Wayne School
Early school students dressed warmly for school and the trip to and from school. Probably the original student transportation wagons in the background center right. Photo contributed by Jim Leslie. Note from Evalind Ellis (class of 1956): John Ryan Morris (my mother’s brother) drove one of those early school wagons. He was a junior when he began, I think, and drove for two years.
Wayne School - Gym on left, High School center right, Original Building right-most (partially shown). The gym was built in 1929.
Then in 1941-1942, the original building, high school and gymnasium were connected with a first floor and basement corridor. If you look at the dark vertical opening on the gym side of the High School building, that appears to have been created as part of the construction of the connection between buildings.
From the time the building was dedicated in 1905, both the elementary and high School classes were held in the original building. By 1913 it became necessary to add more rooms. By 1914 the new High School, with an auditorium, a stage, a kitchen, a dining room and manual training room was erected. In 1929 an up-to-date gymnasium was added to the group of impressive buildings.
Similar to the Wayne School Boiler Room. Multiple Access Doors. Moving the Coal and Ash around with a Long Steel Rod. This Photo Shows a Boiler being Stoked Manually by Shoveling in Coal. Perhaps the Wayne Boiler started that way. At some point, a Mechanized Stoker-Spreader, similar to the Diagram below, was added.
Originally named Wayne Township Centralized Schools, it was the first completely centralized school in Ohio.
Wayne Township of Clinton County was established in 1837 from territory taken from Green and Richland Townships, and for school purposes was divided into eight school districts:
Concord School on Reed Road
Harmony School at the intersection of Fisher Road and Terrell Road
Pleasant Hill School on Henry Road
Sharps School at the intersection of Hornbeam Rd and 729
Tin Top School at the intersection of Hamilton and Larrick Roads
Willow College School at the intersection of Terrell and Johnson Roads
Texas School on Texas Road.
Each district had its own school house and a Board of three directors from the immediate neighborhood. One of these directors was chosen as a clerk.
Up until about 1860, only four subjects were required to be taught at school-Reading, Writing, Spelling. Arithmetic. Grammar and Geography were added a few years later with many protests. History and Physiology followed with violent opposition. The schools were crowded and it became apparent that a High School was needed. A vote was taken and a new school of two floors was built in Lees Creek just north of where the Lees Creek Church stands on Larrick Rd. This made eight district schools and a High School where pupils could attend after completing the work at their district school.
The first school in the building was taught in the fall and spring of 1885 and 1886 by L.A. Rhonemus. Then in September of 1886 the first High School in Wayne Township was taught by D.S. Miller from Thornville, Ohio.
In 1889, the provision of State Issue 4017 whereby a Board composed of the clerks from each district known as the High School Board, might elect a Superintendent to be over all the districts, including the High School. This arrangement made up the system of education in the early days of Wayne Township. Mr. Martin Kennedy became the first Township Superintendent in 1891.
In September of 1982, E.M. Johnson of Highland was made Superintendent and the following were graduated in the spring of 1894: Stanley Matthews; Cap Bernard; 1895, John H. McFadden, and in 1896 Fred Steele.
Then in the fall of 1896, M.C. Powers were made Superintendent and Matthew and Thomas N. Regan were graduated in the spring of 1897.
There was no graduation in 1898. But the next year, E.K. Barnes was Superintendent and the following were graduated: Benson McFadden, Brother McFadden, Vernon Rhonemus, Leroy Glove, Ola Van Pelt, and William Dotts.
In 1900, graduates under Mr. Barnes were: Harry Rhonemus, Abbie Goodrich, Lilliam Bean, Cora Van Pelt, Ora McFadden, Dora West, and Russell Duke.
A Mr. Curless from Blanchester then became superintendent, and in the spring of 1901 a class of four-Elijah Van Pelt, Merie Griffin, Frank Ginnevan, and Cara Templar graduated. Under the same superintendence, Herbert Grove Haynes and Estes McVey completed their high school in 1902.
There were no graduates in 1903, 1904, or 1905. The last session in the original High School Building was held in the Spring of 1905.
By 1890, the one room country schools had lost about one third of their population, and by the turn of the new century hundreds of rural schools had been abandoned because they were a burden to the people from a financial standpoint, and because of their inefficiency.
