District No. 1: P. H. Woodard, director; M. S. Gaylord, clerk; F. Bier, treasurer; District No. 3: Peter Boyer, L. A. Messenger and A. Wheeler; District No. 5: Nathan McClintic, Hosea Norris and James Cravins; District No. 6. W. H. Bowen, J. W. Cain and Jonathan Hartman; District No. 8: S. Cummings, Milo Carleton and Lewis Brockman; District No. 9: George Scarborough, Joseph Scarborough and Jacob Pochler; District No. 10: Jacob Beck, Frederick Neerman and James A. Smith; District No. 11: John Graves, Henry Shell and Henry Widner; District No. 15: John W. Best, George Lamberson and Boaz W. Williamson; District No. 17: Hiram Quiett, Chas. Williamson and Wm. Cummings; District No. 18: W. J. Young, F. L. Fortune and A. J. Reed; District No. 19: Henry Cline, F. Leighton and W. J. Mayfield; District No. 20: W. J. Oliphant, D. H. Sprong and Dandridge Holladay; District No. 21: Dwight Williams, Jacob Reese and John J. Halligan; District No. 22: F. Roach, C. B. Keith and Joseph Speer; District No. 23: W. A. Adams, W. H. Seever and W. M. Hamm; District No. 24: James R. May, E. S. Evington and Jefferson Gragg; District No. 26: R. Breedlone, C. May and James Fletcher; District No. 27: James F. Butcher, C. G. Means and W. L. Davis; District No. 28: Andrew C. Pittman, David Earhart and George H. McPherson; District No. 29: Anderson Pate, James M. Wylie and H. T. Gill; District No. 30: P. B. Chadwick, J. W. Roberson and R. A. Van Winkle; District No. 31: Samuel Vanatta, William Hamon and Hamilton Bailey; District No. 33: Benj. Rivers, Silas A. Hooey and J. Plotner; District No. 34: D. Kottle, John S. Van Winkle and A. King; District No. 35: A. A. F. Randolph, D. M. Stillman and Joshua Wheeler; Union District No. 1: J. A. Anderson, M. C. Willis and George Storch; Union District No. 2: James Cooley, L. H. Masterson and Wm. H. Cook; Union District No. 3: W. J. Brown, Thos. A. Snoddy and J. Lasswell, and Union District No. 4: Richmon Dalton, Albert Henson and Frederick Eleman.
The next record that can be found of the progress of schools in this county is of 1868, when Norman Dunshee was county superintendent. In that year there were forty-six organized school districts, and a school population of 3,878, with a total enrollment of 2,247, and an average daily attendance of 1281. The term for white children was increased to five and one-half months and for colored children to ten months. There was a total of sixty-four teachers, of whom thirty-seven were women and twenty-seven men. The wages of the men were $42.92 a month, and for the women, $28.76 a month, and there was a total of $15,117.87 paid out for wages. The amount received from the State was $2,627.09, and an additional source of revenue was from the pounding of stray livestock, which brought into the school fund of the county that year $589.58. The amount raised by district school tax was $24,373.21, and there were forty-three school houses in the county, of which twelve were built of logs, twenty-six of frame construction, and five of stone, with a total valuation of $16,750.00. During the interim between 1863 and 1868, the Third Kansas Teachers’ Association met in Atchison. The meeting was held July, 1865, and there were fifty-nine teachers present in Price’s Hall. John A. Martin, John J. Ingalls and Geo. W. Glick attended the meeting and made addresses.
