Nemaha Valley Schools

Nemaha Valley Schools is a public school district in Seneca, Kansas, serving students from 3 year old preschool age through high school graduation.

History

The first organized classes in the village of Seneca were in 1859 and were taught in the parlor of the Smith hotel.^[1] The teacher was Addie Smith. As the classes grew, so did the need for a bigger site. Classes were later moved to the courtroom of the Nemaha County Courthouse.

In 1865, a brick schoolhouse was finally built. This school was located on ground where Sts. Peter and Paul Church currently^[when?] sits. This is the first time that two teachers were used to teach and this was the beginning of a graded school system in Seneca.

In 1868, the school became known as District No. 11. To accommodate a growing population, a four room stone school house was erected. A few years later, two additional rooms were added to this building.

This building served the town for 13 years. In 1881, Jacob Van Loan died leaving $3,000 to School District No. 11. The district used this money to erect a new building for lower grades for children who lived south of the railroad tracks. This new building was called the Van Loan Memorial School Building. There were 5 graduates of this school in the first year. Classes were held in this building until 1890. The building which was at the corner of 8th and Walnut was demolished following a fire in 2003.

One year before the Van Loan Memorial School Building closed, in 1889, construction had begun on a new high school. Seneca Public High School was built on the site of the 4 room stone school house at a cost of $35,000. The new Seneca Public High School opened on April 28, 1890. It was made of pressed brick and was heated by steam. It was large enough for all pupils in the district as well as a large number of students residing in different parts of the county to attend.

The Seneca Public High School served the town of Seneca well for 47 years. By 1937, crowded conditions at the high school led to plans for a new school, Seneca Grade School. The new school would cost $80,000 with money coming from a $38,000 bond issue, $36,000 Public Works Administrations Grand, and $6,000 cash on hand. The P.W.A. grant was approved in August.

The next year, 1938, Seneca Grade School was built. It contained 8 classrooms, an office, a stage, an auditorium/gymnasium, and a vocational shop and classroom. The building was planned so that wings could be added in the future. A second bond issue for $12,000 with W.P.A. aid of $9,818 was passed in June. In February 1939, a cornerstone containing a copper box time capsule was placed on the southeast corner of the building. It opened for grades 1-6 in August.

1965 saw big changes for schools in the state of Kansas. Small countries schools were being unified to create larger school districts. For the town of Seneca, this meant becoming a new district called Unified School District No. 442. The new district consisted of Seneca, Kelly, and Corning. The first school board elected included Chester Milne, Duane Todd, Linus Winkler, Virgil Altenhofen, Frank Steinlage, and Albert J. Kramer.

After only year in the new district, the Seneca Public High School was condemned on December 14, 1966. It was also in 1966, that the new school board selected a name for the new school system. The new name was “Nemaha Valley.” The document dated December 6, 1966 which was sent to the state explained this name was chosen. According to Earl McGee, the superintendent of school, “My suggestion would be ‘Nemaha Valley Schools’ since the valley starts at Corning and runs past Kelly and Seneca.”^{[citation needed]}

From 1967–1969, due to condemned Seneca Public High School, high school classes were held at the City Hall building, at the Masonic Temple, and at Seneca Grade School. Efforts to pass a bond issue to build a new school failed and caused much friction in the new district. Much of the disagreement was over where to build the new school. Some supported a central location for the three towns of Kelly, Corning, and Seneca. Others favored putting the new school in Seneca. In 1968, this disagreement eventually led to Corning transferring from the district to Centralia’s district. After this event, the bond issue passed to build a new high school at Seneca. Seneca Public High School was demolished on July 1, 1968.

1969 marked the first official year for Nemaha Valley High School. This is also the year that the first classes were held in the new facility. During this same year, Kelly High School was closed and students from there attended NVHS.

In March 1970, Nemaha Valley High School was dedicated. It was built at a cost of $850,000.

Since its opening, the district has seen much growth. The first growth of note would be in the student population. In 1974, Sts. Peter and Paul High School closed. In 1979, Kelly Junior High closed, and in 1981, Kelly grade school closed.

This addition of students required growth in the buildings as well. In 1983, the north wing on the grade school was added, and in 1993, the west wing of the grade school was added. The north wing is presently the junior high. The west wing primarily houses elementary grade classes.

On March 10 of 2007, the Seneca Grade School caught fire^[2] and all of the old addition was destroyed. For the remainder of the school year, classes were held in the public library annex, in the basement of Bowman Law Office and Dental Practice, at the former restaurant Bob’s Sirloin, and at the high school. A bond issue to build a new grade school and junior high passed in November 2007. The new school will be located south of the high school.

References

1. ^ Cutler, William G. History of the State of Kansas, containing a full account of its growth from an uninhabited territory to a wealthy and important State .... Chicago: A.T. Andreas, 1883.
2. ^ Seneca Grade School Burns

External links

• USD 442, Nemaha Valley Schools
• Nemaha Valley Schools
• Nemaha Valley High School
• USD 442 on Kansas State Department of Education Site (KSDE)
• Nemaha Valley High School on KSDE site
• NVHS 2008-09 Building Report Card on KSDE site
• Nemaha Valley Elementary and Middle School on KSDE site
• NV Elementary & Middle School 2008-09 Building Report Card on KSDE site
• Seneca Grade School Burns
• Seneca Grade School Blog