| In 1892 a group of residents in
the Clear Lake area decided to establish a new one room elementary
school named Clear Lake School. They elected a school board
and the board determined the site for the school. Two acres
were offered by John and Edna Bair who owned 160 acres.
The original school was built for just $434. $165 was for
lumber, doors and windows were $45, shingles cost $25, and
molding $10. Within six months the school purchased an adjacent
acre for $40 and in five more years the school bought another
acre for $50. Clear Lake School got its name from a nearby
body of water.
The first paid teacher at Clear Lake was Emma Massey. She
earned a salary of just $30 per month. Teachers not only taught
in those days but also did janitorial work. In 1913 two students
were hired to be janitors. Calvin Mason and his brother Lloyd
Mason, who were only twelve and thirteen years of age, were
paid $40 each to assume the janitor position for the year.
As noted in Clear Lake School, Warming Hearts for 100 Years,
"Students took a great deal of responsibility for their
school and considered it a privilege to wash windows, clean
the outhouse, keep the playground clear, and organize baseball
games with other schools. They even built their own baseball
field, working before and after school and during recesses.
Vandalism was non-existent because of the pride students took
in the school and the responsibility they shared."
Clear Lake doubled its classrooms in the 1950's. Enrollment
was at an all time high of 106 students in grades one through
eight.
The original school building was located at 7990 Wheatland
Road East, Keizer, Oregon. The this building was used to house
Clear Lake Elementary School for 100 years before School District
24CJ built a new Clear Lake Elementary School at 7425 Meadowglen
Street North. In 1992 the building on Wheatland Rd was renamed
Centennial School. Centennial School is a transition program
for disabled students and also a head start program. The building
is still owned by the school district.
The new Clear Lake School, built in 1994, now houses kindergarten
through fifth grades with a total of 542 students. The school
sits on 9.83 acres and cost $4,842,481 to complete. The architect
was Carlson Veit. This is quite a contrast to the $434 spent
on the original building. The school’s colors are royal
blue and white and they are nicknamed the Cougars.
Compiled and written by Yvonne Litke
Bibliography:
Patterson, Christina. Clear Lake School, Warming Hearts
for 100 Years.
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