Researched by John M. Dale Other assistance provided by: Jason P. Braddy, Phil Gerkin, Cheryl Dalton, Kristin Wehri and Sue Clark May 2012 The History of the Aurora Public Schools District - Adams/Arapahoe 28J Table of Contents Aurora History . .1 History of William Smith High School . .3 Superintendents, 1922-1949 . .4 1922 – 1936 Jack McCullough 1935 – 1939 Carl Hansen, became a minister 1939 – 1942 John McConnell, served in the army in WWII; taught junior high social studies while superintendent 1942 – 1947 John A. Simpson 1947 – 1949 Myron Ray Moorehead, Moorhead Park at 25th Avenue and Havana Street was named for him William C . Hinkley, 1949 – 1968 . .4 Thomas Pickens – interim, 1968 . .7 Roland Ingraham, 1968 – 1970 . 7 Dr . J . D . Leavitt, 1970 – 1972 . .7 Thomas Pickens, interim, 1972 – 1974 . .8 John Goodspeed Stuart, 1974 – 1988 . 8 Victor Ross, 1988 – 1992 . 10 David Hartenbach, Ed .D ., 1992 – 2002 . 11 Robert Adams, Ph .D ., 2002 – 2006 . 12 John Barry, 2006 – Present . 13 Appendices I. Consolidation of Schools . 16 II. List of Schools . 17 III. Chronological List of APS Superintendents . 18 IV. School Board Members . 19 V. APS State Champions . 20 VI. Prominent APS Graduates . 21-29 VII. Sources . 30 Aurora History In the mid-1800s, the community that is now known 25th Avenue; eight of the seventeen original houses are as Aurora sprung up along a few blocks of East Colfax still in use. The town was named Fletcher in honor of Avenue and Yosemite Street, and included many the developer, and people moved to this area to take surrounding farms. One of the early settlers was William advantage of low-cost housing. A house on Galena Smith who came to Colorado from Scotland in 1878. Street would have cost about $3500 in 1891. His farm was on land that had access to the Highline Canal which carried water from the mountains to the Just as providing water is a monumental challenge eastern farms. In 1885 Mr. Smith became a driving today, so it was as settlers moved to Colorado. Water force in establishing a school district for this area. The disputes were common. Ralph Moody documents his school district stretched from Colorado Boulevard on family’s struggles in Littleton during the same period. the west, to the Elbert and Lincoln County lines on the Thus, as Fletcher was growing, a dispute over water east. The area was described as having more prairie dogs caused conflict in the community and Fletcher left than students. By 1915 the geographical boundaries of town. The citizens wanted to be rid of his memory, so the school district changed when Bennett opened its in 1907 the town name was changed to Aurora, taking first school as part of its own district. From 1885 to the name of the mythological goddess of the dawn. 1935 Mr. Smith served as the Treasurer of the Board The early years were, if not uneventful, at least stable. of Education. Because the school district straddles two Because of the serious water issues, the town grew slowly counties its official name became Adams-Arapahoe in the early 1900s. The slow but steady development School District 28-J. signaled the need for a new school nearby. Crawford, pre-1919 Today a plaque located at 16th Avenue and Florence Old Faithful Street commemorates Central Grade School which served first through eighth grades. The school was The first school was a one-room building located in destroyed by a fire in 1919 and was replaced by a two- what is today Del Mar Park, a few short blocks from story brick building on the south side of the lot. In the Smith family home at 412 Oswego Street. Other 1958 the name was changed to Crawford Elementary early settlers homesteaded in the general vicinity of School in honor of Martha B. Crawford, a dedicated today’s Chambers Road. Since 1870 the Gulley and first-grade teacher who taught there for many years. Delaney families had farmed and ranched there. The This structure remained in use until 1972 when it was Delaney Farm, now a historic site, was also established replaced by the one-story brick structure which is the on Chambers Road along the Highline Canal and core of the current building. Tollgate Creek. The school close to the William Smith house served the local farmers’ children. A second school, Toll Gate, was later built just south of what is now the intersection of Chambers Road and Mississippi Avenue. In 1891 the big news was the development of what could be called the community’s first subdivision. In 1891 a developer named Donald C. Fletcher began building two-story homes along Hathaway Street (now Galena Street). This development ran from 16th Avenue to Crawford 1 Aurora History World War I brought the establishment of Army