Aubbeenaubbee Patrons Object to Building Plan  

In Tuesday evening’s meeting of the Board of School Trustees of Culver Community Schools, a group of patrons from Aubbeenaube township presented reasons for uniting the seventh and eighth grades of the entire school corporation at Aubbeenaubee School in the fall of 1964.

Their appearance before the school board was based on their objection to the School Board’s plans to add sufficient rooms at Culver to accommodate all North Bend and Union Township pupils plus the high school pupils from Aubbeenaubbee township.

Vernie Bowen, acting as the spokesman for the group, presented a written report of the group’s point of view on the matter. The following account presents portions of the report as read by Mr. Bowen:

“We as representatives of the patrons and taxpayers of Aubbeenaubbe township, are here this evening in the interest of the patrons and taxpayers of the entire Culver Community School Corporation.

We, from its very origin, believed enough in educational soundness of the organization that an organized all our effort was put forth to help bring it to a reality.

We are just as willing to put forth the same amount of effort to maintain its unity and advance it efficiency.

We are here as your fiends. But sometimes friends find themselves in disagreement. But friendship need not b e broken because of disagreement. Each must understand and evaluate the ideas and suggestions of the other.

We are not here to condemn. We are not here to argue nor ask favors. We only beg of you a little of your time to hear our comments and consider our recommendations. We know that you have been giving generously of your time in the performance of the duties of one of the most important and worth jobs of any community.

We also know that everywhere you go you meet people, who are full of criticism but empty of reason and helpful suggestions.

Every person dealing with the public must learn to weigh criticism and suggestions in terms of benefit to the majority, and to examine the number of fault finders to see if they be large in number or whether they be the same ones a larger number of times.

According to the gentleman’s agreement, before consolidation of the three townships, all efforts to use existing buildings in the best and most efficient manner were to be extended.

To leave six or eight class rooms vacant at the Aubbeenaubee School and build an equal number at the Culver school certainly would be no indication that efforts were being made to fulfill this agreement.

It was further agreed or understood that efforts would be extended toward the construction of a new high school building at such time in the future as would seem practical, such building to be of size and type and be located, so as to accommodate the educational needs of the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades of the entire corporation. But this cannot be done if the bonding power of this corporation is used needlessly to add to or adapt the old and worn-out Culver High School building.

We, at Aubbeenaubbee, were willing and agreed to send our children from a new modern building to the old building at Culver, and abide by its condition until such time that a new building could be financed and built.

There was much discussion on the part of the board and the administrators as to the best way to provide adequate room for the Senior High School students from Aubbeenaubbee township and both the Elementary and Senior High School students from North Bend township.

After considering several plans for this, there evolved a unanimous agreement that this could best be done by housing the seventh and eight grad pupils oof all three townships at the Aubbeenaubee building. There are many advantages in favor of such an arrangement, both economical and educational as well as social.

It is an accepted fact that even with the 7th and 8th grades housed at Aubbeenaubee there may need to be some temporary and some permanent housing arrangements made. But to house them at Culver would require another five or six additional class rooms. These would not be needed after a new High School building was built. The cost of these rooms figured at a bare minimum would be at least $200,000. It would seem that it would be difficult to justify such an unnecessary expenditure to the taxpayers and to the State Tax Board.

The increased cost of transportingt the 7th and 8th grades to Aubbee would be the cost of making a round trip morning and evening with one additional bus. Divide this cost into the extra building cost and you can see that it would pay the added transportation for approximately 80 years.

The distance between Culver and Aubbee would not be considered by the State as an objectionable problem in using the facilities available at Aubbee. There are many corporations using this same exchange student system
Mentone to Talma,
Fulton to Grass Creek, etc.


They have found that once the system is begun, there are relatively few problems arising.

Educationally the separating of the junior high from the senior high has been found to be a very sound and profitable change. It is known that whenever a senior high and junior high activity conflicts, the junior high gives way. When in their own building this problem would not exist.

Most teachers are adaptable to certain age levels. There are not too many who do as well with both the senior and junior high levels. It is sound educational practice to place those teachers who are adapted to one level in that level alone. The using of the Aubbee building will make this possible.

