August 26, 2015 at 3:30 p.m.
'I Remember' ... Many recall junior high move
'I Remember' ... Many recall junior high move
By By Kris Gilbertson-
The other day, when James Williams Junior High School observed its fifth birthday, older members of the faculty and the Rhinelander K-12 school board reflected on the nearly five years of activity which preceded that great occasion.
Actually, classes in the new building started on March 10, 1975 - but the move to the building from the old high school plant on Frederick Street took place four days earlier, when students rode buses to the new school for a "get acquainted" session in the afternoon.
That was Thursday, March 6, and Friday was a free day for students while desks and other equipment were moved between the buildings.
The story of the new building really started in 1970, when the school board first began talking about the need for a new junior high. By late November 1971, the board selected Stubenrauch Associates Inc. of Sheboygan to design a new school. That action was taken after the board spent some time considering four firms which had survived screening by the building committee.
In January 1972 the board decided the best site available was the 10-acre tract adjacent to the high school athletic field - property already owned by the school district. School district voters approved this choice in July, and that same month the board set Sept. 12 as the date for a referendum on a bond issue for the new school and for a vocational shop addition to the high school.
Immediately a campaign was mounted by a citizens group to urge support for the new school. Marvin Reinke was named chairman, and a number of public meetings were conducted. At one of the meetings, in early September, it was suggested the new school be named as a memorial to the late James Williams, longtime principal of the old junior high, who died Oct. 27, 1968. That seemed to strike a responsive chord in the hearts of many residents.
The Daily News, through a series of photographs and articles, called attention to the overcrowded conditions of the old building. One of the articles noted the need for a pool in the new junior high and pointed out this was to be the topic of a separate question on the referendum ballot Sept. 12.
Service clubs and other organizations in the city all backed the referendum, urging a "yes" vote. When classes for the fall started in late August, the junior high had 685 pupils - nearly 300 more than the rated capacity of the building.
Despite the strong and apparent widespread support for a new building, the referendum vote was surprisingly close - 2,343 to 2,202. The separate question on the pool was defeated by a wide margin, 2,954 to 1,482.
By early December 1972, the school board awarded the bond issue to a Minneapolis bank at a net interest rate of 4.38062 percent. Net interest costs or the $2.5 million in bonds was $1,002,067, spread over a 14-year period.
In October that year, the faculty of the junior high divided into five groups to make inspection trips to new schools in Wisconsin. School was closed for one day to facilitate the inspection tours.
Unanimous approval of the name "James Williams Junior High School" came in April 1973. Final approval of plans came in May. Contracts were awarded in June. Site clearance began in August. Groundbreaking was Sept. 5. First footings were poured early in October.
Because of a steel strike and sub-zero weather during the winter of 1973-74, construction ran two months behind schedule - but in February 1974, roof beams were hoisted into place and the work pace picked up. It had been hoped to occupy the new building by September, but that date was postponed to December, and then to March 1975.
In January 1975, the school board decided to move the administrative offices into the old junior high after it was vacated, and within days after the school move was completed the offices began their shift.
That spring of 1975 saw an open house for the new school, the first concert in the lecture hall, and presentation of new flags for the building. Today the building shows no evidence of hard usage or vandalism, and students apparently appreciate the fine space provided for their use.
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