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Show FEBRUARY 17, 1987 Let Freedom School had problems in 1893 Shineprogram staged at Elem. By DONETA GATHERUM The Davis County Board of Education is dealing with many serious problems that affect students, pa- LAYTON rents and the economy of the County. It is difficult to find qualified teachers and pay them competitive salaries. Maintenance and operation expenses seem to escalate. Overcrowding and student discipline are items that need constant attention. Innovative ways of financing public education need to be found. These statements are true in 1987. They were equally applicable in 1893 when the Layton 13th School District Trustees met. Going back nearly a century, we discover the problems facing three trustees who had charge over two one-rooschools. On July 15, 1893 Henry Thomley, district secretary recorded the starting date of the schools would be not later than m Oct. I 1. The combined teachers salaries could not exceed $75 or $80 a quarter and teachers would be hired for not longer than the fall term, it was recorded. By Aug. 14 the trustees were seriously soliciting teachers. Mr. Thomley records, Mat Knowlton would teach as cheap as anyone else and would be willing to take what money the trustees could pay her and wait for the balance until they received it from the county. The minutes further state T.J. OBrien would teach for $50 per month. He did not think he could take less for he held a second grade certificate. This was an advanced degree that was based on additional schooling, ability to pass competency tests and experience. Mr. OBriens sister, Angie, would teach for $30. The trustees decided to hire the two lady teachers as their services could both be secured for what Mr. OBrien wanted. The teaching experience was profitable for Angie OBrien. She later married the son of Trustee William N. Nalder. Mat Knowltons teaching career was shortened. She contracted diptheria and was replaced as a teacher by her sister, Beatrice (Birdie) Knowlton. was a problem Teacher turn-ovin the early years. On July 8, 1895 the district placed a classified ad in the Salt Lake Herald for two er teachers. They received 20 applications. The Trustees hired F.B. Smith, an Eastern man and gauran-tee- d he could find board near the school. A month later A.C. Robinson of Farmington was hired to teach in the west school. Preparing the schools for the pupils wasnt too difficult in the early 1890s. All the schools required in 1893 were a whitewashing. By February of 1894 additional maintenance was needed. S.H. Nalder, a trustee, was instructed to have the steps and seats repaired at the brick school and procure a box of chalk and one-ha- lf ton of coal. More supplies were purchased in 1894. The schools received one relief map of North America, two cabinets for weights and measures, 12 double desks, 12 erasers and 12 boxes of crayons. The total ex- penditure for these items was $79.85 with the trustees receiving an 85 cent discount. dollars doesnt seem like a major expenditure when you consider the budget alloted to one school today. In 1894 the trustees were broke, so they signed an agreement to pay the amount by Jan. 1, 1895 with eight percent interest. Other maintenance expenses in Seventy-nin- e 1894 included $5 to E. Wilson for painting the blackboards and $2 for the east school janitor and $1.65 for the west school janitor. Bureaucracy wasnt missing from the school system in 1 895 . The trustees received reports that the doors and windows at the east school needed repair. They appointed a committee consisting of trustees S.H. Nalder and Elias Adams to investigate. One month later the committee reported the repairs were needed and E. Wilson was hired to complete the work and to paint the schools. School trustees in 1894 had to enforce strict discipline policies. On Jan. 19 the trustees visited the two schools and cautioned the scholars against using vulgar and unclean language or use of tobacco etc. around the school. The warnings didnt work. On March 16th the trustees heard the complaint of the teacher at the brick school that some persons had written profane and indecent writing on the outbuilding. They investigated and decided to whitewash the building to olbiterate the writing. Again the trustees talked to the students about their behavior. On May 1 1 , the trustees had to go investigate a similar problem at the frame west school. They concluded it was a childrens quarrel probably between the two schools and took no action. One parent withdrew his children from school claiming they were needed at home. In 1894 the school district was concerned about available space in their small schools. There were 25 scholars in the brick school and 30 in the west which was very crowded. The trustees adopted the policy that scholars over school age could attend the district , (brick) school as long as there was room for 50 cents per month in advance. By 1895 the school population students had shifted. Twenty-eight were attending the west school while there were 40 enrolled in the east school. The July 8, 1895 school census recorded 143 students of school age in the district. As early as Oct. 12, 1893 the trus- tees saw the need for two new school buildings. The citizens of the district agreed schools had to be built. It was decided a four mill tax levy would pay for the two build- ings and they could be completed in one season. The trustees felt they could cut expenses by using resident labor in lieu of taxes. In order to rais the mill levy a public meeting was held on Dec. 8. Because of citizen protest the trustees dropped the mill levy request to 2Vi mills. A vote was taken on Dec. 30, 1893. The 2 Vi mill levy proposal was defeated 23 against to 12 in favor. The trustees tried to increase the mill levy again in 1895. The request was 1 35 mills for buildings and 25 mill for a general purpose tax. This amount was reduced to 2 mills at a Dec. 21 public meeting. It was again defeated at an election. No bonding for school construction was authorized until 1899. The district issued bonds at six percent interest with a 20 year maturity period. By this time, it was no longer District 13. The boundaries had been changed and the Layton area was now District 16. The one room school houses that were requested in 1893 and not funded until 1899 wouldt be needed for many years. By 1902 Davis County was participating in a school consolidation movement. Within two decades nearly all schools would be closed. - one-roo- Let Freedom Shine was the title of an enthusiastic patriotic program performed by the students of East Layton Elementary School on the stage of the Layton High School auditorium on Tuesday evening, Feb. 10. The auditorium was filled with parents and community members who enthe hour and a half variety joyed program which featured songs and dance numbers performed by all 793 East Layton Elementary school students. An original Let Freedom Shine was composed by Mrs. Janie Nebeker for the