The junior high fine arts program and physical education would profit very much from this use of the Aubbee building. Aubbeenaubee has a fine gymnasium and playground, very adequate shop and home economics rooms, and adequate science and music facilities, for students of a junior high level, which would not have to be shared with a senior high as they would have to be if housed at Culver. Now would it seem practical and sensible not to use these facilities?

In uppor of the foregoing views, we would like to submit for your very earnest and sincere consideration the following suggestions :
(1) That the original idea, which was very thoroughly and favorably discusses by the board of housing the entire 7th and 8th grades of the Culver Community School Corporation at Aubbeenaubee, be adopted by this board.

(2) That the only such immediate building be done at Culver as is necessary to accommodate the Senior High School students from all three townships, and the first six graded from Union and North Bend townships

(3) That a careful survey be made by a competent and impartial survey team of school planners such as furnished by Indiana and Purdue Universities or Ball State Teachers College. That this team work with and through the cooperation of our Superintendent and the principals from both schools, endeavoring to ascertain the building needs, both immediate and future to adequately provide for the type of education needed.

(4) That such survey has been made and results known an architect then be engaged to make the necessary building plans. The job of an architect is to plan buildings to meet the educational needs of the community and not to ascertain these needs

(5) That in order to promote a closer unity in the formulation of school policies, plans etc., affecting both schools that such be done together by the superintendent and the principals and assistant principals of both schools


In Closing we gain wish to urge your reconsideration of this matter of the Junior High School for next year and this matter of adding to the Culver School building.

We fell that your good judgment should prevail over the whims of a few who have never accepted the corporation in the first place, and over a few who are misinformed as to the advantages of using to its fullest extent the building at Aubbeenaubee, and over the few who are misinformed as to the type and quality of both the school and building we have.

The delegation from Aubbeenaubee included Mr. Bowen, Robert Reichard, Willis Cripe, Paul Davidson, Ralph Hunneshagen, Oscar Lahman, Jack Croy, Charles Widman and Guy Stayton.

Following the presentation of the written report of Mr. Bowen, a linghty discussion followed.

Donald Taylor, Board member, expressed the belief that the estimated use of three busses to transport 75 high school pupils ftom Aubbeenaubee to Culver and 180-190 junior high pupils to Aubbeenaubee was much to small. He pointed out that the School board had felt it would take two busses for the high school pupils and four busses for the seventh and eighth graders.

Mrs Taylor also raised a question regarding the report’s assertions that the objections to sending seventh and eight graders had been made by the whims of a few who had never accepted the corporation in the first place.

He stated that some of the most loyal supporters of the consolidation in North Bend township are reluctant to have the junior high school pupils from that area be sent to Aubbeeaubee Schools.

Present at the meeting were Don Davis, Wayne Mattox, James McAllister and Earl Dean Overmyer of Union township.

Mr. Mattox askes how many North Bend pupils would be involved in the transportation of seventh and eight grader. Mr. McLane indicated that there are approximately forty seventh and eighth graders living in North Bend township.

Donald Davis, commenting on the great amount ot time in which may Culver pupils are involved in after-school activities, raised a question as to whether there would be some possibility of minimizing the after-school program if seventh and eight graders were sent to Aubbeenaubee. Mr McLane pointed out that such a plan would seem to require that seventh and eight grade athletic practices would have to be carried on during th time of the school day at Aubbeenaubee School. Otherwise many pupils who would have long distances to travel would be eliminated from such participation

A question was raised by James McAllister about expected cost of new rooms which the School Board might plan to add at Culver. His inquiry was made because of the estimated expenditure of $200,000 given in Mr. Bowen’s report.

Boar members and Mr. McLane indicated that they had thought a new cafeteria and a minimum of four classrooms would coast about $150.000. This was considered the minimum need if the present junior high school remained at Culver.

Mr McAlister also expressed his belief that the use of an outside survey group as proposed by Mr. Bowen would be a waste of money.

Oct 23 1963 - Citizen