1910
SEPTEMBER 8, 1910
Teacher list for the 1910-11 school year.
NOVEMBER 9, 1910
An article about Miss Hazel Estabrook, an assistant librarian at Lowell who helps the children find books to read.
1911
FEBRUARY 24, 1911
Plans for a girls’ playground are made after the school district goes through with the purchase of seven lots across the alley at Lowell, in addition to the two they had bought in November of the previous year.
MARCH 2, 1911
The bidding process for work on the new playground is opened.
MARCH 9, 1911
E. W. Huggins wins the contract for the playground work, with a bid of $98.
MARCH 17, 1911
The grading of the lots for the new playground gets underway.
MARCH 23, 1911
TRANSCRIPT:
An application was received from the teachers and pupils of the Lowell school asking that the board lend its aid in holding a fair for the purchase of playground equipment for the newly purchased grounds. A decision will be given at the next meeting.
APRIL 6, 1911
President Theodore Roosevelt visits Tacoma. On his return from a tour of Prospect hill, the motorcade went down Yakima avenue.
“On North Yakima avenue the machines [cars] passed the children from the Lowell school, who were marching to the Stadium. Roosevelt was recognized by the children and they cheered him loudly. The ex-president raised his hat and waved his hand to them.”
JULY 6, 1911
The school board makes the decision to keep the school playgrounds of Lowell and Edison schools open for use during the summer months.
JULY 13, 1911
The city’s children get plenty of good use of the school’s playgrounds.
JULY 16, 1911
Another article about the success of keeping the playgrounds open.
NOVEMBER 29, 1911
Pilgrim scenes will be depicted in Thanksgiving exercises at the school, under the management and direction of Principal Sherman.
DECEMBER 22, 1911
Lowell students present a cantata titled “Santa Claus, Jr” in a musical Christmas program.
1912
JANUARY 10, 1912
The wet shoes and socks of Lowell students are a problem
FEBRUARY 15, 1912
Neighbors complain about boys making too much noise on the playground at night.
SEPTEMBER 1, 1912
Teacher list for the 1912-13 school year.
NOVEMBER 28, 1912
A neighbor with a lot adjoining the playground area complains about Lowell’s tennis court decreasing the value of their property to the extent that the owner could not sell it or get a mortgage on it. The neighbor offered to let the school board purchase the property, but the school board declined, with the reasoning that they would then have to also purchase the remaining lots on the block, currently occupied by houses.
DECEMBER 6, 1912
Lowell children perform the opera “Il Trovatore.”
1913
MARCH 29, 1913
An evening of performances and entertainment will be hosted at Lowell
APRIL 4, 1913
Lowell students give performances of “Hansel and Gretel” and “The Lady of the Lake,” as well as dance and musical performances.
MAY 30, 1913
Lowell students participate in Field Day in the Stadium bowl, along with thousands of students from other schools.
JUNE 15, 1913
The PTA holds a meeting for parents to see what their children have been doing at school. Students sang songs and showed off other things they’d learned.
AUGUST 29, 1913
Teacher list for 1913-14.
OCTOBER 9, 1913
The mothers of the Lowell PTA, led by president Mrs. G. W. Cain, begin the hot lunch program that continues to this day. It is implemented to aid the “many boys and girls who live either too far away or whose health will not allow them to go home for lunch.”
The lunch offerings include soup (3 cents), hot chocolate (2 cents), apple sauce (2 cents), and assorted fruit (1 cent per fruit).
Some students assist their teachers with classroom tasks in exchange for lunch.
OCTOBER 10, 1913
Another article discussing Lowell’s hot lunch program.
OCTOBER 14, 1913
The lunch program is so far a success, and plans are made to improve and expand it.
DECEMBER 23, 1913
Lowell students collect Christmas gifts, clothes and money for food to help out a family in need.
DECEMBER 27, 1913
Students perform scenes from “Ben Hur” and “Pickled Harry.”
DECEMBER 29, 1913
Principal Sherman, serving as a juror on a trial, was reprimanded for shading his eyes from a light which was shining directly into them.
