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In 1994 the humble little town of Weidman, Michigan celebrated it’s one-hundredth birthday. This was a celebration of many accomplishments and achievements. One of the major accomplishments of this small rural lumbering community was its true dedication to education. Weidman’s educational system has evolved from numerous one-room school houses, to the first Weidman school, an Agricultural School, and lastly a consolidation with other communities to form the present Chippewa Hills School District. Viewing the educational system of the Weidman area is like taking a walk through history.

Weidman had many one-room school houses in the area. The schools were scattered throughout Weidman and children would have to walk long distances to attend class. A sample of some of these one-room school houses were: The Waight School, Case School, The Drew School, The Fritz School, The Hummel School, The Conley School, Woodin School (28 to 32 pupils), and Tinker School (28 pupils). Each school had a uniqueness about it, especially for those who taught and attended them. Bringing some of these schools to life is what helps us understand the history of education in Weidman.

The Hummel School (or Broomfield No. 2) originated one-half mile south of where it presently is, which is on the corner of River and Coldwater roads. In the year 1902 school began in a frame school building and it continued there until 1910. The reason for moving the site was that in 1907, Lewis Grant gave approximately one acre of land to School District No. 2 of Broomfield township. The new cobblestone school house was moved into in 1910 and school continued there until 1937.(1) This building is presently a family residence.

The classes of the Hummel School consisted of primer (first through eighth grades). There were one to four students in each grade. The students were given a one hour lunch period and two ten-minute recesses. School was in session for nine months. Attendance became a problem during spring planting season and fall harvest because many children were needed at home. It was not uncommon for students to miss several weeks at a time. Holiday programs were of great importance back then and they are still of great importance in the 1990’s.

Punishments varied depending on the teacher. Corporal punishment was incorporated. Some teachers used rubber hoses, black straps or whips. Students may have been asked to stand up to the blackboard with their nose in a ring. Their punishment may have also been getting rapped on the head or writing extra things out.

During the time of the Hummel School there was not a shortage of teachers. Anyone that had an eighth grade education and successfully passed the teachers’ examination could teach. From 1902 to 1937 the Hummel school had twenty nine different teachers. Salaries ranged from $252-$264 per year in 1902 to $585 in 1937.(2)

The Case School was a typical one-room school house also. The memories consist of the older children playing Annie I Over the school house with a ball while they waited for the teacher to arrive and unlock the doors. The older children would take turns getting water from the water pump outside to fill the indoor fountain. This school house had an indoor bathroom and the children had to raise their hands to use it. It was the responsibility of one of the school board members to clean it and they would usually do so while school was in session. There was a wood furnace in the school. Audrey Ewing recalls:

One of our teachers let us roast marshmallows in the large furnace door. Another teacher showed us how to make a pit of hot coals and roast corn. Hot soup was made for lunch by the teacher.(3)

Mabel Chaffee attended Waight School which was located two miles from her home. She walked to and from school each day for eight years. Mabel went to Waight school for the first through eighth grades. The curriculum consisted of reading, writing, arithmetic and spelling, with spell downs each Friday.

"I had many wonderful, dedicated teachers working for small wages. My favorite teacher was Choice (Farling) Foster. I always planned on getting to school early to sit in her lap, she loved us doing that."(4) Mabel seldom missed a day of school, wearing hand made dresses and hand-knitted mittens.

The Fritz School (District #5) was located on the corner of M-20 and School Road. Bud Hines recalls going to the one-room school house with "a sugar cookie and a couple of butter sandwiches" for his lunch. The Fritz School is now known as the Barn Door Bar.

A person could write for hours describing all of the Weidman area school houses. To bring an understanding to the evolution of Weidman Elementary as it is today we must examine the consolidations and changes that took place.

The first school in the area was built before there was a village. On November 8, 1895, School District No. 7 (Sherman) was formed by the board of school inspectors. It was comprised of section 12, 13, 14, 23 and 24 and it accommodated about 150 scholars. In December of that same year, Nottawa School District No. 1 was formed and took in the east side of Weidman. These two schools were consolidated in 1897 to become the Nottawa District No. 1 Fractional. So in 1898 it was also agreed upon to move the building one-half mile nearer to town and to put on an addition. The cost of the addition was one-thousand dollars. In September, 1899 the Weidman school implemented tenth grade and in 1912 eleventh and twelfth grades were added.

The year of 1925 brought another need for an addition. During the summer the school was remodeled. Classrooms were added to the south side of the main building. When school began in September, the building was not completed and classes for the small children continued to be held in the "little school" which stood on the southeast corner of Second and Main Street. The older children attended classes which were held in the two churches on South and Third Street (Woodruff Road).

In 1938 there was talk of consolidation and active planning for the future. "The Sherman Oil Field had come in and the township received $30,000 in severance taxes." Three elections were held to organize the primary districts to build a high school, but all three failed. Clyde Beutler proposed to the township board that it should organize a township school district. The proposed school would be a rural agricultural school. This was a new concept in education at this time. "This organization could get state and federal money for agriculture, shop and home economics." All of the townships voted and the issue to build the new agricultural school passed. Forty acres for the site was donated by Floyd Mitchell. This property is located west of the village at west end of Main Street. Merritt and Cole Firm of Detroit were the architects and Frank Fox from Nottawa Township was the contractor. "The township put $30,000 in, the WPA Grant was over $100,000, so only $18,000 had to be raised by a bond issue."(5) The new building was erected, this is presently the home of Weidman Elementary School.

