NCEA
CENTENNIAL
EDITION
"V IV v S' V V V V v ?> ? -c
DEDICATED TO PROMOTING CHEROKEE COUNTY
VOLUME M NUMBER ? 31
Don't Turn Your
Woodland * Into
Wastelunmt?Be Care
ful With Brush Fires
MURPHY, N. C. APRIL 25, 1957
PUBLISHED WEEKLY
ABOUT 1900 Andrews School looked like this.
The building was located where Dick Ramsey's
house now stands. The upstairs, where two lads
are pictured in the window, was used as a
Masonic hall. The teachers were Mr. S tailings,
far left, and Miss Daisy Nanny, far right. These
two later got together and were married.
Split Logs Were First
Andrews School Benches
*
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By MRS. ALINE BRISTOL
According to the best -recollect
ions available, the earliest school
in the Andrews district was located
in what is now the Fairview sect
ion and was taught in the early
1880's by Mr. Bob Mooney of Mur
phy.
People now residing in Andrews
recall having attended this school
where pupils sat on logs split open
while the teacher heard their les
sons. This school moved later to a
site in the vicinity of the Valley
River Baptist Church and was
taught by Mrs. Clara Mauney
Sherrill.
Mr. Bam Kimsey of Murphy is
known to have taught a two-months
term ? arithmetic only ? in the
same area.
Later Mr. Kimsey conducted the
same type school where now stands
the funeral building at the Valley -
town Cemetery in a building used
for both church and school. Like
wise Mrs. Vearnah Mauney Stew
art taught school of two or three
months terms about 1884-1888.
In 1890 a special school tax was
voted at Marble where ,Mr. Jim
Lovingood was the teacher. Some
young men of Andrews took up
residence at Marble to attend
this school.
In 1895 on the corner where Mr.
Richard Ramsey's home now is
was erected a 2-story building,
jthe 2nd floor of which was used by
the Masonic Lodge. The first teach
Continued on page 5 ? this sec.
UNAKA PUPILS ENJOY NEW
/
AUDIO VISUAL EQUIPMENT...
v ?
Unakp School's newest aid to education, the audio
visual equipment pictured here, is thoroughly en
joyed by the school's students. J. Franklin Smith is
the principal and responsible for the new equipment.
WE SALUTE THE
North Carolina Education Association
> j
ON ITS 100TH ANNIVERSARY
CHEROKEE P0NTIAC CO.
HYDE INSURANCE AGEHCY
Murphy, North Carolina
New Brick School
At Unaka
Completed In 1952
The Unaka School is a modern
brick and block structure with five
well lighted, roomy class rooms,
a modern lunchroom, and an of
fice. It was completed in 1952.
Prior to the completion of the
present building there had been a
one-teacher school at Ogreeta with
grades one thru seven, a one-teach
er school at Bethel with grades
one thru seven, a two-teacher
school at Upper Beaver Dam with
grades one thru seven.
The school at Bethel became di
lapidated and unfit for use and
was abandoned more than twenty
five years ago.
A study made in 1940 of the
other schools shows that the school
at Ogreeta had an enrollment oi
seventeen, that the building wa -
."small, unkept" . and that the
"teacher was not present when the
school was visited on Novembei
16".
Furthermore the report stated
that "the building was open dirty,
furniture disarranged and not a
single evidence of good teaching [
was carried on".
The school at Upper Beaver
Dam was reported as "unfit, di
lapidated strucutre."
The same report stated in regard
to the Unaka school of 1940 the fol
lowing:. "Two story frame struct
ure. Containing approximately 6600
square feet. Large room on sec
ond floor used by Fraternal Order,
half of first floor is an auditorium,
improvement in lighting has been
made, but now is inadequate due
to porch roof, clumsy type of home
made desk, water from spring
two small pit privies".
The present school at Unaka has
modern lighting and equipment
The enrollment is 153 in eight
grades. Five teachers, one part
time music teacher, two lunchroom
workers, two bus drivers, and a
full time janitor, serve the school.
Two teachers have completed
five years of college work for
Masters Degrees, one has four
i years of college work and a B S
Degree the other two have done
?three years of college work and
each hold Grammar Grade B certi
ficates.
The school has recently purchas
ed film projector, a rectograph, a
tape recorder, and a multiplespeed
phonograph. These are used as
audio-visual means of increasing
efficiency in instructions.
A piano has been added this year
and private music lessons are be
ing taken by several students.
Mrs. Candas Hogan Carringer0
Mrs. Lucille Matheson Morrow,
Mrs. Alton Morris, J. Alden Cooke,
are the teachers. J. Franklin Smith
is principal.
Peachtree Begins
With Five
One-Room Schools
i
In 1901 when Charles B. Aycock
became governor, he inaugurated a
special educational program for
North Carolina. Part of his educa
tional creed was to place a school
ir. walking reach of every boy and
girl in the state. In 1902, five small,
one room school buildings were
erected in the different sections of
the Peachtree community. These
schools operated with one teacher
until 1910.
