department of
Education and told them what had been the results of the board meeting and
asked for suggestions on how the election should be carried out.
The State Department of Education told them
that they would have to vote on three things: first, to increase the debt
limit of the school district; second, to increase the rate of taxation for
the school; and third, to build a new school house.
During the weeks before the election, no matter where one went or who
one saw the favorite topic of conversation was over the proposed high
school, or they were against the raise in taxes.
As one walked down main street he would hear
people discussing the school in this manner.
“I haven’t any kids, so why should
I vote in their favor?”
“Why not have a high school,” the
other one replied, “since its only going to cost you a dollar and
thirty-three cents more a quarter section and that won’t hurt you.”
“Why should Almont have a high school?” the
other man argued. “There are bigger towns than Almont that don’t
have high school and they get along fine without one.”
“Yes, but Almont is growing and I don’t
think a high school would hurt the town. In fact I think it will do a lot
of good.”
No matter where one went, if it was to one
of the grocery stores, to the bank, to the lawyer’s office, or to
the lumber yard people forgot to talk about the weather and crops or the
past winter, but were arguing the pros and cons of the proposed new high
school. Some of the discussions became fairly hot at times. Even the editor
of the newspaper had articles telling about the new school.
Election day finally came, and it seemed as
if everyone and his neighbor was in town that day. The town was so full
of people that it seemed that no matter which way one turned he was bumping
into some old friend, or some stranger.
Most of the kids came in with their parents, but there were quite a
few that had to stay home because of the chicken pox and were they mad.
they wanted to come in and try to get the people to vote for the high
school. Some of the men who were in favor of the school had had bills
printed which they gave to the kids to hand out to the people as they
went into the school house to vote. The school kids were too young to
vote, but they stood outside the fence giving out the hand bills on
which were written: “Give us a chance to go to High School. Only
$1.33 more a quarter section. Vote YES today.”
Of course not all the kids liked school and
a few started talking together and one said, “I kind of hope we don’t
have a high school.”
Immediately one answered, “What are
you going to do with yourself, push a wheelbarrow while I sit with my feet
on a desk telling others to do what I don’t want to do?”
Inside the school house the discussion was
still going on as they tried to tell each other how to vote. One old-timer
said to another, “them kids don’t need a school.”
The other replied, “You old goat, you
just don’t want those children to have a chance. I'm going to vote
in favor of the school. At least I’ll tie up with you vote.”
The election was close all the way through. It seemed as if one vote
could cancel the other. Sometimes those in favor of the high school
seemed to be ahead, but then others against it would come in to vote.
While the counting was going on the people waited outside to hear how
the election was turning out. When the final count was taken it was
found the high school had won.
The bids were 1st out and the contractor hired
in hopes that they would have the new high school ready for the classes
to start in the fall.
School started, but the school house wasn’t
finished. Mrs. Anderson, now the new high school teacher, had ordered the
books for the freshmen and they started their high school in the old schoolhouse,
while waiting for the new one to be finished. The new school house was to
have four rooms, two downstairs and two upstairs. It was to be built by
the Hebron Brick Company.
It had come a long way since the one room
school house in which Miss Karine Jacobson had taught. It was still to grow
larger, for later a gymnasium and some more classrooms were added.