For all of you who wondered “why Woodruff?” here’s your answer. School board member Jim Stowell forwarded me the district’s “Merged High School Campus Selection Analysis.” It basically is a detailed pro and con list for each campus. I think it helps explain the administration’s recommendation that Peoria High be used for the new “merged” high school and Woodruff be used for grade school.
On a side note, did you know that “Woodruff [was] originally designed to be [a] junior high school”? I didn’t. I’d love to know the rest of the story on that. I wonder how it went from being a junior high school to another high school.
Thanks for sharing this document. Mentioned as a “con” for selection of Central is rental of the swimming pool from the Park District. Is that really such a big expenditure that it merits making the list? How about on the pro list for Central is that the Central pool facility is much nicer than the Woodruff pool.
C.J.–I was not aware that Woodruff was built as a junior high. I have often wondered why Roosevelt and Trewyn were the only junior highs (7-9 grades) in Peoria. By the time I started teaching at Roosevelt in 1962, the racial division was obvious. I don’t know if that was always the case. Roosevelt was mostly for black students and Trewyn for white. That made for problems in 1969 when the two groups came together as Manual’s first 9th grade class as part of 150’s integration plan.
I believe Woodruff was built maybe in 1938–not sure. I thought it replaced Kingman, which, I think, had been a high school. All that will relate to the history of Averyville, etc.–Kingman might have been all grades through high school.
Thanks for bringing up this piece of history. I will be interested in hearing from others who can fill in the blanks.
I don’t see anything on the pro and con list about transportation costs–I thought the district was trying to save in that area–looks like they are adding an expense.
Also, where is the pro and con list for closing a school to create a large facility–especially, since expansion will be necessary (also expensive).
Last year “small learning communities” were being advocated; why the sudden change to the bigger is better educational philosophy?
Sharon, I think you are right about Woodruff opening in 1938. My dad went to PHS his freshman year and then went to WHS when it opened for the 1937-38 SY. I don’t ever remember him saying it was a junior high school. Wonder if that was the original plan and it changed by the time the school opened.
At the time Woodruff was built, Kingman was a high school. At least that’s what some old time northenders told me. (cw’s granpa)
Prairie Celt: Yes, my aunt was also there for the 1937-38 opening year. I rather doubt that it was planned as a junior high since it was a replacement for Kingman–and CW says Kingman was a high school. At least, I think we can say for sure that it was never a junior high.
Woodruff was always to be a high school. There was a plan for a junior high to be built behind Von Steuben, but the school board grabbed that area when I74 cut through the downtown and the old board of education building was demolished. If the Von Steuben JHS site would have happened, then Columbia was to be converted to JHS status.
Sharon, sorry to repeat what you had posted earlier, I missed yours. Kingman High still has an active alumni site, but only for the years 1909-1929. Nothing was mentioned about a transition between the two schools though. Amazing some are still around the area.
Cj, Idid get this info. E.N. Woodruff High School opened in 1937 and replaced Kingman High School, which was formerly named Averyviile High. Averyville was a suburb of Peoria until 1924 when it became part of the city. In 1924 Averyville was switched to Kingman high and existed as a high school until 1937-38 when Woodruff was constructed.
To Frustrated:
Why is the Park District always talking about closing the pool at Central if it is so much nicer than Woodruff’s? Does it get any use? How about Woodruff? Do kids swim in P.E. anymore?Does either school have a team to speak of that uses the pools? How expensive are the extra facilities at each school?
I believe that swimming is part of the P.E. program at all four high schools–that hasn’t changed since I left, has it? Woodruff and Peoria High do have swim teams–do they have to be winning teams to merit district dollars–is it about winning or experience and opportunities for kids?
I just did not know wether they were even participating in the water sports, I saw a pre season sports article about one of the peoria high schools that has a pool, and the swim team part said they were still looking for kids to form the team and the season had started. So I was curious as to the use of those facilities. Do all the schools have enough participants in track and field to justify separate facilities there as well? It would seem that with participation in extracurricular activities down perhaps only one of the three remaining high schools should do swimming, and one should do track and one should do band ect., let kids go to the one that offers what they want rather than shoulder the expense at all three for duplicate facilities that are underutilized.
Peoria Dad: Unfortunately, you are getting close to reality–getting kids to participate in the minor sports is very difficult. I just hate to 150 make it difficult for kids tht are actually interested in swimming, etc., (difficult by having to drive all the way across town, etc.) However, these are the cost-cutting measures that should, at least, be presented to the public in these tough economic times.