The citizens of the Peachtree
Community, realizing the need for
better education and high schofil
training for their children, voted
bonds to build a new consolidated
school building and a special school
tax for running a Junior High
School.
This new building was erected in
the center of the community on a
hill back of the Baptist Church ov
erlooking the Peachtree Valley, if
was a wooden structure and a
good building for its time. It
was completed in 1910 and served
the community well for a period of
10 years. Out of this school came
many of the prominent teachers of
our county, also many preachers,
professional, and business men.
In 1928, six acres of level land
was purchased off the lower end
of the W. P. Brittain farm and on
this was constructed a new brick
building. This building was com
pleted iQ 1929 and was modern in
every way. It contained seven
Continued on page 5 ? this sec.
NEW MURPHY HIGH SCHOOL ALMOST COMPLETED
The new Murphy High school is
built on a 218 acre site adjoining
the Murphy City limits on the An
drews road.
The purchase price of the site
was $23,000. Of this amount $10,000
came from the county-wide bond
issue and $13,000 from a special
appropriation by the Cherokee
County Commissioners.
The building consists of: high
school library, biology and gener
al science laboratory, physics
chemistry laboratory, two business
education rooms, 16 other high
school classrooms, health clinic
room, guidance room, two teach
Annual Senior Trip
Integral Part
Of Education
Although considered by some an
"educational frill" ? the absence
of which from the school program,
its best possible feature ? an op
posing school of thought considers
a supervised educational trip for
seniors an integral facet in the ed
ucation of the "whole child."
That the senior class trip' is of
great educational importance is
the opinion of the administration
and faculty of Andrews High
School.
One need only observe a typical
group of seniors from this locality
on a tour of the nations capital
city or of the nation's largest city
t< understand why the Andrews
High School continues this intra
curricular activity.
ers' room, combination gymnas
ium-auditorium, administrative of
fice room, two pupils toilet rooms,
two gymnasium dressing-shower- '
ing room, boiler room and sewage
disposal system.
The overall construction cost was
$279,217.70 or $6 per square foot.
This figure does not include pro
vision for furniture and equipment.
Some $17,000 must be secured for
these items through the County
Commissioners before the building
will be ready for occupancy.
Beta Club Encourages Students
Morally And Academically
The Andrews chapter of the Nat
ional Beta Club can boast of exis
tence almost from the time the
Club was chartered in 1936 under
the laws of South Carolina as an
elementary organiation.
The need for such an achieve- 1
ment service club having been de
termined, North Carolina was the
next state to organize local chapt
ers and to hold a state convention.
The late Dr. Clyde A. Erwin, North
Carolina State Superintendent of
Public Instruction, was elected
first president of the National Sen
ate.
Under the progressive sponsor
ship of Miss Gladys Chadwick, for
12 years a teacher in thfe Andrews
High School, the local chapter had
its organization and experienced
steady advancement and healthy
growth. With the exception of one
interval of inactivity the local chap
ter has functioned as an accepted
part of the program of Andrews
High School.
The sole function of the Nation
al Beta Club is to encourage the
' student to do his best academically
and morally, and to strive to
make himself a real asset to his
school and community. Member
ship is limited to students whose
scholastic standing is sufficiently
creditable to indicate his superior
mental qualifications. No student
however, may attain membership
without the recommendation of the
administrative head of his high
school.
At present the Andrews chapter
of the Beta Club, under the co
sponsorship of Mrs. Aline E. Bristol
and Miss Louise Brendle, has 17
members. They are Ardith Hay,
president; Jerry Pullium, vice-pres
ident; Janice Watts, secretary,
Carolyn West, treasurer; Kate
Passmore, John Carringer, Wayne
Battle, Thomas George, Jean Ed
wards Pete Gernert, Francis Luns
ford, Katherine Sursavage, Melva
West, Wade Brooks, Gerald Gibby
Jannette Carringer, and Vicki Der
reberry.
The state convention will con
vene on April 12 and 13 in Ashe
ville at the George Vanderbilt
1 Hotel.
ANDREWS HIGH SCHOOL BETA CLUB
i
Here is Andrews High School 17 -member Beta Clnfo,
left to right, they are Wayne Battle, Kate Passmore,
Carolyn West, treasurer; Ardith Hay, president;
Janiee Watts, secretary, and John Carringer. Stand
ing, from left, are Pete Gernert, Katherine Snr
savage, Thomas George, Vicki Derreberry, Jean Ed
wards, Melva West, Frances Lunsford, Janette Car
ringer, Gerald Gibby and Wade Brooks.
WE SALUTE THE NORTH CAROLINA
EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
#?
BATTLE FURNIT8RE COMPANY
ANDREWS, NORTH CAROLINA
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