School
The following excerpts are from the book History of Stearns County by William Bell Mitchell.
"There is considerable divergence of opinion concerning the early school history of this township. It is stoutly maintained by some that the first school was taught by a Mr. Hodgden in the government blacksmith shop at the Winnebago Agency, the exact time being unknown, while others claim that Sarah Becker was the first teacher and that the room placed at her disposal was in the second story of the home of Mr. Hodgden. In either event it was a private venture.
District Number 5, the Sartell village school, was organized in 1864, Frank Arnold and William Connell being two of the first board members. The schoolhouse was a log building placed near the ravine on the bank of the Mississippi river, about one and one-half miles south of the present village of Sartell. This structure was destroyed by fire, whereupon a frame building was erected at the extreme south end of the village. In the summer of 1907 a fine two-story schoolhouse was erected in the center of the village. Some of the teachers employed were Mabel V. Stokes. F. A. Gordon, F. L. Brockway, Eva Grimes, Verna Carrington, Theresia Cassidy, Regina Eldred, George A. Selke, D. A. Podall, Fay Wood, George Chapman, Mary T. Flaherty, Davis Elliott, Mary Burns and Susan M. Barthelemy. The assistants were Lois Gordon, Viola E. Cousin, Alice Cass and Mildred Sartell" Mitchell, William Bell. History of Stearns County. H. C. Cooper, Jr., & Co. , 1915. Pg. 1376.
1907
This school house was located on the corner of 2nd Street and 2nd Avenue North.
"A four-roomed school house has been erected at a cost of about $8,000. Only the lower story is used for educational purposes. The village rents the upper story for a hall" (Mitchell 1279).
1940 8th Grade Class Photo Sartell Public School
1st row; Margie Pflipsen, Robert Hofstater, Rosemary Janesh, Paul Pikus, Marilyn Schorey
2nd row; Ralph Staneart, Clarence Mc Kenzie, Ronald Stern, Edward Zakrajschek,Frank Pozorski
3rd row; Constance De Yeager, Janet Maurer, Katherine Rosinger, Loretta Zupan, Marcella Zinda
1941 3rd & 4th Grade Sartell Public School
1st row; Ray Hedlund, Arlene Voerding, Claudet Paggen, Ruth Schorey
2nd row; Abigal Anderson, Janet DeZurick, Margaret Zakrajschek, Mary Ann Seitz, Retha Robatchek, June Jepson
3rd row; Roger Wehrauch, Dick Wright, Willie Weinand, Dalton Ayer, Leon Lease, Lorraine Knapik, Bob Cruiser, Wayne Hochsprung, Billy Hood, Pete Seitz
Teacher Miss Edna Ludee
The construction of the new school began in June 1930 .
The architect was Nairne W. Fisher
The cost of the new school was $50.000.
The art-deco style block schoolhouse replaced the wooden frame schoolhouse.
Fisher lived in St. Cloud, five of his buildings are listed on
the National Register of Historic Places.
SFX
St. Francis Xavier Grade School was built in 1960.
Breaking ground in April 1960 and ready for students in grades 1 through 6 the fall of 1961.
St. Francis Xavier School is located at 308 2nd Street North.
The architect was B.J. Knowles
1969 Sartell Junior-Senior High School built and opened for its first year. The graduating class of 1970 was 18 students.
Display case with school artifacts