SIBLEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
A SKETCH OF THE SCHOOLS AND THOSE WHO MAKE THEM
Prof, Geo. H. Olmsted, superintendent of the Sibley Schools, gradated at the Iowa State Normal school at Cedar Falls before he had attained the age of 20 years, but made rapid progress as an educator, and to-day as principal of the Sibley schools is the youngest man in Iowa occupying as responsible a position in the public schools. Mr. Olmsted has a good business ability and is a fluent write and a ready speaker. He has executive power ad tact in school management. He has done considerable work as a writer for Iowa educational papers and or the daily press. During the last Osceola county teachers institute County Superintendent Lowrie had Prof. Olmsted in his list of lecturers and the professor delivered a very interesting lecture before a large assembly on "The Sunny Side of Science."
Miss Amy Reed of Bellvue, Ia., is assistant teacher in the high school. She is a graduate of the State Normal school, Cedar Falls, and has a good ability as an instructor. Good Progress has been made the past year in the work in the high school and with the addition of another grade, to be known as the twelfth grade, advanced instruction will be given and preparatory work for college courses. For next year Principal Olmsted ad Assistant Miss Reed will have the help of another instructor in the high school. The assistant has not yet been chosen.
Miss Blanche Sokol of Onslow, Iowa, is teacher in the grammar school. She is a graduate of the Cedar Falls state normal school and is doing good work preparing pupils for the high school and helping them to appreciate the fact that knowledge is well worth striving for, and that in the rash and hurry of this latter day civilization learning is a daily necessity.
Miss Anna Bennett of Sibley, a graduate of LeMars Normal school, teaches the second intermediate. Miss Bennett like the other teachers of the school is educating the pupils in more than memory. She does not depend on even the best of text-books, but while disciplining the faculty of memory by textbook instruction she is cultivating observation and the reasoning faculties. Like Miss Sokol of the grade higher she is impressing her pupils with the ambition to know and to think and to press forward in the way of knowledge.
Miss Jennie Raymond, Trent, Iowa, a graduate of the Cedar Falls normal, keeps the pupils of the first intermediate department busy with a half dozen elementary studies, and with gems of thought in literature and by music, song and marching holds and stimulates interest in the school life and the school work.
Miss Sula Dix, Sibley, a student of Sioux Falls university, has for the last two years been doing very good work, taking the children as they come in to the primary department from kindergarten and with book ad with object lessons not only supplementing the work of the kindergarten but creating additional interest in school work by the study of natural objects, a plant, and insect or bird or a mineral is made the subject for an interesting study. Miss Dix was re-elected to teach the primary the coming year but declined the position and will take a course in one of the best normal schools in the country. Miss Lizzie Greer of Decorah, a graduate of the Cedar Falls normal, will take her room in the Sibley schools.
Miss Retta J. West is the teacher of kindergarten. In this room under the apt management of Miss West the Sibley school children take their first lessons in the long course of public instruction necessary to the requirements of a liberal education. Miss West's home is Milford, Ohio. She is a graduate of the kindergarten training school in Cincinnati. She has a faculty that is possessed by all the Sibley teachers‐one, however, that in the kindergarten is more indispensable than perhaps in any other room. It is that of interesting the children and governing them and instructing them in the simpler and more natural elements of education without being severe. She uses tact instead of harshness and constantly changes and varies the work in instruction so as to keep alive interest and enthusiasm and prevent dullness and weariness. Miss Dix of the primary adopts the same method and it is no doubt the case with all successful kindergarten and primary teachers. In the kindergarten the child's muscles are called into play and strength and skill and grace are developed, the senses are trained and the beauties of color, form and sound revealed. The lessons of obedience taught in the home are here impressed and confirmed and the system teaches truth and self‐reliance and thereby fits the child for successful work in the higher grades.
Superintendent Olmsted and the teachers have taken an interest in obtaining scientific apparatus and a school library.
T.P. May, the janitor, was re-elected as well as the teachers, He proves to be a good man for the place. It is expected that next year's enrollment will show an increase in numbers.
The school library numbers are 400 volumes and the school has a fine reading room.
Additions are needed to the scientific apparatus that will probably be made next school year by the board.
The Sibley board of education consists of directors:
Dr. H. Neill, term expires 1895.
Geo. O. Learned, term expires March, 1895.
John DeBoos, term expires March 1896.
H.C. Mory, term expiires March, 1896.
A, Romey, term expires March, 1897.
E.M. Taylor, term expires March, 1897.
The officers of the board are:
G.O. Learned, president.
F.J. Banister, secretary.
L. Shell, treasurer.
Geo. H.Olmsted, superintendent.
Last year was graduated the largest class in the history of the school. The class of '94 lacks but one of being as large as the of '93. The class of '94 is composed of the following young ladies and young gentlemen:
Florece McCallum
Mabelle Piper
Rie Campbell
Edith Spicer
Pearl Morrison
Mae Shuttleworth
Clyde Brown
Allen Flint
Clyde Wilbern
This year the entire corps of teachers was re-elected a good indication that successful work was done in all the grades. This year has shown the largest enrollment for the school. All the rooms are well filled with wide awake pupils and the teachers in all the grades are good workers.
There is no reason why the Sibley public schools with such a competent corps of instructors shall not take and hold a leading place in the list of Iowa's schools. Tye teachers are all well qualified, the building is large and comfortable, the town is one of the prettiest and most healthy in the state; the citizens take just pride in the school as the leading public institution of the town; and that the work done in the school is interesting the students to make further attainments in learning is well illustrated by the class of '93, numbering ten, the largest in the history of the school, eight of which class have been attending college the past year and the other two taking review studies at Sibley.
Forward and yet forward! seems to be the praiseworthy aim of the Sibley school.
From The Sibley Gazette June 14, 1894.
