 |
||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||
|
Student Protest, Circa 1936 When you think of a strike at a school, teachers walking picket lines come to mind. The OTHS student strike of ‘36 as reported by The Progress however, saw the students doing the picketing. The strike originated out of a rumor that Supt. J. Emmett Hinchcliffe, Sr. would be rehired by the Grade School but not by the High School Board. Since 1921, Hinchcliffe had been head of both the O’Fallon Grade School and the Township High School and his annual salary of $2900 was paid jointly by both school boards. On Friday morning May 8, 1936, about 200 students who had gathered on the high school grounds refused to enter the school upon learning that there was truth to the rumor. Only about 22 students went to class. After school started, the students, ignoring Hinchcliffe’s pleas not to strike, marched in parade formation toward downtown carrying banners with slogans like “We Want Hinchcliffe” and “We Want Education, Not Gossip”. The parade disbanded in the Woman’s Club Park by the railroad for a meeting in which it was agreed that they would refuse to attend school until they were assured that Hinchcliffe would be rehired. To that end, a student committee was selected to confer with Board President John Schneider. The students remained in the park through early afternoon entertaining themselves with songs. The High School Board met Saturday afternoon and again that night after which Schneider announced that Hinchcliffe would be rehired and that both the Grade School and High School Boards had formulated an agreement to that effect. Members of the High School Board wouldn’t comment on their previous decision not to rehire Hinchcliffe, but several stated that they had good reasons for the decision. Throughout the strike, Hinchcliffe made no statement.
The students had won but not without a price—the Township High track team and tennis squad were barred from participating in an inter-city meet at Granite City May 9 by the officials in charge.
|
 |
|
||||||||||||
 |
|
|
||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||
