THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF OUR SCHOOL

In the year 1867, a flourmill was built on the Floyd River near the present town of Hinton. After the mill was established, the Davis Brothers moved in and started a general merchandising store. These two events marked the creation of the Village of Hinton, in Hungerford Township.

As the village increased in population, with a few new families moving into the area, it was determined that a school should be built. This first school, built in 1876 consisted of a small one-room wooden building. It housed only the elementary grades (one through eight) with the first enrollment totaling twelve pupils. Thus, the history of the local school dates almost from the beginning of the town of Hinton.

In the list of early teachers, such names as Mr. McSparron, Miss Forbes, Mr. Shumate and Maggie Richardson are included. Down Through the years the public schools of Hinton have kept pace with the constant changing times and the changing educational needs of the community. Trends in building style, building costs, district enlargements and population increases are reflected in the school buildings which have served the Hinton area.

In 1895, due to the increased population in the Village of Hinton, a new wooden structure of two rooms was built. This new Building was used for school purposes until 1906. In 1900 the people of the Hinton area voted to establish the l Hinton Independent School District consisting of Sections 4, 5, 6, and 8 and parts of Sections 7, 17 and 18, all in Hungerford Township. This Independent District remained in existence until 1955. As the village continued to increase in population the need for another school building became necessary. In 1906, following a long period of careful planning, it was decided to build a new building. This new building was located on the site of the present Community Building, and consisted of two stories. This new structure contained two rooms on each floor, which housed grades 1 through 8. In 1916, a high school through the tenth grade was added, under the direction of Superintendent H. H. Foster (1916-21). The full four-year high school grades were added during the school year 1920-1921, following the addition of the eleventh grade during 1919-1920.

Under the direction of the Board of Education, during the year 1920, a concerted effort was made to consolidate the district under the Iowa State Consolidation Laws of 1913, which required a minimum of sixteen sections to form such a district. The members of the Board of Education and the people of the Hinton District could secure only fifteen sections to come into the proposed new Consolidated Organization; therefore, it remained an Independent District. Again, due to increased enrollment in all the grades the building, which was constructed in 1906, became overcrowded by the year 1918. As the result of this overcrowding, a movement developed The District to consider a bond issue for a new Building.

Following a period of careful planning on the part of the Board of Education and a parent committee, a bond issue in the amount of $34,000, was successful voted by the people, in 1921. Members of the Board of Education decided to locate the new building, which was completed in 1922, at West End of Grand Street. It has proven to be a very substantial structure and it continues to be an important part of the present school plant. This new building provided accommodations for an enlarged curriculum, a stage for class plays and other programs and auditorium for general meetings and activities.

Following the formation of the four-year high school during Year 1920-1921, a Senior Class composed of Russell Held and Floyd Jensen was graduated in May 1921. The second class to graduate (1922) was also composed of two members, namely, Audrey Sick and Louis Winter. The number of high school pupils increased in the next few years following the formation of the four-year program. This Increased enrollment was due, largely, to the entrance of some of pupils in the surrounding rural districts who finished the twelfth grade, each year.

During the period (1924-1954), the enrollment of the elementary grades showed very little change due to the fact that the emulation of the district remained substantial in static position. However, the high school enrollment showed a constant, slow increase through 1954, when the enrollment totaled eighty pupils.

Once again over crowding was being experienced in the high School area. To partly eliminate this condition and administrative building, (40 ft x 100 ft) was purchased from the Sioux City Air Base in 1948 and moved to the rear of the 1922 Building. This structure was immediately used for the school lunch Program and the Music Department.

In the early 1950's a new movement in the State was taking form dealing directly with the combining of rural districts with one or more districts maintaining a high school. With the establishing of necessary laws by the State Legislature, which gave the Iowa State Department of Public Instruction the power to carry out these laws, many Boards of Education in 1953 and 1954, began to ruminate plans to attempt to reorganize their districts. The Board of Education of the Hinton Independent District, under the leadership of Robert Bennett, President, voted to develop implement a plan of reorganization with the adjacent rural districts. Many weeks were spent holding meetings with the boards the Rural districts, the people of these districts and the residents of the Hinton district, in an effort to explain the attires of the new plan of the reorganization of school districts the State.

