Chandler Schools: Grade, Grammar, Junior, and High
The Chandler School initially was for all grades at first, until Chandler Grammar School came into being, which then morphed into Cleveland School.
A Mission style school building was built in 1912 and finished in time for classes to begin that September. It began with 57 students and two teachers. G.A. Markham was the first principal and taught grades 4-8, and Louise Kolmire taught primary grades. Enrollment doubled by the end of the year and a third teacher was hired. More classrooms were built in the summer of 1913 and when the 1913-1914 school year started, there were six teachers and more than 200 students. (source: Chandler: Pioneer City of the New West, by Scott Solliday.
The 1916 and 1917 Chandler City Directories list Loren E. McFadden as the school principal.
H. A. Keeley is listed as the public schools superintendent in the 1918 Chandler City Directory. There is no listing in the 1919 directory for Chandler schools.
In the 1920 directory, there are separate listings for Chandler Grade School and Chandler High School. F. J. Curtiss is the superintendent of the grade school, which was at Cleveland and California Streets. And he was also principal of Chandler High School on Arizona Avenue near Detroit. The 1920 directory also has a separate listing for Goodyear Grade School, at which D. D. Jones was the principal
The 1921 and 1923 directories said Fred P. Austin was superintendent of Chandler Grade Schools. In 1923, Mrs. Mabel Singleton was grade school principal and the school was on north Oregon Street. The 1923 directory also said Austin was superintendent and principal of Chandler High School, which was on north Arizona Ave.
1925 directory: Grade Schools -- Fred P. Austin, superintendent; Mrs. Anna M. Seaver, principal. High School -- Fred P. Austin, principal, north Arizona Ave. Roy A. Jackson, assistant principal for the high school.
1926 directory: the grade schools were located on north Oregon, at the corner of Cleveland. High school was on north Arizona Ave
1929 directory: Chandler Junior High School appears, with R. A. Jackson as the principal. Fred P. Austin is listed as superintendent of Chandler Schools. Austin is also superintendent of Chandler Grade Schools at 145 N. Oregon. Austin appears as principal of Chandler High School; and R. A. Jackson, as assistant principal, at 250 N. Arizona. E. E. Cooper was principal of Chandler Grade School.
1930 directory: Chandler Grammar School is listed at 215 N. Oregon. Chandler High School, with F. P. Austin as principal, is at 325 N. Arizona Ave. Chandler Junior High is also mentioned, but with no more information. Winn Addition School is mentioned and Ora G. Hansen taught there.
1931 and 1932 directories: Grammar and high schools have the same address. No personnel are mentioned. Chandler Junior High School was at 325 N. Arizona. The 1932 Phoenix Telephone Directory, Chandler section, said the Grammar School had the number 33, and the high school, 39.
-Leonard George and wife arrived in Chandler to inspect the new furniture for the school. Mr. George is the chairman of the school board. (Chandler Arizonan 8/23/1912)
-Mr. Haffner spent two days moving the furniture from the depot to the school. (Chandler Arizonan 8/23/1912)
-$520,063.85 was collected for schools which amounts to $90 per pupil per year. 6,063 pupils attended school in the county last year. The fees collected is about 60 percent of what the treasurer's office collected. (Chandler Arizonan 1/17/1913)
-New unit is being built for the Chandler school by W. H. Snell, who is also building a temporary building for his office.
Excavation for the foundation has been made and material has arrived. (Chandler Arizonan 1/24/1913)
-The school is almost growing daily, and it is meeting expectations.
They are requesting parents take part more in kids' school lives and talk with teachers. (Chandler Arizonan 1/31/1913)
-With the second unit of the Chandler school well underway, it won't be many months before we shall be clamoring for the third unit.
The new unit will cost $5,750, will be done in 40 days, and will be an exact duplicate to the original. It will house 120 students. (Chandler Arizonan 2/7/1913)
-A fine library is being installed at the school. Trustee Jeff Duncan donated most of the books and cases. He will donate his spare time to making the library the best in the valley.
Anyone with volumes of books for young children can leave them at the building. (Chandler Arizonan 2/14/1913)
-Professor Markham is the principal. (Chandler Arizonan 2/14/1913)
-The brick work is done on the new unit of the school. The interior labor is being pushed, and so is the roof. Contractor Snell says he will keep his promise of 40 days as long as the materials keep coming in. (Chandler Arizonan 2/21/1913)
-The kids formed a Newspaper Club so they could write a school column for the Chandler Arizonan.
The Chandler photographer took pictures of each class.
The school had nine new pupils in the last two weeks.