In comparison with the figures of those days, the figures of 1915 are interesting, and they are here given as follows:
| School population, June 30, 1915 | 3,530 | ||
| Total enrollment, 1914–1915 | 2,477 | ||
| Average daily attendance, 1914–1915 | 1,915 | ||
| Teachers employed, 1915–1916, including county high school, males 23, females 81 | 104 | ||
| Teachers employed 1915–1916, including county high school, holding State certificates | 19 | ||
| Normal training 33, first grade 22, second grade 27 | |||
| Teachers without previous experience | 21 | ||
| Teachers serving first year in present positions | 56 | ||
| Teachers more than two years in present position | 16 | ||
| Average experience of teachers: | |||
| One-teacher schools | 5 years | ||
| Graded schools | 6 years | ||
| Average length of term in weeks: | 1914–15 | 1915–16 | |
| One-teacher schools | 30.4 | 30.65 | |
| Graded schools | 35.3 | 35.33 | |
| Average salary of male teachers: | 1914–15 | 1915–16 | |
| One-teacher schools | 63.75 | 67.25 | |
| Graded schools | 84.77 | 85.81 | |
| Average salary of female teachers: | 1914–15 | 1915–16 | |
| One-teacher schools | 58.16 | 57.45 | |
| Graded schools | 59.64 | 60.00 | |
| Average attendance per teacher: | 1914–15 | ||
| One-teacher schools | 21 | ||
| Graded schools | 26 | ||
| Average cost per pupil per month in attendance: | 1914–15 | ||
| One-teacher schools | $ 3.69 | ||
| Graded schools | 4.38 | ||
| Amount expended for school purposes: | 1914–15 | ||
| One-teacher schools | $39,756.47 | ||
| Graded schools | 19,212.88 | ||
| County high school | 17,719.71 | ||
| Total | $76,689.06 | ||
| Common school graduates, 1915: | |||
| Boys 57, girls 71, total 128. | |||
| High school graduates, 1915: | |||
| Boys 17, girls 19, total 36. | |||
| Total number of libraries in rural schools | 63 | ||
| Number of volumes in rural libraries | 4,314 | ||
| Number of schools having room or basement furnaces | 66 | ||
| Number of county certificates issued during year: | |||
| First grade | 9 | ||
| Second grade | 24 | ||
| Third grade | 7 | Total 40 | |
| Number of first grade renewed | 5 | ||
| Number of State certificates registered | 7 | ||
| Number teachers normal training certificates registered | 13 | ||
| Number of first grades indorsed | 3 | ||
| Number of second grades indorsed | 1 | ||
The city of Atchison is not included in any of the above statistics.
It is interesting to note that the vision of Miss Helen E. Bishop of 1863 has been realized, for in every school in Atchison county, not only agriculture is taught, but in about one-third of the schools, plain sewing and various kinds of fancy needlework are taught also, and while no rural school as yet is equipped to teach cooking, a number of the teachers are directing some work along this line and it is done in accordance with the teacher’s directions in the homes, with the assistance of the mothers. More attention than ever is also being given to drawing and music. Earnest efforts are being made by superintendents and teachers to secure the coöperation of parents by means of community gatherings. In many districts teachers’ associations, literary societies and debating clubs have been organized, in which parents as well as children are taking a great interest. Many of the districts have availed themselves of the opportunity to use the stereopticon lectures sent out by the University of Kansas. Lecture courses are being made in some of the schools, and provisions have been made for serving hot lunches for children. Medical inspection is also provided for, through the efforts of teachers. One of the most interesting and valuable features introduced into the rural school work of the county in recent years is the community school fair. The plan is to have three to five schools unite and meet at a school house, where the children enter exhibits of corn, cereals, seeds of various kinds, vegetables and fruits, and in addition to these are also exhibited canned fruits, peaches, jelly and loaves of bread, and other samples of the art of cooking, together with articles of fancy needlework and plain sewing. Many prizes are awarded for the best exhibit, and the result is that much interest is stimulated among the children in these accomplishments. The county farm agent is also lending great assistance in organizing school gardens, and boys’ and girls’ clubs of various kinds for the purpose of agricultural development. Much attention is also paid to the supervision of the children at play, on the theory that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and the equipment for the playground of various kinds has been supplied. Six rural schools of the county have organized basketball teams.
Besides the rural and graded schools, Atchison county has four high schools. Muscotah maintains an accredited four-year high school, offering a college preparatory and general course, and the school building which was destroyed by fire January 13, 1916, will be replaced by a larger and better school, reference to which has already been made in this history.
Under the direction of J. S. Blosser, an excellent two year high school is maintained in Huron.
THE ATCHISON COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL.
In 1888 Atchison county, in accordance with an act of the Kansas legislature of 1866, established the second county high school in the State, and it was due to the efforts of Senator B. F. Wallack, and also the efforts of the public spirited citizens of Effingham, that this school was located there. The first board of trustees of this school were as follows: A. J. Harwi, A. S. Best. J. E. Logan, F. E. Cloyes, L. R. Spangler and W. E. Knight. John Klopfenstein, who was at that time county superintendent, became the first president of the board.