From: Susan Cearlock Tilleman
Date: 10 Jun 2002
Source: "The Panorama 1935", published by the senior class of PanaTownship High School, Pana, Illinois, page 12.
Pana Township High School, of which we are so proud, developed from a very humble beginning. At the very first, a room at the rear of a store was used for school purposes. This store stood on Second Street just west of the H. W. Ferguson building. The first public school building in Pana was a two-story frame building at the corner of Second and Poplar streets where the Standard Oil Filling Station now stands.
About the year 1866 the old East School Building was erected on the site of the present Lincoln School on East Second Street. Originally this was a brick building with five rooms; four others were added later. Mr.W. F. Gorrell was the first principal of this school, which at that time consisted of the primary, secondary, intermediate, grammar, and high school departments.
A short time after the East School was built, a new brick building was erected on Sherman Street where the Washington School now stands. This building was practically destroyed by fire, but it was rebuilt in 1871. This five-roomed building was a duplicate of the East School. Many years later two more rooms were added. Mr. N. Elmore, Mr. C. Andrews, and Mr. L. S. Ham were among the first principals of the West School.
As the population of Pana increased, more school room was needed; and in 1893 two ward schools were built--Longfellow School on North Poplar Street and Lowell School on Kitchell Avenue. Sixteen years later the Eugene Field School on West Orange Street was erected. As time passed and Pana grew, the original East School and West School buildings becameout-of-date and unsafe. They were replaced by the modern Lincoln and WashingtonSchool buildings in 1923 and 1924 respectively.
The first class to be graduated from the Pana City Schools held its commencement on June 4, 1886. During the following years, high schoolwork was taught in both schools; and a combined annual commencement was held each spring.
In the fall of 1895 they united into one high school with Mr. William Miner as superintendent. The three highest classes from the West School attended the East School. The next year this plan was abandoned, but in the fall of 1897 the Y. M. C. A. building was leased for high school purposes. This building is located on the corner of Second and Poplar streets, and it is now occupied by the Equity Creamery Company. This building continued to house the high school until the construction of the first building of the Pana Township High School in 1909. In 1910, when thefirst class was graduated from our high school, the faculty included: Mr. W. E. Andrews as principal, J. K. Kenny, Edith L. Hatch, H. Karns, and Ruth F. Oldham. The class of 1910 numbered nineteen members and the enrollment of the high school was one hundred and seventy-six.
Only a few years had passed when the need was felt for more adequate accomodations for the high school. As a result, in 1923 the new building was erected. In connection with this building, one of the best gymnasiums in the state was constructed. The addition of this annex and gymnasium gave Pana Township a most modern high school plant.
The high school as it exists today is far removed from the humble classes conducted in a store room many years ago. The faculty is now comprised of seventeen well trained instructors. Four hundred and thirty-two students compose the student body. There are eighty-five members of the graduating class of 1935. The school offers in its curriculum: home economics, commercial subjects, shop and buiding trades, as well as the academic subjects. It offers in itsextra-curriculum: dramatics, both instrumental and vocal music, girls' athletics, intramural and varsity athletics in all sports for boys, training in the school's wellequipped library, and Home Economics Club work for girls."