Because of this realization - and that the farm children were not receiving the educational advantages of their city cousins - a group of parents and educators of Wayne Township decided that the only way to improve the situation was to build a central school with facilities equal to the best city schools. This idea of centralizing a whole township was a new educational adventure for the State.
So, with some sincere opposition, it was decided to present a bond issue to the voters of Wayne Township in 1903 for the purpose of combining all the schools of the township into one central system. The vote carried by a slim margin and the first step had been taken toward making the schools of Wayne Township the first completely centralized school in the state.
3.92 acres of land were bought from Harriet A. Wilkerson on August 6, 1903, and the deed recorded August 19, 1903 to the Board of Education of Wayne Township for $525. An eight-room school was built for $20,000 at a location as near to the center of the township as possible.
Charles Wirsing of Washington C.H. was the contractor. Bricks for the building were made from clay taken from the field just a few yards south of where the building was to be built.
On September 4, 1905, the first Board of Education composed of Sampson Tener, Dr. Lambright, Elijah Van Pelt, Hugh Terrell and Theodore Giffin, along with John J. Richeson, the newly chosen superintendent, dedicated the new school. It was chartered as a first grade High School in 1907.
The school board had made a fortunate choice in selecting Mr. Richeson as the first superintendent, as he proved to be a man of extreme leadership and was credited with firmly establishing the school in the role of pioneering and programs in education. The school became so successful that it drew the attention of educators far and near, and visitors came seeking knowledge of methods to establish better schools in their home districts.
When school opened in the fall of 1905, ten or twelve wagons pulled by horses transported the children to and from school. These wagons were not the most comfortable way to travel since the only protection from cold, rain, or snow was the canvas curtain that could be buckled down when needed. The average time a child would be on the road from home to school was about an hour and a half - sometimes longer because of snow and muddy roads. Anyone who lived less than a mile away was required to walk to school. Each wagon cost from $120 to $150, and carried an average of twenty children.
School buses were first used in September of 1928 and were a great improvement in transportation. Mr. Al Roberts of New Vienna owned the buses. Some buses were driven by high school boys until the State passed a law forbidding this practice.
In 1913, a new building was erected to accommodate the high school students. It cost $36,000 and was built by the same contractor, Charles Wirsing, of Washington C.H. More new bricks were made and burned for the new High School building where the original ones were made.
From the time the building was dedicated in 1905, both the elementary and high school classes were held in the original building, but by 1913, it became necessary to add more rooms. By 1914, the new High School, with an auditorium, stage, kitchen, dining room and manual training room was erected.
In 1926, a Smith-Hughes Department was added, and a new workshop was built to take care of this department. In 1929, an up-to-date gymnasium was added to the group of impressive buildings.
The beginning of the hot lunch program started in the 1921-1922 school year when a cup of warm food was furnished to go with the pupil’s cold lunch from home.
A Parent Teacher National Organization with paid membership was organized in 1922. P.T.A. members met at school and canned fruits and vegetables for the hot lunch program. They also sponsored rabbit suppers, plays, advertisements etc. to support the hot lunch program.
In 1941-1942, the original building, high school and gymnasium were connected with a first floor and basement corridor
An extensive remodeling took place when Reesville, whose High School pupils had previously attended Wayne on a tuition basis, joined the school system in 1953. A bond issue of $400,000 was passed to complete the project and the name of the school was changed to Simon Kenton High School. Elementary pupils were assigned to Reesville.
New Vienna merged with Simon Kenton for the school year of 1962-1963 and it now became New Kenton.
Sabina became part of the school in 1965 and the name was changed to East Clinton, the name it carries now.
In 1974, the Booster’s Club bought property adjoining the school grounds for a football field and donated it to the school. The seating capacity is 1000 seats and was erected at a cost of $25,000. In 1977, a locker room with complete facilities was donated for $20,000-also by the Booster’s Club.
Since the opening of the school year in 1905, seventeen men have served as superintendent in the following order: John J. Richeson, C.R. Patterson, O.B. Snyder, W.E. Thompson, C.H. Lewis, H.E. Cromer, M.E. Wilson, Perry Potts, C.A. Devoe, Charles H. Bowl, Elmer Teets, William D. Myers, A.W. Kettlewood, Richard Hart, Joseph Steele, George Greer, and Donald Morrow.
The first graduate of Wayne Township Centralized High School was Ray Morris, who graduated in 1907.
(this information is based on an article that appeared in the Wilmington News-Journal in 1978)