A coroner, who was part of the inquest, said, “Jurymen are requested to stay awake while witnesses are testifying. If they are asleep they will not be able to hear what is being said.”
1914
JANUARY 15, 1914
The lunch program at Lowell is so successful that the school board decides to take over the running of it, in order to expand it to other schools.
MAY 14, 1914
The idea of allowing students to earn lunch tickets by doing jobs around the school spreads.
JUNE 4, 1914
Students perform “Fairies’ Moonlight Dance,” as well as parts from “The Merchant of Venice” for parents at the PTA meeting. Former student Hiram Tuttle also gave a musical performance.
AUGUST 27, 1914
Teacher list for the 1914-15 school year.
1915
JANUARY 22, 1915
Arthur MacRae, an 11-year-old student at Lowell, goes missing after being whipped at school for pranks.
FEBRUARY 8, 1915
Two boys are arrested at Lowell for being drunk. They were too drunk to stand.
FEBRUARY 20, 1915
Students celebrate George Washington’s birthday.
APRIL 7, 1915
Students learn about growing potatoes on Arbor Day.
APRIL 29, 1915
MAY 15, 1915
The Director of School Garden Extension Work in the United States Bureau of Agriculture, J. T. Newbill, will give a speech in an evening program at Lowell.
Lowell has 150 school gardens, which are maintained by students.
MAY 18, 1915
T. J. Newbill gave a talk to Lowell parents and students about the importance of school gardens. He also champions the idea of planting clover in the Pierce county prairies, which he said would help to make them productive.
SEPTEMBER 2, 1915
The teacher list for the 1915-16 school year.
SEPTEMBER 9, 1915
With school enrollment up, Principal Sherman predicts that prosperous times are returning to Tacoma.
SEPTEMBER 17, 1915
School board director Elwell Hoyt presents an American flag to Lowell.
SEPTEMBER 29, 1915
An exhibition at Lowell shows off the school’s gardens, as well as various animals such as chickens, rabbits, pigeons, and other birds and small animals.
OCTOBER 20, 1915
Lowell, along with other Tacoma schools, has entered a giveaway contest sponsored by the local newspapers to win a Pathescope Motion Picture machine.
NOVEMBER 9, 1915
Lowell received condemnation from building and fire inspectors after failing a surprise fire drill. When the fire alarms went off, problems arose when students were unable to exit the building. The younger children, who had reached the doors first, were not able to open the heavy doors. The inspectors had to open them.
During previous planned drills, the doors had been opened ahead of time.
NOVEMBER 28, 1915
The lunch program continues to be successful and the importance of the lunch program to malnourished students is emphasized.
NOVEMBER 30, 1915
Discussion about the fire drill fiasco continues.
1916
MARCH 22, 1916
Demonstrations of the successful lunch program is given to parents.
MAY 27, 1916
Colonel Hiram F. Garretson addresses Lowell in honor of Memorial Day and advocates for the military training of youth.
JUNE 14, 1916
Caption: Pupils of Lowell school, led by Principal Sherman, saluting flag on the school grounds this morning. Similar exercises were held for Flag day in most Tacoma schools.
SEPTEMBER 6, 1916
The teacher list for the 1916-17 school year.
OCTOBER 29, 1916
Teachers and patrons enjoy a musical fundraising event at Lowell in support of a piano for the school.
DECEMBER 20, 1916
Three boys are arrested for robbing Lowell, among other places.
“At the Lowell school they found a little money, a few knives and ended up by shooting several holes thru [sic] the principal’s window with a .22 rifle.”
DECEMBER 21, 1916
Boys make Christmas presents for their families in shop classes at school.
1917
FEBRUARY 18, 1917
Mothers get to join their children for a day at school.
APRIL 1, 1917
PTA members from across the city attended a demonstration of the hot lunch program at Lowell.
JULY 26, 1917
Kindergartens will be established in portable buildings at Lowell and Whitman schools in the fall.
SEPTEMBER 5, 1917
The teacher list for the 1917-18 school year.
SEPTEMBER 13, 1917
92 kindergartners are enrolled between Lowell and and Whitman.
