Originally, in the Neenah school system, there were 11 grades, but in the fall of 1877, grade 12 was added. The first graduating class was the class of 1877 (11 grades) and consisted of 9 students. They were Jennie Cook, Nellie Herrick, Della Boardman, Eva Leavens, Jackson Tullar, Minnie Gittins, Della Brown, Mamie Ford, and Fannie Wheeler. Their principal, H.A. Hobart, was paid $120 per month and had two assistants- M.G. Van O’Linda and Julia Bacon. The first high school building was the Washington School building. The first high school building to hold just high school students was the Kimberly High School building. Additional information on the Kimberly building can be found on the NJSD Administrative Building pages.
A new high school building was constructed on Division Street in 1928 and was opened in the fall of 1929 (current Shattuck building). The four grades was planned to be placed in sections, like Manual Arts Athletic, Home Economics, Commercial Departments as well as a Vocational School. In 1953, an academic addition was added and in 1955, a gym was added to the school. In 1956 to 1957, there were 1,014 students enrolled at Neenah.
In the curriculum, there were only 50 formal classes. Students needed only 15 credits- four in Social Studies, three in English, one in Science, and one in Math. The remaining six was for Electives. The incoming freshmen were given a Registration Bulletin. In this bulletin, there was a Course of Study, which listed the requirements to graduate. Also, this bulletin listed the descriptions of each class. Both the student and the parent had to read this guide to plan out each class. The classes fell under Business Education, Home Economics, Industrial Arts, General Course, and a College Preparatory Class. For those with disabilities, a Special Education room was created in 1948 to host their needs. The Special Education room was designed to be separate from the other classes. It was for anyone 16 and above who had emotional difficulties or speech defects. Mr. Kenneth Poulton was the part-time teacher in the high school who taught these students.
High school students have had the ability to participate in school periodicals for many years. The first was The Argosy, a collection of high school writings throughout the year with a commencement issue. The Argosy started in 1895. The first year book was The Council Tree, published from 1919 through 1922. The Cub was the newspaper started in 1926, that selected members from the high school to create editorials and a year-end commencement issue through the late 1920s. The new yearbook in the high school was The Rocket and it was first published in 1937.
Many clubs were created in the high school. One of the earliest clubs was the Conservation Club. The members of this club were interested in conserving the natural resources in Wisconsin. The Science Club was a hobby club and an interest group. These members were photographers and future scientists.
Another club was the Thespians. They are members who were interested in the stage and performed different plays. The Home Economics Club attracted future homemakers. They provided trees for Christmas, gave gifts, and hosted a party for younger kids.
The Printer’s Club attracted many students who were interested in printer’s work. The Pep Club raised the spirit throughout the school. The Girls’ Athletic Club, Cheerleading, Student Council, Debate Club, the Girl’s Senate, and the Future Teachers’ Club helped to take care of other students. The Honor Society was created to acknowledge students who received scholastic honors. The Activities Club brings games and other forms of recreation for individuals who are at the high school. The Varsity Service Club ushers at school functions, keeps a bulletin board, institute school traditions, and keep the newspapers updated.
In 1896, there was a football team at the high school, but there wasn’t a practice field. In 1897, the practice field was created in the First Ward, which was a 5-minute walk from the high school. Afterward, the high school bought it and made it into an athletic field. The new field hosted 8 football games, 3 baseball games, and 2 field games. The football team won all of its games, the baseball team won 2 of its games, and the field team won 1 of its games and tied the other. There wasn’t a regular season coach at Neenah. So, in 1919, A. C. Denney was hired to become the new coach. Physical education became more well known and more students became interested in it.
Music was introduced to the high school. At Neenah, there were three bands: the Varsity, the Junior, and the Beginner. To make this happen, Helen Kimberly Stuart bought instruments for the band and hired Lester Mais to be the band director. In the early 1900s, Leona Reynolds was teaching vocal music. As interest grew, another teacher had to be hired to teach the high school and Ruth Romper was hired in 1937. For many years, art classes were grouped with the music classes. For a time, art was not part of the curriculum but was reinstated a few years later.
As the population of Neenah increased, so did the population of school children. The Shattuck building was unable to be expanded upon, so voters approved the building of the Conant building in 1966. Instead of having the high school being located in two different areas, Armstrong was built in 1972 to bring the juniors and seniors to the same location. Now, the 1929 high school is Shattuck, a junior high school or middle school.
Students would have to cross the parking lot in order to move between the Armstrong and Conant buildings. So, in 1996, the Link was created to connect the two buildings. In 1997, classrooms were added to the Link. In 2009, the main entrance was added to the school. Additional renovations are contemplated as these buildings transition to the middle school complex in 2023.
The voters in the Neenah Joint School District approved a referendum in April 2020 to build a new high school building in the Village of Fox Crossing. The new building is scheduled to open in 2023. The building on Tullar Road will be converted to a middle school for grades 5-8. Horace Mann will be converted to an elementary school. Plans for the Shattuck building have not yet been disclosed.