Surnames: Dodsworth, Freiboth, Kitzi, Latton, Laurent, Milne, Newman, Olsen, Olson, Opitz, Phillip, Recker, Sacho, Schmidt, Wheelock

----Source: The Star News, Thursday, August 19, 2004, page 7, columns 1 through 4

Original article by Editor, Laurie Sacho, The Star News

The first training school opened in 1912, and was located in two rooms of the old high school on the hill. The requirements were an eighth grade diploma and two years of preparation in the training school. The first session of the school was a six-week summer term.

On the faculty were J. H. Wheelock, Bertha K. Olsen, J. E. Phillip and Lorraine Recker. Their salaries for the six weeks ranged from $100 to $204. Superintendent Smith was paid $300 for his work organizing and conducting the summer session.

Late in 1912, the first annual report of the Taylor County Training school board was presented to the County Board of Supervisors. The class of 1913 had two graduates.

The school’s first principal was J. H. Wheelock. He was followed by W. H. Milne, August Newman and Orvus Dodsworth. Eugene Laurent became principal in 1948, and still held the title at the 50^{th anniversary of the school in 1961.}

In 1920, the requirements were raised to a high school diploma and one year in the training school, and later it required two years in the training school.

However, there was one reprieve from that due to circumstances facing the country. Graduate Augusta Freiboth, who was a long term teacher in the Medford area, remembers the two year training reduced to one year during World War II, as many of the male teachers had left for the war, and so the women were “fast tracked” through the training to provided enough elementary teachers.

While this training allowed new teachers to enter their professions quicker, they were still required to finish their certification during summer schools. Many teachers also went on to earn their four-year degrees at the university during summer school.

Also in 1920, the name was changed to Taylor County Normal School. The state Superintendent has suggested a model school for practice teaching. Wheelock contacted parents about having their children enroll. In the fall, 50 books and a bookcase were purchased along with a sand table and chairs. In the fall of 1920, there were 25 pupils in the model school and 36 in the training school.

In 1923, the school board decided that pupils who fail in half or more of their work in any one year should be dropped from the ranks of the County Normal, and pupils who failed the last year, should not be admitted the subsequent year.

The biggest event of 1924 was the resignation of Mr. Wheelock. William Milne was given the position.

In 1927 A. J. Latton entered the office as Taylor County Superintendent of Schools.

There was a sharp decrease in salary being paid at the school by 1933, with wages dropping from $3,500 a year to $1,800 and $1,950 to $1,200. Sophie Opitz succeeded A. J. Latton as County Superintendent.

The faculty in 1947 consisted of Orvus Dodsworth, Ethel Schmidt, Marjorie Kitzi and Eileen Olson.

The Taylor County Board of Supervisors proposed a new college building in 1957. By the summer of 1958, construction has begun on the most modern county college building in the state of Wisconsin.

In the fall of 1959, classes began in the new quarters with 51 first-year and 26 second-year students. In 1961, it has an enrollment of 108 students.

The college was later transformed into a degree-granting institution with elementary education as a specialty, as part of the University of Wisconsin system. It remained part of the university until the 1980’s.

The building was later called the Taylor County Community Education Center, and is now known as the Northcentral Technical College-Medford Campus.