Starting in the 1880s there was a series of one-room schoolhouses in the Hillman City neighborhood. The last one was Hillman School. It was on Orcas.
When Hillman School became part of the Seattle School District in 1907, a new building was built at 46th and Dawson. It was named after George F. Whitworth, who had died earlier that year.
Emma Hart was the principal. One of her former students, Bernice Sisson, said Miss Hart was "short, nice, and strict. Emma Hart stayed until 1938. A total of 30 years!! We couldn\'t find a picture of her.
' }, 'http://www.rainiervalleyhistory.org/stories/exhibits/whitworth-school-history/RVRecordFumigation.jpg/image_large': { caption: 'In early 1913 a diphtheria epidemic hit Seattle. At Whitworth the principal Emma Hart closed the school for two days. The building was fumigated (sprayed with a weird chemical gas to kill all the germs). The building was reopened on March 5th or 6th.
Emma Hart got in trouble with the Seattle Public School officials for closing the school "without authority from the office." The School Board almost decided not to "allow said Principal full salary for the month," but in the end they decided to pay her.
' }, 'http://www.rainiervalleyhistory.org/stories/exhibits/whitworth-school-history/MOHAIdiphtheriashots.jpg/image_large': { caption: 'So that bad diseases like diphtheria don\'t spread around. On February 1st, 1940, Seattle Schools started giving immunization shots to all its students. This picture was taken on that day.
Photo courtesy of Museum of History & Industry
' }, 'http://www.rainiervalleyhistory.org/stories/exhibits/whitworth-school-history/schoolrecord.jpg/image_large': { caption: 'This school record shows the number of teachers, the April enrollment, the grades, and the prinicpal\'s name.
In the 1919 they added a kindergarten. In the 1952 they stopped going up to 8th grade and only went up to 6th grade.
We calculated the average class size over time. It peaked in 1920 with 46 students per teacher. The average class size right now is 23.
' }, 'http://www.rainiervalleyhistory.org/stories/exhibits/whitworth-school-history/whitworth1928.jpg/image_large': { caption: 'Census records show a handful of African American families living in the Hillman City area in the early 20th century. Many of our Whitworth class photos show one or two African American kids.
' }, 'http://www.rainiervalleyhistory.org/stories/exhibits/whitworth-school-history/03.13.01.jpg/image_large': { caption: 'There was a little grocery store in the front of the Vincent family\'s house across the street from Whitworth in the 1930s. Most kids made it a regular habit to go to the shop to buy candy. Bernice Sission liked peppermint candy, black licorice, jelly beans, and jawbreakers. Did you know that there were no wrappers on the candy?
' }, 'http://www.rainiervalleyhistory.org/stories/exhibits/whitworth-school-history/99.11.03.jpg/image_large': { caption: 'This is what the school looked like in 1937. This is the corner of 46th and Dawson. The boy with the white sash is a crossing guard.
' }, 'http://www.rainiervalleyhistory.org/stories/exhibits/whitworth-school-history/whitworthpregym.jpg/image_large': { caption: 'The building was expanded in 1916 and 1918. In 1958 they added a south wing with six classrooms. This picture shows the building before they built the south wing.
Photo courtesy of Seattle Public Schools Archives
' }, 'http://www.rainiervalleyhistory.org/stories/exhibits/whitworth-school-history/whitworthwithgym.jpg/image_large': { caption: 'This picture shows the building after they built the south wing in 1958.
Photo courtesy of Seattle Public Schools Archives
' }, 'http://www.rainiervalleyhistory.org/stories/exhibits/whitworth-school-history/Whitworthpreteardown.jpg/image_large': { caption: 'In 1986 the Whitworth building was demolished and replaced with a new building. When they did this, they extended the playfield about 100 feet to the west. In the process they had to take out seven houses. The houses they tore down are colored yellow in this picture.
Photo courtesy of Seattle Public Schools Archives
' }, 'http://www.rainiervalleyhistory.org/stories/exhibits/whitworth-school-history/balloons.jpg/image_large': { caption: 'In the 1986-87 school year, Whitworth was one of 272 schools to receive the Excellence in Education Award given out by the federal government. The mayor came and they released hundreds of balloons to celebrate.
Photo courtesy of Seattle Public Schools Archives
' }, 'http://www.rainiervalleyhistory.org/stories/exhibits/whitworth-school-history/cereal-box.jpg/image_large': { caption: 'In the 1990s a Whitworth student named Giovanni was inspired by a wheelchair basketball team that visited the school and beat the teachers in a pick-up game. He joined the Junior Sonics Team. They were State champions that year, and were featured on a Cheerios box. We found the box in the School District Archives. Giovanni is second from the left. We hear he is now a coach!
Courtesy of Seattle Public Schools Archives
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