Shortly after the election of officers of the newly formed Town of Clinton in 1842, plans were made for a school. A vote was taken upon the question of raising money for school purposes, and the sum of $100.00 was raised and placed to the credit of the School Commissioners.
The first school was erected on what is now the northwest corner of Allen St. and Milwaukee Road. The school opened in 1843 with an attendance of 20 scholars and with Eliza Baker as teacher. After a few years this was not large enough to accommodate all the scholars and another school was built on the same lot.
Some 20 years later the school site on Mill Street was purchased and a two story building was erected at a cost of $3,500.00. This white frame structure was close to the street and was surrounded by many trees. Back of it stretched open fields. Within a few years another part about the size of the former was added. A stairway up through the center divided the building into four large classrooms, which served as such for some 30 years. By this time high school subjects had begun to be added to the course of study, which gave students two years of preparatory work before entering Beloit Academy, which many of them attended. The first class taking the regular four year course, that of 1882, graduated from this building
A new brick building was erected in 1893 on the same lot where the 1863 building had stood. The new building cost $13,000.00. When it was completed everyone thought the young people were well provided for. However, as time went on, up to date equipment had to be purchased and new courses added. Kindergarten was started in 1900. In 1914 manual training and domestic science were added to the course of study to attract young people of the surrounding communities to the school.
Soon this building too proved inadequate and the Village Hall was used for school purposes during the years 1922 to 1924 while a new and much larger building was constructed near the grade school. Jay Green, a member of the building committee, successfully encouraged the inclusion of a gym in the new high school. The building was completed in 1924 at a cost of about $100,000.00. This new high school was a three-story red brick with white trim. It had wide terrazzo corridors and stairs, and fine oak woodwork. A two story addition was made to this building in 1936-37 which included a home economics department, music department, agriculture room, storage space and rest rooms.
A new 15 room grade school was built on the former site of the school athletic field on East Street at a cost of $225,000.00. Ground was broken for the new building in August of 1954; the cornerstone laid the first week of May, 1955. This fine building was dedicated on Nov. 13, 1955. In addition to the 15 classrooms, it had a large kindergarten room, office, health room, kitchen for serving hot lunches to students, and a large multi-purpose room.
Prior to the building of the new grade school, several rural schools petitioned to consolidate with the village schools. The first schools to petition to join the Clinton School District were: Maple Lawn, Conley, Clinton Corners, Clinton District No. 2, Joint Districts of Clinton, Bradford and LaPrairie, Jefferson Prairie, Hofto, Northrup, Maple Grove and Summerville. Two years later petitions were received from Murray, Zilley, part of Lowell, part of Hart, part of Dougan and Hickory Grove. The petitions were all granted and the Clinton Community School District was formed in 1954.
The first Board of Education for the Clinton Community School District No. 10 was comprised of Robert Potratz, Mrs. Janette Kohls, Richard Knutson, Dr. James Welch, Eldon Hahn, Otto Schoenfeld and Roger Hamilton.
A new senior high school building was started in July, 1957, with the building occupied in the fall of 1958. This building was to house the 10th, 11th and 12th grades, and is located just south of Milwaukee Road on the east edge of the village. This building was erected at a cost of $450,000.00, having 10 classrooms, including science rooms, band room, agriculture and shop room, vocational shop, home economics department and art classroom. There was also a general office, Superintendent's office, principal's office, storage space, teachers' lounge, health room, rest rooms, and a large 90 by 95 gym.
The building on Mill Street which had been the high school was adapted to serve as a junior high school and housed the 7th, 8th, and 9th grades. In 1961 a one story addition was built to the south side of this building at a cost of $150,000.00. In this addition are six classrooms, a new principal's office, library, counseling room, health room, teacher's room, rest rooms and storage space.
The Shopiere school district became a part of the Clinton Community School District on July 1, 1961. Kindergarten was started at Shopiere in the fall of 1961, and 7th and 8th grade students were transported to the junior high school in the Village of Clinton.
The number of students attending Clinton Schools in 1961-62 was: Kindergarten thru 6th grade, 519; Junior High (7th, 8th, and 9th) 107; Senior High, 207; Shopiere (Kindergarten thru 6th) 72. Fifty-two teachers, four principals and one superintendent directed the education of the 1037 students.
