Tag Archives: Omaha Public Schools

Throwback Thursday: Physics Classroom

Happy #ThrowbackThursday from Nebraska Memories!

This week, we have a 9 1/2″ x 7 1/2″ black and white photograph of Omaha Central High School’s physics laboratory. This is one of a series of photographs taken of the interior of the newly completed building located at 20th and Dodge Streets in 1912. The white limestone building was constructed over a twelve year period to replace the original 1872 brick building. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

This image is published and owned by Omaha Public Schools and the Educational Research Library. Historical materials have been located in various departments and school buildings. Many schools still maintain their own collections. In 2003, staff from the Educational Research Library began collecting and organizing these materials in a central location. This collection is a small part of the District’s long history.

Check out this collection on the Nebraska Memories archive.

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.

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Throwback Thursday: Print Shop, Fort Street Special School for Boys

Happy #ThrowbackThursday from Nebraska Memories!

This week’s image features several boys performing different tasks using print shop machinery at the Fort Street Special School for Boys.

In 1914, a new school was opened to accommodate boys who “had no interest in school at all” or were considered to be “mischief makers”, according to OPS documents. This new school provided manual training in printing and agriculture as well as metal and wood working shops. A few boys were selected to attend the new school, located at 30th and Brown Streets. The group then grew to 50 within a short time. This school encouraged the boys to use their creativity. What started as a somewhat punitive program became a sought- after assignment by students in other schools. The program was later moved to the campus of the High School of Commerce.

This image is published and owned by Omaha Public Schools and the Educational Research Library. Historical materials have been located in various departments and school buildings. Many schools still maintain their own collections. In 2003, staff from the Educational Research Library began collecting and organizing these materials in a central location. This collection is a small part of the District’s long history.

If you like history, check out the Nebraska Memories archive!

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information

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Throwback Thursday: Safety Patrol Officers

It’s time for another #ThrowbackThursday from Nebraska Memories!

In this week’s 9 1/2″ x 7 1/2″ black and white photograph, there are four eighth grade students serving as safety patrol officers. They are gathered outside of Jackson School in Omaha, Nebraska with a police officer.

Safety patrol began in 1924. It was a joint effort between Miss Marie Wetzel, Principal at Farnam Street School, the Police Commissioner, and the Omaha Safety Council. The Omaha Police Department provided training for the student crossing guards and issued badges and identity cards. The program started with seven boys at Farnam and grew to include every elementary school in the district. When Farnam Street School closed in 1926, the students attended the new Jackson School. The safety patrol program was the first of its kind and served as a model for other schools across the country.

This week’s image is published and owned by Omaha Public Schools and the Educational Research Library. Historical materials have been located in various departments and school buildings. Many schools still maintain their own collections. In 2003, staff from the Educational Research Library began collecting and organizing these materials in a central location. This collection is a small part of the District’s long history.

Check out this collection and many more on the Nebraska Memories archive.

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.

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Throwback Thursday: Track Team Castelar School

It’s Thursday and you know what that means…#Throwback!

This week, we have a team portrait of the track team at Castelar School. In June of 1912, this team competed in the first Omaha Public School track meet to be held outside. 420 boys from 30 different schools participated in the meet.

This image is owned and published by Omaha Public Schools and the Education Research Library. Historical materials relating to the Omaha Public Schools have been located in various departments and school buildings. In 2003, staff from the Educational Research Library/Library Services received a small grant to begin collecting and organizing these materials into one central location. This group of pictures and their accompanying stories is only a small part of the District’s long history.

See all of the collections on the Nebraska Memories archive.

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.

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Throwback Thursday: Brown Park School

A new school year is almost here and we’re celebrating with this week’s #ThrowbackThursday!

Brown Park School, located at 19th and U Streets opened in 1892. It became part of the Omaha Public School District when the City of Omaha annexed the area in 1915. The school was closed and razed in 1962.

This image is owned and published by Omaha Public Schools. Historical materials relating directly to the Omaha Public Schools have been located in various departments and school buildings. Many schools still maintain their own collections. In 2003, staff from the Educational Research Library / Library Services received a small grant to begin collecting and organizing these materials in a central location. This group of pictures and their accompanying stories is only a small part of the District’s history.

See more materials on the Nebraska Memories archive.

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.

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Throwback Thursday: Florence Elementary School

It’s back to school with this week’s #ThrowbackThursday!

This 6 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ black and white photograph shows the interior of the first grade classroom at Florence Elementary School in 1920.

The “old” Florence school, located at 8516 N. 31st Street in Omaha, was erected by the village of Florence. The eight-room brick building was attended by almost 100 students through eighth grade. In 1917, Florence was annexed by the city of Omaha, and the school became part of the Omaha Public Schools family. In 1962, the building was retired.

This image is part of the Omaha Public Schools Archive Collection. Historical materials relating directly to the Omaha Public Schools have been located in various departments and school buildings. Many schools still maintain their own collections. In 2003, staff from the Educational Research Library / Library Services received a small grant to begin collecting and organizing these materials in a central location. This group of pictures and their accompanying stories is but a tiny part of the District’s history.

If you’re someone who likes history, especially history related to Nebraska, check out all the materials on the Nebraska Memories archive.

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. Nebraska Memories is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in this project, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.

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Throwback Thursday: Castelar School

This week’s #ThrowbackThursday takes a look at Nebraska education!

This black and white photograph shows students and teachers in front of Castelar School. Located at 18th and Castelar streets in Omaha, the school was opened in 1912. It served students from kindergarten through 8th grade.

The building pictured replaced the original structure in 1885 in the same location. The building went through multiple renovations. It was closed during the 1980s, remodeled and reopened in 1999. Currently, the school serves a new generation of South Omaha students.

This image is owned by the Educational Research Library and is part of the Omaha Public School Archive Collection.

Want to see more Nebraska-related materials? Visit the Nebraska Memories archive!

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.

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Throwback Thursday: Florence School Bus

Happy #ThrowbackThursday from Nebraska Memories.

As children all over Nebraska are finishing up the school year we thought this throwback to 1931 was perfect. School buses have changed a little in the last 87 years.

This photograph was taken in front of the old Florence Elementary School at 8516 N. 31st Street by Dorothy Edwards, a teacher at the school. The Florence School bus was owned and driven by Sam Smith, shown standing just inside the door at the front of the wagon. The boy in the center carrying a book is Sammy Smith Jr., son of the driver. The tall boy on the far right, also carrying a book, is Billy Gale. His sister, Vivian Gale (Gast) is the curly-haired girl in the back row. Mrs. Gast stated that she and her brother had red hair. Mrs. Gast also stated the bus was painted a dark green with red trim; the door was yellow. The street where this picture was taken is still unpaved. The old Florence school was closed and torn down in the mid 1960s. It was replaced by the current Florence Elementary on N. 36th Street.

Historical materials relating directly to the Omaha Public Schools have been located in various departments and school buildings. Many schools still maintain their own collections. In 2003, staff from the Educational Research Library / Library Services received a small grant to begin collecting and organizing these materials in a central location. This group of pictures and their accompanying stories is but a tiny part of the District’s over 150 year history.

Interested in Nebraska history? Find out more about this photo in the Nebraska Memories archive!

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.

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