SEPTEMBER 16, 1917
A portable building is built at Lowell, which will free up space in the main building for the school’s new kindergarten class.
SEPTEMBER 21, 1917
Lowell students donate $23.86 to the “Good Cheer” fund, which goes toward soldiers.
$23.86 would be about $534 in 2025, adjusted for inflation.
SEPTEMBER 23, 1917
Caption: So many evently [sic] matched rabbits were exhibited at the recent Lowell School fair that the judges had a hard time picking the winner. Bunnies of every description were on display. As can be seen, the boys have no monopoly on pets, many girls being among the rabbit exhibitors. The only animal which the boys can still boast as particularly their own is the white rat, which is not over-popular with the fair sex.
1918
MARCH 12, 1918
Principal Sherman is arrested after being accused of beating a student.
MARCH 14, 1918
A trial date for Principal Sherman is set.
MARCH 16, 1918
Principal Sherman’s trial is postponed after his attorney becomes ill.
MARCH 18, 1918
An overview of the Sherman case.
APRIL 2, 1918
Lowell leads in thrift stamp sales for war savings.
APRIL 4, 1918
Sherman’s case is further postponed due to the absence of school superintendent W. F. Geiger.
APRIL 9, 1918
The trial is held. So many people attend, that it is moved to a larger court room. Details of the case are given by over 50 witnesses.
APRIL 10, 1918
Principal Sherman is found not guilty by the jury, though he does not deny having whipped the boy.
JUNE 4, 1918
Graduating eighth graders will present to the school a service flag with 150 stars, which are representative of the former Lowell students who are currently serving in the war.
JUNE 14, 1918
The school year ends, and plans are announced to move Lowell’s kindergarten from Lowell to Old Tacoma.
SEPTEMBER 8, 1918
Teacher list for the 1918-1919 school year.
SEPTEMBER 8, 1918
The kindergarten that was at Lowell the previous school year has been moved to Old Town.
Additionally, Lowell is one of several schools with a new four-room building.
OCTOBER 5, 1918
Lowell students do well in the annual school fair, in which they show off their garden produce and small livestock animals.
1919
JUNE 6, 1919
J. P. Stewart, the first teacher at what would become Lowell school (and therefore the first teacher in Tacoma) was honored with a bronze plaque. Former students of his from the days when the school was located in a one-room building spoke about their memories.
[CLICK FOR FULL ARTICLE TRANSCRIPT]
First Teacher Here Honored
Pupils of Early Days Recall J. P. Stewart – Tablet Unveiled on School Site
Memories of Tacoma’s first school-house – built on logs on the hillside, approached by trails through the woods, with some of the pupils coming by rowboat down Commencement Bay, with rough-hewn double desks fastened to the walls and a big square stove in the center – were vividly recalled yesterday when pupils of that first school, pioneers and others told its story on the occasion of unveiling a marker on the spot where the first school stood at what is now North 26th and Starr streets.
Miss Alice Stewart and Charles Ross of Puyallup, two of the first pupils, were guests of honor and spoke intimately of the scenes in the old school room and of their teacher, James Porter Stewart. Mrs. Stoltenburg, another first pupil, was unable to be present.
The marker, a simple bronze tablet embedded in a granite boulder, is the work of Alonzo Victor Lewis, the Tacoma sculptor. It stands in the parking strip in front of the lots on which the first school was built and is surrounded by some new shrubbery and a pipe railing. After the program at the Methodist church, a few doors east of the corner, the marker was presented to the citizens of Tacoma by Mrs. E. L. Hiberly, president of the Woman’s Club, which was largely instrumental in having the marker placed. It was accepted on behalf of the citizens by Mayor C. M. Riddell, who in turn gave it to the keeping of the Metropolitan Park Board, which, through W. N. Allen, its present, acknowledged its responsibility for its safeguarding. Mrs. Stewart and Mr. Ross unveiled the marker. Rev. J. C. Dorwin gave the benediction.
