Oconto County WIGenWeb Project
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HISTORIC OCONTO COUNTY SCHOOLS
  Stiles School
Town of  Stiles
Oconto County, Wisconsin
Please click on the photo for a larger view.
Stiles State Graded School
contributed by: Pat Conley 
Photograph and names are courtesy of Mike Killian who was son of Mary Jane Kelly, the daughter of John Kelly, who was son of Pat Kelly.
 Taken from scrap book of Mary Jane Kelly Killian (1896-1992)
 born in Hickory, WI May 25, 1896.

Picture of children attending school in Stiles, Wisconsin
1911-1912

Identification in part …

Girls in back row from left:

Freda Maloney, Myrtle Bowman, Martha Burdick, Ruby Brunk, Julia Berkenmier, Hazel Caldey, teacher Miss Ella Fencil, Veronica Marlowe, Mary Kelly (with arrow), Mildred Purtell, Mildred Lucas.

            Girls in second row with *:

Josie Lucas (first girl from left in second row), Mary Berkenmier (third girl from left in second row), Florence Exferd (in middle of picture)

Boys in first row with *:

Lyle Saunders (first marked), Guy Saunders (second marked), Gale Shedore (third marked), and his sister Lola Shedore (last marked)

Lyle and Guy Saunders are half-brothers of Mary Kelly.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is the eighth of a series of articles sponsored by the Oconto CountyTeachers Association to promote better public relations in the schools of our county.

contributed by:
Larry Grady

(transcribed from the 1953 news article below)

Stiles - This is a view of the Stiles State Graded School.   It is one of the best equipped rural schools in the county and its board is striving to make it better every year.  

Please click on the photo below for a larger view,


Photo by Wendy Kendrick - 2006

Stiles State Graded School



Citizens of Stiles District No. 1 Give Grade Children Modern School


Youngsters at the Stiles school gather around Miss Josephine Werth, teacher, to observe a live snake which is kept in the room as part of the science instruction at the school. The children are, from left to right, Judy Heling. Darlene Bellow, Jane Carey and Lonny Scot.
This is the eighth of a series of articles sponsored by the Oconto County Teachers Association to promote better public relations in the schools of our county. Fifty grade school children and their teachers, Misses Josephine and Elsie Werth, were made happy when they started school this fall at Stiles District. No. 1 just off U. S. highway 141.

Something had been done to their school to make it a real up-to-date modern school, just as good as the best in Oconto county. They had now been afforded just about all the conveniences of a large city school.

The cost of the whole thing amounts to a pretty penny, but the citizens of the Stiles school district decided that their children were entitled to the best and gave it to them.

The first school was built at Stiles sometime before 1900. It was at the time of great lumber operations at Stiles owned and operated by the Eldred lumber company. A grandson of that family, Eldred Klauser, still resides in Stiles. This little school was equipped about the same as jail schools at that time, box stove, double seats, water from pail and dipper, etc. It must have been over crowded as old records show that about ninety-five pupils were on roll. A few of these pupils still reside in Stiles, namely Mrs. Frank Carey (Louise Jarvey), Mrs. Mc Allister (Liddie Jarvey) and Miss Lena Foss who can tell of its many inconveniences compared to the school of today. The first teachers as these folks remember were a Mr. McKinley, a Miss Belle Porterfield, a Mr. M. J. Rice and a Mr. J. E. Loftus.

As more folks came to make Stiles their home there was need for a larger school. This was when the present school was built. This was about the year 1892. The building had the two rooms as it now has so as to be prepared for change in school laws. When it became compulsory for a graded school. Stiles was ready. The first teacher in this school was a Miss Clara Schrubbe.

Through the years many improvements were made. Stiles being a place of many flowing wells, water was piped to the school for washing and drinking purposes through faucets and bubblers. This made it superior to most schools at the time. Jacketed ventilation stoves were installed. Old oil lamps were replaced by electric lights. Venetian blinds took the place of the old time window shades. Radios and piano were added to the music equipment of Victrolas. The Homemakers of Stiles added the cooking equipment, electric plate, oil range, tables and dishes to be used in entertainment. Then the old electric lights were recently replaced by fluorescent lighting. Last year a strip film and slide projector were added to the equipment. There is rumor about a movie projector sometime. When TV comes to schools — well, Stiles will have it. Play ground equipment consists of a tilt-a-twirl. teeter-totters, slide and swings. There is also material to play baseball and basketball. More will be added to this in time.

With the latest Improvement the installation of a central automatic oil-heating plant and modern plumbing, Stiles District No. 1 ranks among the best equipped schools in the county.

The present school board members are James V. Carey, clerk: John Matheys, Jr.. director, and Granville G. Caldie, treasurer.



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