program. Otfcer original music was performed along with many favorite patriotic numbers enhanced by the use of student murals, slides and dance numbers. The activity was sponsored by the East Layton PTA under the chairmanship of Dorothy Gibby, PTA President and Gayle' (goitres, teacher. Special recognition was i$Vn to Mrs. Janie Nebeker for her original music and for assisting witfiVhe accompaniment for the childtfl songs. m Participants in the East Layton Patriotic Program, titled Let Freedom Shine, included Shaundeen Potter, presenting colors; Heather Gibby, holding poster; and Chad Flitton, with drawing that was chosen a Reflections contest winner. Awards were presented to the PTA Reflections Contest winners. All reflection entries were displayed in the foyer of the auditorium. Planning for this outstanding program started in September. Mrs. Gibby claimed the most difficult part of the activity was getting all 793 young people to move quickly on and off the stage, dmg Deadline For Missionary Articles Wed. 6 P.M. 1 Week Before Pub. Group seeks host family Peace-USit a student exchange organization needs host families for Japanese high school exchange students coming in Au8 gust. These students are years of age. They have all prepared thoroughly for their experience here. non-prof- 15-1- Each student is covered with insurance and will have their own spending money. The students will attend the local high schools and stay through the school year. Host families need not have teenagers of their own, anyone with space in their heart and home can qualify. Host families are strictly voluntary, but they do receive a $50 per month tax credit. At this time there are openings for both boys and girls available, so please, if youre in- terested, contact the Utah Area Representative. Prepared for the East Layton Elementary sixth grade Valentines dance were, from left, Justin LeClaire and Tiffany Schmidt. E. Layton Elem. hold dance To prove learning LAYTON can be fun, the sixth grade students at East Layton Elementary School received a reward for two months of learning activities. The 100 young people held a Valentines Dance in the school room last Friday. The activity was a chance to show what they had learned in the mulit-purpo- se - different styles of and social behavioral dancing skills. The sixth graders have learned 10 different dance styles including square dances, round dances and the twist. No dancing was allowed at the dance. The special occasion required best dress. Refreshments were served. classroom -- free-sty- le Engraving trade grown beyond expectations By TOM HARALDSEN LAYTON It began as almost a hobby, the result of a friend helping a friend. It has grown into a full time, profitable, and popular business for Gus Petersen, owner of J and J Engraving and Trophies of Layton. Since he moved his business from his Kaysville garage into a retail location a little over a year ago, Gus has already seen J and J expand once into a new location three times larger than his first store, and has experienced business growth even greater than my expectations. But this success story grew out of an act of friendship, when, in late 1984, Gus purchased some engraving equipment from a friend looking to sell it. Gus was already e job in conbusy with a e well a as as struction, duty as bus driver for the Davis School District. I set the equipment up in my garage, and my first job, as 1 recall, was engraving some nameplates for a fund raiser, he stated. full-tim- part-tim- It didnt take long for Gus reputation to spread, and consequently he discovered two things: first, that there was a need for an engraving and trophy shop in the area, and secondly, that "there was no way to keep working out of my garage. So in November of 1985, Gus moved into a small outlet in the Layton Shopping Plaza, at 45 East Gentile. Just a few months later, he moved two doors down into a much bigger store location. He now feels there may still be more expansion in the months ahead. Gus was born and raised in Bountiful, the son of J. Hy. Petersen, a well known business-- , nan who owned and operated a va(er well drilling service. He gra-- 1 duated from Davis high, then spent almost 12 years working in his fathers business. That was followed by eight years in construction, an occupation he admittedly enjoyed more in the warm weather months than in winter. His bus driving days began during the construction days. But soon after his garage in Kaysville became too small for the up and coming engraving and trophy business, Gus made the decision to plunge into the profession full time. He still drives a bus, but J offers. Plaques and trophies are the mainstay of his business, but certainly not the complete story. Gus offers engraved pens, including the popular Cross line; brass now spends those cold winter days building trophies inside rather than homes outside. His showroom in Layton is replete with the many products J and award trays, rubber stamps, signs and nameplates, rosette ribbons, items, silver trays and goblets, medals, gavels, pins and even business cards. He has equipment that can use the sublimation method for plaques, allowing quick and inexpensive reproduction of custom logo work. This is a very positive business, he stated. It gives you a real feeling of satisfaction when someone comes in to pick up an order, and you see the smile on their face. You know that that item is going to be given to someone in appreciation for what theyve done. And his understanding of the need for recognition, plus his love of young people and sports, led Gus into an agreement with both the Davis County Clipper and the Davis last fall to provide beautifully engraved plaques for high school Athletes of the Reflex-Journ- al Month. I guess the reason the thought first occurred to me was, again, that no one was doing it. I thought these plaques were a good way to recognize the achievements of the outstanding athletes in our local high schools, he said. Thus far 16 plaques have been given this school year, with monthly winners planned each month through the end of the school year. Gus is also considering donating awards to schools for outstanding academic students of the month in the future. Since his store opening, he has received a lot of business for the usual items, plus some rather unusual requests. This past Christmas, for instance, he was asked to engrave messages on a bulls horn, and on a 15th century sword. The business has become a family affair for the Petersens, with Gus wife Sandy handling the books, while children Justin 16, and Jerra 13, work in the shop part time. "Its been a fun family project to work together on different Gus offered. A measure of the J and J success is found in the number of orders Gus receives during a one hour period (such as this interview). But he never tires of the many different orders, combinations that can be put together to form trophies and awards. Certainly thats part of the reason for Gus Petersens rapid rise in the world of business |