was 11,000. A major issue for the school board became Hospital 21 on land that had been the Guthiel what to do with the influx of the post-war baby boomers Nursery. In 1920 Army Hospital 21 was renamed that were moving out of the large cities. for Lt. William T. Fitzsimons, the first soldier killed in World War I. The area was originally covered with In the 1950s and 1960s, Aurora was still a small town temporary buildings even though some remained in use with a family-like connection between the school board in 1994. These were treatment centers to provide care and the staff. The board president Hazel Sterling for soldiers who had been injured by poison gas during would begin every school year with a rally and lead a the war. The treatment then was much the same as for cheer to the Aurora staff: “28-Jers, go forth and teach!” the recovery of tubercular patients, lots of sunshine and In 1963 Mrs. Sterling was presented with an award clear mountain air. The influx of patients did not have from the Colorado Association of School Boards a major impact on the school district since most of the for the seventeen years she served on the Board of patients did not have children. Education. An often-told story is that Ruth Dalton, the director of instruction, formed a kitchen cabinet A very stable environment existed in the school system known as the “Canasta Club.” One member from each until the end of World War II. The town itself grew school gathered to play cards at her home. What was into a population of 3,494 in 1939 with most of the purportedly a social gathering undoubtedly provided a growth south of Colfax Avenue in Arapahoe County. basis of communication that kept the district moving forward and gave Dalton her uncanny ability to know In 1968, the district chose to be known popularly as what was happening everywhere in the district. the Aurora Public Schools (APS) (although the state designation remained Adams-Arapahoe 28-J). In the East and north of the intersection of Chambers 1950s several districts south and east of APS were Road and Colfax Avenue, rural school districts were consolidated into Arapahoe County District 5 / Cherry functioning independently before the 1957 launching Creek Schools. The result is that the city of Aurora has of the Russian satellite Sputnik. This event created two school districts – APS and Cherry Creek. a strong desire in the American public for science education at the elementary level. One-room or small Teaching before 1950 was very different from the latter rural schools, where more than one grade was taught half of the 20th century. Salaries were low before the by a single teacher, did not lend themselves to science onset of state support for local districts, sometimes education which included experiments. To improve as low as $1600 a year. Many teachers started with this aspect of education in the1950s, the rural districts a two-year certificate but would go to school every were consolidated resulting in reducing Colorado summer to earn a Life Teacher Certificate along with school districts from more than 300 to 160. their Bachelor’s Degree. There were no contracts and teachers covered all areas including before- and With the establishment of Fitzsimons Medical Center, after-school supervision, lunchroom and playground the moving of Lowry Air Force Base to the edge of duty, and the nurse’s office. Not until the 1970s did Aurora in 1937, and the evolution of Buckley Field art teachers become a part of the instructional plan. to Buckley Air Station, then to Buckley United States Each employee talked over his compensation with the Air Force Base, the military and their families have school board, and a common practice for teachers been integral to the history of Aurora and its schools. was to move to another district every three years. In a Buckley gave the school district a large tract of land that 1950s college class discussing housing options, many is currently the site of William Smith High School, the rural teachers were surprised by the idea that a teacher new Summit Academy for gifted and talented students might actually purchase a house. and many other district buildings. While both Lowry and Fitzsimons have closed, Buckley continues to grow Aurora in the 1940s was typical of small towns and bring more families to Aurora. Ironically, in the throughout the West. The whole town turned out for wake of the military’s withdrawal from both Lowry Friday night football. At the prom, chairs were set up and Fitzsimons, a revitalization of those properties so that parents and local citizens could observe dancing has occurred and once again, Aurora has the military in the high school gym.