1st Grade: Clarence and Clara Snell
3rd Grade: Arthur L. Brooks, George Eckels, Paul Heady
4th Grade: Elmer Snell
5th Grade: Willie Snell
8th Grade: Clara Carlson, Alma Snell
Dexter Mason Ferry Jr. and his wife, Mrs. Gillis, Dwight Cutler and his wife were notable visitors this week.
Mrs. Seward's class celebrated Lincoln's birthday by reading a newspaper from 1865 about his death. (Chandler Arizonan 2/28/1913)
-The new school unit has it's roof in place, window frames, and part of the interior furnishings. The new unit should be done within a few weeks. (Chandler Arizonan 2/28/1913)
-The school has had poor attendance the last few days due to bad weather.
There will be spelling contest in Tempe on March 8, and each school is to send ten pupils. Every pupil must write 200 words on paper which will be judged. The words will be chosen from the book, "Champion Speller." Mr. Markham will choose the ten pupils from the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades.
The boys at the school have created two baseball teams. One is called the Chandler Stars. (Chandler Arizonan 3/7/1913)
-The material for the roof of the new school unit has finally arrived. Contractor Snell has been delayed in finishing the unit, because of a lack of materials. The roof will be made with a metal tile. (Chandler Arizonan 3/14/1913)
-The school wasn't able to be represented in the last spelling contest, but is preparing for the next one next month.
Mrs. Bessie S. Gilbert and Mrs. Gordon came to visit the school one day last week. They visited Mrs. Seward's classroom.
Mr. George T. Peabody visited the school to tell the boys the seeds had arrived for the boys' cotton growing contest.
The school has asked the school in Gilbert (Highland) to play a baseball game against them on Sunday. The Gilbert team may come if they can get two more players.
Captains Edgar Black and Snell have asked the teams from Mesa, Kyrene, and Gilbert to play games.
-School is out for the summer. (Chandler Arizonan 5/2/1913)
-At the school trustee meeting last Wednesday, important decisions were made about the next school year.
Professor Markham after being principal for the last three years under adverse conditions has decided not to take on another year. He is taking courses at the University of Chicago.
The new principal will be Ella Page Seward, and they will hire three new teachers and will have six instructors after filling the positions. They have 30 applications to go through for the positions. Miss Louise Kohlmeyer and Mrs. Lillian R Gollands will keep their positions another year.
Mrs. Seward is well qualified for her new position, and has studied various areas of domestic science which will be added to the courses next season. She was recently offered a position in Fullerton, California.
It is the present plan to have a temporary building for the new domestic science courses where girls can learn sewing and the boys will be taught rudimentary carpentry. They hope to bring in an experienced carpenter for one or two hours a day to teach them.
The new unit is nearly finished, and Contractor Snell has built a unit with three rooms that light and airy with a solid wall in between. It is the present plan to have a dance under the direction of the school board in the new building within the next ten days. (Chandler Arizonan 5/2/1913)
-The school year started with 50 to 60 pupils and closed for the summer with four teachers and 140 pupils. (Chandler Arizonan 5/16/1913)
-Mr. Mark P. Freeman has been hired to fill in around the school house and level the ground. (Chandler Arizonan 6/6/1913)
-School trustee Jeff Duncan has arranged a deal for the new furniture for the new school unit. The stuff will arrive around mid-August. It was bought from the Adams Furniture Company of Chicago. Chairs, desks, maps, globe, and other paraphernalia was secured. (Chandler Arizonan 6/6/1913)
-A dance will be held in the new school unit on Saturday night. There will be a three piece orchestra: piano, violin, and drums. Admission is 75 cents and free punch. A. (Albert) Wolf and Berton Charles Rinear are directors. (Chandler Arizonan 6/6/1913)
-School trustee F.V.N. Dana stated this week that the Chandler school district has received $7,000 from the county for the 1913 to 1914 season.
Four new teachers have been hired to help Principal Seward. They are Miss Gretchen Pringle of Reward, California, Miss Estelle Nuffer, niece of Miss Kohlmeyer, and Mrs. Robert Flynn of Chandler. The new instructors won't arrive until August or early September. (Chandler Arizonan 6/13/1913)
-The last dance for the summer at the school house a week from Saturday. Twenty-five couples enjoyed the affair last Saturday with Mrs. Nora Montgomery, Rinear, and Wolf playing again. (Chandler Arizonan 7/25/1913)
-Due to the slowness of supplies for the new school house, another dance has been planned for Saturday, August 16th. (Chandler Arizonan 8/8/1913)
-The school house hosted a group of girls performing for an audience. While they were performing a bunch of boys broke in and threw dirt at the girls. (Chandler Arizonan 8/15/1913)