Prospect Heights School District 23

About

On December 3, 1865 school commenced for the area. The school was officially known as School District # 6, Township 42, Range Line 11. It was known as Pate School, the Little Red Brick School House and ultimately Wheeling Center School District 23 at the turn of the century. In 1936 real estate developers, Smith and Dawson, constructed homes in the area bounded by Willow Road on the north, McDonald Road on the south, Elmhurst Road on the east, and Schoenbeck Road on the west. In June of 1938 WPA funds were secured to pay for half the cost of two-room schoolhouse, which is now known as the Grodsky Administration building. It contained two classrooms for 70 students and a large basement that was eventually used for classroom space, a cafeteria as well as housing the first library. The formation of the local PTA unit was on Nov. 10, 1939. The charter contained the names of 101 individuals. Their stated purpose was to “better the educational facilities and curriculum within the District.” In the early 40's their focus was on establishing a hot lunch program and a library. In April of 1942, 1 cook and 10 mothers served the first hot lunch to 56 students for 10 cents a day. During the "war years" the association supported all phases of war work in the community. The first library was also established by the PTA in 1939 within the schools and served the schools through 1954 when the school district took over the program. The building program was halted because of World War II. By 1944 the enrollment had grown to 127 students and another classroom was added to the original grade school. In 1945 the first eighth grade class graduated sixteen students. In August of 1947 the school district housed the first kindergarten and in 1949 the vocal instrumental music programs began. Also in 1949 the first student newspaper, The Scholar was published.

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