Tributes Paid J. P. Stewart
The program was replete with tributes to the character of Mr. Stewart, the first teacher, and two of his sons, William A. Stewart, chief deputy in the county auditor’s office, and Fred Stewart of Puyallup, were present and were introduced to the assemblage. The little church was filled to its doors and crowds stood in the vestibule and doorway. Many pupils of the Lowell school, the present-day evolution of the first school, attended with their principal, Charles M. Sherman.
The program opened with singing by the school children led by John Henry Lyons. Mrs. P. C. Smith presided.
W. P. Bonney, secretary of the State Historical Society, gave a brief historical sketch of Mr. Stewart, the teacher. He said Mr. Stewart came to Steilacoom in 1859, soon after taking a claim on the Puyallup river, and first teaching school in the winter near Spanaway. In 1869 Mr. Stewart became bookkeeper for the Hansen-Askerson mill at Old Tacoma and his desire to again take up teaching led to his acceptance as teacher of the first school, which had 12 pupils.
M. F. Porter, president of the Puyallup Commercial Club, paid a tribute to Mr. Stewart as a citizen, telling of his public spiritedness and philanthropy at Puyallup.
Two of First Students Speak
Mrs. Alice Stewart, one of his first pupils, told stories of the class room.
“I always liked him as a teacher,” she said. “I say he was a good teacher, but, the others always insist he was partial to me. He was especially thorough in grammar.”
Other personal sketches of life in the first school were recounted by Mr. Ross, who said that it was not without its fun and good times, nor its hardships. In honor of the first teacher Mr. Ross suggested that the next school built in the city be named Stewart school.
Later Pupils Continue Story
Mrs. C. E. Hill, one of the first pupils of the second school, which was opened in 1876, took up the school’s history and told of its growth from a room in the Hansen-Ackerson mill, taught by Mrs. Ackerson and Miss H. Wolfe, to the first building at 20th and Starr streets, near the site of the present Lowell school. Mrs. Clara Wilt, one of the teachers in that building, added another chapter, telling of the consolidation of the schools of Old Tacoma and New Tacoma in 1890, and of their growth. William F. Geiger, superintendent of Tacoma schools, brought the progress up to date with some comparisons of the school system of today.
President E. H. Todd of the College of Puget Sound added another link by calling attention to the growth of the college as a Tacoma institution and of its place in furnishing teachers and principals for the schools today.
Announces Essay Winners
The result of the essay contests in the grammar schools and high schools on “The Early History and Growth of Tacoma Schools” was announced by Miss Jennie Jones, one of the judges. In recognition of one essay which was considered worthy, but did not live up to all the requirements of the contest, Miss Rose Portman of Stadium High School was requested to read her contribution. The winners were Percy Smith, for Stadium; Miss Helen Dryden, for Lincoln High. Miss Margaret Dzizak of Sheridan. Mildred Spinning of McKinley and Betty Morrison of Lowell were given honorable mention. The cash prizes awarded by The News Tribune were presented by Frank S. Baker.
Frederick Warren Lewis, a brother of the sculptor, who recently returned from overseas, read an original poem on “The First School.”
Frank Cole, president of the Tacoma Fine Arts Club, presented Mr. Lewis, the sculptor and designer of the bronze tablet.
AUGUST 29, 1919
Henry H. Garretson is announced as the new principal of Lowell school. Principal Sherman moves to Mann school.
AUGUST 30, 1919
The teacher list for the 1919-20 school year.
OCTOBER 12, 1919
Lowell students participate in the annual school fair and show off their garden produce and livestock.
OCTOBER 28, 1919
Principal Garretson gives an update on the various activities and events going on at Lowell.
NOVEMBER 4, 1919
Another update on the various clubs and activities going on at Lowell.
NOVEMBER 11, 1919
Source: The Tacoma Daily Ledger – Tuesday, November 11, 1919, p. 12
Lowell weekly updates
NOVEMBER 19, 1919
Lowell weekly updates
NOVEMBER 25, 1919
Source: The Tacoma Daily Ledger – Tuesday, November 25, 1919, p. 12
Lowell weekly updates
DECEMBER 9, 1919
Lowell weekly updates
DECEMBER 28, 1919
Lowell weekly updates
Lowell Elementary School History Project 