NOTES ON LEWISTON HIGH SCHOOL, 1918 (UPDATED)

Lewiston (Idaho) High School, c. 1918

It’s cold. The ground is covered with snow that melts a little in the afternoon and freezes overnight to something rather treacherous to navigate in the morning hours. Nothing much is happening in real time, so here’s a post I promised months ago.

Despite having seen three children through Lewiston High School in the late 1990s, I am not well-versed on its history. The building in 1918 when my aunt and uncle were students is not the same as the one my children attended, which was built in 1927, though it is the same campus. With the 2020-21 school year, LHS left its downtown campus and moved to the newly-constructed building in the Lewiston Orchards. It looks huge.

“They were well-past needing that new building,” observed Mike.

Earle Dobson

Yes, the community spent at least 20 years arguing over whether or not a new one was justified. “All they have to do is fix the building they have,” said members of the community who opposed paying for the new facility. But son Clint explained that the old building simply could not be updated to meet the technological needs of today’s students.

Well, I digress. The LHS class of 1918 had 61 members and was the largest class up to that time. I counted 30 juniors but 80 sophomores. Despite the fact that Mr. Simmonds, the school superintendent, made much of Uncle Earle’s enlistment in the navy, three others were mentioned in the annual as “former members of the class now in the service.” Earle probably stood out because of his age (22) and career goals.

Frank Simmonds, center; Joel Jenifer, upper left

Frank W. Simmonds (1876-1971) came to Lewiston to serve as school superintendent in 1913 and was instrumental in developing the junior-senior high school program. Much to the regret of the community, he left in 1920 to work for the national chamber of commerce. He went on to serve in food administration under Hoover and then for the American Bankers Association until retirement in 1944. A talented administrator, he then served as president of the American Genealogical Society. He was also an excellent gardener, a skill he imparted to Lewiston students, encouraging them to grow vegetables during WWI.

Joel Jenifer became principal of LHS in 1902 and replaced Simmonds as superintendent in 1920. Mr. Jenifer retired in 1929 and then continued to live in Lewiston and serve in various positions in the public and private sectors well into old age. In 1959, 30 years after his retirement from the school district, the newly-built junior high school was named for him – Jenifer Junior High. Today, the school is called “Jenifer Middle School.” Mr. Jenifer died in 1964 at the age of 94.

There were 25 members of the faculty in 1918 – 9 men and 16 women. All the women were “Miss” except for the newly-married Mrs. Ray E. Williams, the former Miss Edna Marks. KW

[The history of Idaho School District #1 buildings can be found at this link -- https://www.lewistonschools.net/lewiston-schools-history/]