What do you do when you don’t like the way the teachers are grading your work? You organize a school walkout. In October of 1946 the students of Big Springs High School got fed up when the teachers changed to a new grading system which is described in the article from the Beatrice Sun as “somewhat similar to the curve system” and wasn’t implemented at the start of school. When the students grades were lower than their daily grades indicated, they walked out.
150 of the 179 students walked out of the school and it sounds like about 150 parents then attended the school board meeting primarily in sympathy with the students.
Ben Mauser, my great grandfather, was on the school board and we know for certain that his son Harold, my grandpa Murl’s brother was involved in the walkout.
After the walkout the school published a piece in the newspaper trying to patch things up and stating that the High School students were doing excellent work. In that they publish some of the results of different classes. My favorite, Grandma Maxine’s brother Vern Kallsen, who I’m sure was also part of the walkout, managed to turn in a typing test with 10.7 words per minute and 3 errors.. pretty speedy… LOL. The way the article was printed it was hard to get the full piece, but another person of interest to some of the family would be Jerlene Rhoades who typed 27.1 words per minute with one error. One could debate if she was the best typist, or if it was Marela Webb who had 28.7 words and 4 errors.
I haven’t seen for sure what the result was of the walkout, but I’m guessing the students had made their point.
1946-10-31 – Beatrice_Daily_Sun_Thu__Oct_31__1946_ – Big Springs High School Walkout 
1946-10-31 – Deuel_County_Herald_Thu__Oct_31__1946_ Big Springs High School Walkout 
1946-11-07 – Deuel_County_Herald_Thu__Nov_7__1946_Big Springs High School Report 
1946-11-07 – Deuel_County_Herald_Thu__Nov_7__1946_Big Springs High School Report – Typing
Cory and Nicole Family History 