School

History

 

A Brief History of Glenwood Community School District

By Mr. Michael Schmidt

In 1851, the first school in Glenwood (then known as Coonville) was held in log schoolhouse. The school was the second building erected in Glenwood, reflecting the importance the early residents place upon public education. The building stood on Locust Street between Coolidge and Sharp Streets. Attorney Daniel H. Solomon was the first teacher.

From 1854 to 1857, school was held in the Congregational Church , but in 1857, a “modern schoolhouse” was constructed.  From 1857 to 1868, the school from various location throughout Glenwood to accommodate the growing population. In the fall of 1868, West Hill School and Grade Building was constructed for $18,650 on the site of West Elementary. This building was used until 1937.

Crowding again became a problem in 1878 and in 1879 it was decided to purchase the site which held the old Seminary Building—the site of the old East School. The problem of overcrowding seemed to have been solved but by 1890 additional space was needed once again. A bond issue was passed and new school was built on the old Seminary Building site.

Glenwood School District continued to grow when in 1912 a vote was held for an addition to the West Ward School. This addition became the first high school building.
For nearly the next 40 years the population was fairly stable, but after World War II, school population again began to grow – partly because of the birth of the Baby Boomers. In 1955, a building known as West Elementary was added to the high school and completed in 1957.

In 1961, Glenwood met with other boards—Pacific Junction, Silver City and Mineola-- to discuss reorganization, and on April 27, 1961 The Glenwood Community School District came into existence.

But again, population growth meant there was a need for more space and in 1963 a vote was approved for a new high school building. In 1967, that building was completed at Sivers Road.

In 1970, the Board became concerned about the age and condition of East Elementary which by now was nearly 80 years old. Two bond issues failed, but in 1973 the issued passed and in the fall of 1975 Northeast Elementary was ready for attendance.

Growth continued to be a happy problem for the Glenwood School District. As a result, in 1992, the District leased space from the State Hospital School and used some of the buildings to house the middle school after several bond issues failed.

Since then, the District facilities have undergone numerous upgrades and remodels to keep up with the growing population and the needs for technology in the 21st Century.
 
However, most recently, the voters of the Glenwood School District agreed to build a new high school for 19.1 million dollars. At the same time, the current high school will become the middle school and Glenwood will say, “Goodbye” to the Hospital School grounds that has served as the middle school site for 16 years. The new high school will be ready in the fall of 2009.