The move to the new building took place over Christmas vacation 1939. The restroom fixtures from the boys and girls bathroom of the old building were placed in the first floor bathroom in the new building. This was an exciting time for the community.

To tie up loose ends, on May 9, 1939 the school board moved "to take inventory of all school property belonging to the old districts and pay all bills owed by the Weidman Public School. " On June 21, 1939 the board moved "to construct a building 62X32 ft. to be used as two extra grade rooms." Half of this building still stands and is presently a kindergarten room. On December 18, 1939 the board accepted the bid of Crouse & Co. of Detroit for $18,000 at 3.5 percent interest plus a premium of $32.40 to finish the big building.

The agricultural school was a success. The school had 40 acres of land to utilize. On the south side of the school were various types of gardens.

"The boys were in charge of tending to the plants. When the vegetables and fruit were ready for picking the boys would give them to the girls to can. They must have spent a lot of time watering because that area is all sand."(6)

The first year of the new school produced a state championship basketball team. The team won the Class D championship. The superintendent, Russell Newman was the coach.

In 1946 the school received $14.45 per census child.(7)

The winter of 1946 was a hard one. The weather was so bad that the school was closed for the entire month of February due to large amounts of snow.

"Ivan and his friend Kenneth Singleton would ski six miles into Weidman everyday to practice basketball. His favorite teacher and coach was Mr. James Thomas. This might be a shock but Mr. Thomas coached all sports and taught classes for $2700.00 per year."(8)

The school even had field trips back then. On May 29, 1946 the eighth graders of the Sherman Township Agricultural School traveled by bus to Lansing to attend a health unit to find out how toxin is obtained and other health subjects. This was quite an adventure for the school bus to travel to Lansing.

The Woodin School, Sherman No. 4 was moved and set behind the big school building. This building was used for a classroom and the cafeteria was in the basement until the 1950 addition was completed. After that it was used as the band room until 1954. On January 27, 1955 at 7:30 pm, this building burned. During this time frame there were talks concerning a Weidman, Beal City, Rosebush school merger. The cause of the fire was listed as faulty wiring but "there is some speculation the fire was set by people opposing the Beal City, Weidman merger."(9) The building was valued at $2500 and the contents were valued at $1570. At the time the building was used for storage.

The school year of 1955-56 had an enrollment of approximately 500 students. 250 children in elementary grades and 150 in grades seventh through twelfth. The first vocal music teacher was hired to teach music and ninth grade English. There was a total of sixteen teachers on staff. The curriculum consisted of reading, writing, arithmetic, English, home economics, commercial arts, social studies, agriculture, biology, shop, science and drivers training.(10)

"Our driver training class was different than it is now. We had to learn on a stick shift and those who had never driven were on the field across from the school. They spent at least six weeks learning there before we ever got out on the road. I was in a group of four who had never driven, so we were the ones assigned to the field."(11)

In 1956, due to legislation, the name of the school was changed to Weidman Community School. The community school was the new educational idea.

"In the year 1960-61 there was considerable dissension on the school board and in the community."(12) Three board members were recalled and one resigned. Four new members were appointed.

Three votes occurred concerning a merger between Weidman, Mecosta-Remus and Barryton. The first two votes failed, they were given under a law which provided if any district voted against the issue it was lost. The 1967 vote was conducted under a new state school reorganization law which allowed a majority vote in the whole area to pass a consolidation issue. This vote did pass and the present Chippewa Hills School District was formed. The school district presently has three elementary schools, one junior high school and one high school.

In 1986, due to the increasing enrollment and age of the school, Weidman Elementary received a face lift. A total of four classrooms were added to the south end of the building (two on the lower level and two on the upper). All of the classrooms were carpeted, bathrooms were renovated and ceilings were lowered.

Weidman Elementary School now services grades kindergarten through sixth grades with one pre-primary impaired room. The school has one principal, one secretary, twenty-seven teaching staff, ten support staff and approximately five hundred students. The school was awarded with a Summary Accreditation Award in 1995 for having some of the highest MEAP scores in the state of Michigan. Currently Weidman Elementary is working toward NCA accreditation. The staff, students, and community of Weidman continue to follow in their ancestors footprints of true dedication to education.

1. Weidman Area Centennial Committee, Weidman Area Centennial History Book (Mt. Pleasant, MI:Pleasant Graphics, Inc., 1994), p. 135
2. Ibid
3. Ibid., p. 73.
4. Ibid., p. 64.
5. Ibid., p. 43.
6. Interview with Karen Rhode, Weidman Elementary School, Weidman, Michigan, 16 July 1997.
7. The Weidman Dispatch, 14 November 1946.
8. Centennial Committee, op. cit., p. 84
9. Interview with Harry Howard, Principal Mecosta Elementary, Rosebush, Michigan, 10 July 1997.
10. The Weidman Messenger, 18 August 1955.
11. Interview with Jeanette Rescoe, Retired Weidman Teacher, Weidman, Michigan, 9 July 1997.
12. Mary Elizabeth Starr, A Summary of the History of the Weidman Area Schools, Central Michigan University, January 1970.