While writing her life story, my mom described her school days in Silver City which is now a ghost town near Eureka, Utah. She lived with her widowed mom and four siblings in a small home next door to the new elementary school. All that remains of that building now are the cement steps. In its time, it was an impressive two story white masonry building with a bell inside a tower to signal the start of school. (In the photo below Mom is in the first row, fifth from the left.)
Recalling those days, my mom wrote, Every morning all the students and teachers would line up outside before school to watch the flag raise and say the Pledge of Allegiance. Then everyone marched in quietly to their classrooms as one of the teachers played lively music on a piano from inside the building. The school had a nice playground with swings, slides, teeter totters and monkey bars. The girls liked to play jacks and jump rope while the boys liked to shoot marbles. Everyone liked to play tag and chase each other around the school house. Most grades were combined 1st-2nd, 3rd- 4th, 5th-6th, 7th-8th but 9th grade was by itself. Upstairs was a very nice gym or auditorium.
In 1912, there was a new Junior/ High School built in Eureka which was five miles away for 7th graders on up. Students from Silver City and Mammoth were bused to school there. It was quite a transition to enter into a much larger school after 6 years in a small community where everyone was acquainted. Our new school Tintic High School had lockers, a lunch room and different teachers for each class. My subjects at school included Math, later Algebra, English Literature, Science, Chemistry, Typing, Shorthand, Home Economics-cooking and sewing, and Physical Education which consisted of exercises, volleyball and softball, but no football for the boys.
Extra curricular activities included Drama Club, Glee Club, and Pep Club-I was a cheer leader for baseball and basketball games. My younger sister played in the band and got to travel to away games. Annual school activities included the Senior Hop and the Junior Prom with live orchestras from out of town. At the dances we had program cards that you filled out to dance with different partners during the evening. I was the first one in our family to graduate from high school. Seems like schools then are very different from our schools today.