The Bradford Consolidated School District was joined to the Clinton Community School District by action of the Rock County School Committee June 14, 1962. A portion of the Kemmerer School District was also joined to the Clinton Community District at that same time.
Increased enrollments led to additions to both the grade school and the high school buildings in 1964.
The year 1967 marked a change in leadership of the Clinton Schools. Edward W. Johnson retired after serving twenty years first as high school principal and then superintendent, and Dallas E. Briggs assumed the superintendency. Mr. Johnson was honored by the community on May 18 at the high school, the excitement of the evening being heightened by a tornado alert.
Highlighting the 1970-71 school year was the Clinton Cougars Basketball team, under the direction of Coach Tom Webster, winning the sectional championship. Starring on that team were Tom Gilbank, Gene Hiemstra, Vernon Johnson, Steve Knueppel, Danny Lee and Larry London.
A relocatable classroom was purchased in 1972 to solve the immediate classroom needs for the Junior High and is housing the German and 8th grade science classrooms. Another addition to the Junior High building was completed in the fall of 1974 at a cost of $310,000.00. This addition included 7th grade science and home economics classrooms on the south end of the existing building, and instrumental music classroom, gym and rest rooms on the north end. The library was enlarged at this time, and a cafeteria for the junior high was established in the former gym.
Changing educational needs and legislation of the 1970's necessitated the building of another addition to the senior high school in 1975. This addition, started in November of 1975, is a separate metal building costing $590,000.00 and is located immediately south of the older building. It will have a gym and locker rooms, vocal and instrumental music classrooms, and vocational education shops and classrooms. The addition will be ready for occupancy in the fall of 1976.
The education program of Clinton Schools has experienced marked changes in the 1970's. Individualized instruction in the elementary grades is well established, especially in the areas of reading and mathematics. Implementing Chapter 89, the Special Education law, has fostered the education within the local school of all children, whatever any physical or mental handicap they may have, thus adding new classes and staff members. Evaluating students as to their special needs is now done routinely. Fulfilling the 13 Standards of Chapter 90, defining certain minimum school requirements, has caused the establishment of new courses including Health Education and General Music adding new teaching positions including Kindergarten-third grade remedial reading; improvement of school facilities including enlarging Instructional Media Centers; and policy development in areas of teacher In-service programs, emergency nursing care, and safe and healthful facilities, among others.
The high school is developing several innovative changes in its program. The light building class of 16 students under the guidance of instructor Roy Windhorst began building a house on Hart Drive in the fall of 1975 which should be ready for sale in the spring of 1977. The vocational education departments are offering students the opportunity to enroll in cooperative education programs, where the instructor and employer develop a learning job experience for the student, with the student being excused from school to participate. Many of the high school courses are now semester courses, enabling the student to select a greater variety of both subjects and teachers. Girls are increasingly participating in interscholastic sports, both by law and their own inclination, the Clinton Cougarettes Basketball team winning second in state competition in March, 1976. The high school library will be expanded into an Instructional Media Center with the added space available when the new building is completed.
School enrollment for 1975-76 includes 601 elementary (kindergarten thru 5th grade), 355 junior high (6th thru 8th grade) and 476 high school students for a total of 1432. There are 90 certified staff members (teachers and administrators) and 65 non-certified staff members (cooks, bus drivers, secretaries, custodians). Twenty-two buses are required to transport the students to school. The district is comprised of the Village of Clinton, Town of Clinton, and portions of the Towns of Bradford, LaPrairie, Turtle and Sharon and is 114 square miles in size.
The total debt of the district as of Nov., 1975, (includes the high school addition) is $1,052,982.00; the equalized value is $89,836,800.00; the levy for 1975-76 is $1,220,000.00 with a mill rate of 13.58.
Serving on the Board of Education are: President Merrill Paynter, Vice-president John Hacklander, Clerk Joan M. Waite, Treasurer Robert Gretschmann; members, Ivan Risseeuw,, Tony Gracyalny and Don Desing. The schools are additionally served by the active Home and School Associations of the elementary buildings, the Club, the Athletic Booster Club, the many community service clubs, and the community at large. Education continues to have a high priority in Clinton in 1976 as it did in 1842.