Following this period of preparations it was decided By the Hinton Board of Education of the Hinton Independent School district to ask the people of the new proposed area to vote for or against the formation of the new district. The election was held July 14, 1954, and the voters approved the new district by a vote of approximately four to one. By means of this affirmative vote a new district, to be known as the Hinton Community School District, was formed, consisting of approximately 95 sections. It was the first re-organized district in Plymouth County.

The Board of Education of this new Hinton Community School District was elected October 26, 1954. The Board composed of Robert Bennett, Thomas Flannery, Allen Jauer, Clarence Held and Gordon Elliott took office July 1, 1955, and on the date the Hinton Community School District came into existence.

To accommodate the 330 elementary pupils in this new district, in the fall of 1955, it was necessary to place four grades in the former school building known as the Community Building. In Addition, two more grades were moved into part of the Air Base building.

The large increase in the number of pupils in the new district made it necessary to ask the qualified voters to approve a bond issue in the amount of $400,000, to build and equip an addition to the existing building. The election was held October 6, 1955, and resulted in an affirmative vote of 81 percent. The new addition, consisting of 11 grade rooms, 3 high school classrooms, office space a gymnasium-auditorium and a hot lunch kitchen, was completed in early 1957 and dedicated February 27, 1957.

Recommendations by the State Department of Public Instruction that a high school should have a minimum enrollment of 200 pupils led to the consideration, by the Board of Education, of a second program of reorganization. Again, following a period of careful studies and planning a new proposed reorganized district was voted into existence, February 25, 1959, by an overwhelming vote of 512-28. The new district composed of the Hinton Community District, to a major part of the Liberty Consolidated District, Hungerford district Number 7 and parts of several other rural districts, created a new district of approximately 122 sections and a total; enrollment of approximately 600 pupils. The increased enrollment created by the formation of the new district, together with the recommendation by the State Department of Public Instruction to add new courses to the present high school curriculum resulted in the need of additional classrooms. The qualified voters, when they were made aware of these new needs, approved a bond issue in the amount of $195,000, July 11, 1960, by a vote of 233 to 40. The new addition consisting of 3 grade rooms, 3 high school classrooms, a shop area, a band room and a vocal music room was constructed directly west of the 1922 building.

This new addition supplied adequate room for all the school functions until 1967, when the Board of Education found it necessary to plan to extensively remodel the 1922 section of the building. In addition to the work of remodeling, which would create a high school library room, two new upper grade rooms, and an elementary library room and office space for the elementary principal, were proposed by the Board of Education and a group of parents. A bond issue in the amount of $250,000, to cover the cost of this proposal, was presented to the qualified voters, January 9, 1968. It was successfully passed by a vote of 280 to 104.

The members of the Board of Education during the years 1954-1968 are to be highly commended for their dedicated service during this period. They gave unlimited time and personal service in solving the many problems associated with two reorganizations programs, three building programs, the expansion of the curriculum of the entire school, the establishment of many new bus routes and many lesser activities.

The people of the new districts are also to be commended for their support of all these programs and activities. This support is clearly shown by the excellent record of their affirmative vote on all issues.

The following information gives the statistics of the Hinton Community School District at the end of the 1982 School Year: the area served consists of 130 square miles. The school building, without contents, has a value of $1,580,000. The valuation of the District is $73,708,212. The remainder of the outstanding bonds will be paid in 1984.

There are 41 certified staff members, 22 non-certified staff members, and 3 administrators. The total enrollment of 578 pupils ranks among the largest one-third in Northwest Iowa and among the largest one-half in the entire State.

The following information gives the statistics of the Hinton Community School District at the end of the 1999 School Year: the area served consists of 76,600 square feet. The School building, without contents, has a value of $4,074,237. The valuation of the District is $124,020,829. The remainder of the outstanding bonds will be paid in 2006.

There are 42 certified staff members, 28 non-certified staff members, and 2 administrators. The total enrollment of our school consists of 753 pupils.