Early history of KMHS
(February 11, 2021 Issue)
By Loretta Cozart
Part 3
Kings Mountain High School is 145 years old this year. In Nov. 1951, Kings Mountain High School journalism students interviewed members of the community regarding the school’s history for a five-segment story. At that time, the school was a mere 75 years old.
Segment three was written from interviews with Mrs. C.E. Neisler (Ida Pauline) and S.A. Mauney and from an article written in 1934 by D.C. Mauney.
In 1905 the school was changed to a graded school with Professor S.W. Carlier (1905 – 1908) as the first superintendent. Since then the following have served as superintendents, up to 1920: S.J. Hunnicutt (1908-1909); Miss Bryte Baker (1909-1910); J.Y. Irvin (1910 – 1911); E. A. Harrill (1911-1912); Cox (1913-1914); R. A. Yoder (1914-1915); Frank Orr (1916-1917); Miss Bonnie Mauney, now Mrs. F.R. Summers (1917-1918); Rev. J.E. Berryhill (1918-1919); Theron Allen (1919-1920).
Just prior to and during the First World War, the school was organized into nine grades with eight teachers. The school term lasted eight months.
Each room was heated by a crude wood burning heater. In the school room, double desks added much to the fun of the pupils and brought additional disciplinary problems to the teachers. At the front of the room were the long benches for recitation.
There were no pencil sharpeners. In fact, at first only slates were used.
The subjects taught were arithmetic, spelling, English, Latin, and at one time, French. The classes lasted from one-half hour to one hour, with one hour for lunch. Sometimes the lunch hour was shortened so that the pupils could leave school earlier. A few of the pupils that lived nearby went home for lunch. Others, however, brought lunch since there was no cafeteria.
There were no extra-curricular activities. For games, boys and girls played whip cracker, beanbag, jump plank, jump rope, base, football, baseball, and outside basketball.
Emphasis was placed more on knowing of the lesson than outside written work. Because there were no libraries, parallel reading was not required. There were no lectures, only questions.
The most accepted forms of punishment were cleaning the classrooms after school and chopping wood for the heaters.
Pranks of every sort were always being played. Some of these were stuffing sacks down the chimneys so as to fill the classrooms with smoke and pushing cannon balls down the stairs from the top floor. At other times, various fowls were thrust through windows.
The tenth grade was added when a new school building was erected in 1910. The superintendent at the time was E.Y. Irvin. The late William Lafayette Plonk, who was on the school board, was very much interested in the welfare of the school and the children. He would visit the classrooms and bring before the board requests for anything he found lacking and though obtainable.
Later, students participated in the county speaking and essay contests. Each year the school fair was held, with each class donating an art of craft to the display.
Miss Laura Plonk, who taught expression and physical education for four years in Kings Mountain High School, had both private pupils and regular classes. In the classes her students were given readings to memorize and assimilate.
During the time Miss Plonk was here the plays that were given were so well done that the players were asked to present them in Shelby, Gastonia, and Bessemer City. The furniture for the plays was borrowed because the school had few stage properties.
In physical education, the girls wore uniforms with pleated skirts and middy blouses. Some of the games played were racing, jumping the stick, exercising, and tumbling. This was the first physical education class in Kings Mountain High School.
The girls’ basketball team was exceptionally good and was one of the best in the vicinity. Their rival was Lowell. The players wore black bloomers, mercerized cotton stockings, and white middy blouses.
Before a game, each girl was required to swallow a raw egg to increase her strength. To make the egg more palatable, the students added salt and pepper and made sure the yolk was unbroken. The players declared the egg helped them run and never grew tired.
By Loretta Cozart
Part 3
Kings Mountain High School is 145 years old this year. In Nov. 1951, Kings Mountain High School journalism students interviewed members of the community regarding the school’s history for a five-segment story. At that time, the school was a mere 75 years old.
Segment three was written from interviews with Mrs. C.E. Neisler (Ida Pauline) and S.A. Mauney and from an article written in 1934 by D.C. Mauney.
In 1905 the school was changed to a graded school with Professor S.W. Carlier (1905 – 1908) as the first superintendent. Since then the following have served as superintendents, up to 1920: S.J. Hunnicutt (1908-1909); Miss Bryte Baker (1909-1910); J.Y. Irvin (1910 – 1911); E. A. Harrill (1911-1912); Cox (1913-1914); R. A. Yoder (1914-1915); Frank Orr (1916-1917); Miss Bonnie Mauney, now Mrs. F.R. Summers (1917-1918); Rev. J.E. Berryhill (1918-1919); Theron Allen (1919-1920).
Just prior to and during the First World War, the school was organized into nine grades with eight teachers. The school term lasted eight months.
Each room was heated by a crude wood burning heater. In the school room, double desks added much to the fun of the pupils and brought additional disciplinary problems to the teachers. At the front of the room were the long benches for recitation.
There were no pencil sharpeners. In fact, at first only slates were used.
The subjects taught were arithmetic, spelling, English, Latin, and at one time, French. The classes lasted from one-half hour to one hour, with one hour for lunch. Sometimes the lunch hour was shortened so that the pupils could leave school earlier. A few of the pupils that lived nearby went home for lunch. Others, however, brought lunch since there was no cafeteria.
There were no extra-curricular activities. For games, boys and girls played whip cracker, beanbag, jump plank, jump rope, base, football, baseball, and outside basketball.
Emphasis was placed more on knowing of the lesson than outside written work. Because there were no libraries, parallel reading was not required. There were no lectures, only questions.
The most accepted forms of punishment were cleaning the classrooms after school and chopping wood for the heaters.
Pranks of every sort were always being played. Some of these were stuffing sacks down the chimneys so as to fill the classrooms with smoke and pushing cannon balls down the stairs from the top floor. At other times, various fowls were thrust through windows.
The tenth grade was added when a new school building was erected in 1910. The superintendent at the time was E.Y. Irvin. The late William Lafayette Plonk, who was on the school board, was very much interested in the welfare of the school and the children. He would visit the classrooms and bring before the board requests for anything he found lacking and though obtainable.
Later, students participated in the county speaking and essay contests. Each year the school fair was held, with each class donating an art of craft to the display.
Miss Laura Plonk, who taught expression and physical education for four years in Kings Mountain High School, had both private pupils and regular classes. In the classes her students were given readings to memorize and assimilate.
During the time Miss Plonk was here the plays that were given were so well done that the players were asked to present them in Shelby, Gastonia, and Bessemer City. The furniture for the plays was borrowed because the school had few stage properties.
In physical education, the girls wore uniforms with pleated skirts and middy blouses. Some of the games played were racing, jumping the stick, exercising, and tumbling. This was the first physical education class in Kings Mountain High School.
The girls’ basketball team was exceptionally good and was one of the best in the vicinity. Their rival was Lowell. The players wore black bloomers, mercerized cotton stockings, and white middy blouses.
Before a game, each girl was required to swallow a raw egg to increase her strength. To make the egg more palatable, the students added salt and pepper and made sure the yolk was unbroken. The players declared the egg helped them run and never grew tired.
