Snohomish High School Library

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Are you interested in viewing some of our amazing SHS historical artifacts?

Come visit us before the homecoming game from 5-6 pm on 10/13!

Research by S. Moroz
Artifact:
Design: brown notepad
Year: 1903
Intent: daily news or gossip
Purpose: Originally, we believed that the purpose of this artifact was to record notes about staff meetings, but we came to realize that this notepad was essentially written correspondence between students at Snohomish high school, kind of like texting his today, this notepad was used for gossiping about teachers and discussing daily news in the school

Historical Context
It began use around April of 1903.
This artifact acted sort like a group chat today. Several people wrote in this notepad. It served as a newspaper for students, they would write about daily news and teachers and other students. It would have most likely be seen in different classrooms. It’s a unique piece because ont every student got access to the gossip notepad.
Importance
This artifact it worth keeping because it shows how students or rather teenagers communicated together. These teenagers were not afraid to write their opinions. It represents students involvement in the SHS community. The audience might be interested in the drawings and the different opinions of the students as they may differ from what we see today.

Extension
The yearbook for the year of 1903 has pictures and information of the students of the so called “reporters” in the notepad.

Appointment
Members of our community can access this artifact by attending the Snohomish High School Library Homecoming open House on 10/13 from 5-6pm!

The Snohomish High School Library keeps a collection of yearbooks going back to the turn of the century! L. Crocker from the 2022-2023 AP US History class analyzed the 1943 yearbook pictured here.

This book…provide[s] a window into the activities, culture and processes of the 1940s. It’s important to keep around books like this because the past keeps us anchored. This book features a sophomore Keith Gilbertson, Stan Bates before he became principal, and several clubs and activities that are now long dead and gone. A few of these clubs and classes include:

Hi-Y Club: A club that ‘creates, maintains, and extends throughout the school and community, high standards of Christian character’. Sold war bonds as well.

Yell leaders: Essentially a 3 person cheer team, the Yell leaders organized cheers and chants at games, often working in tandem with the SHS band.

Girls club and Boys club: Organizing activities relating to their corresponding genders.

Typing Team: A competitive typing group. According to the book, several trophies had been won by Snohomish in the previous years for typing. Qualifications: ‘student must be able to write forty-five words a minute the first year, and over sixty the second year.’

Big S Club: The lettermen’s club. ‘Attempted to establish a standard letter to be worn on boys’ sweaters’. Advised by Stan Bates.

Aeronautics: A government course that helped the war effort, training students for future jobs in aeronautics.

The Movie Club: A group that shows films for classes. It’s unclear as to whether they make the films themselves, or are merely projector operators, although I assume it’s the latter.

Latin Club: A club for those who enjoyed Latin class and wanted to continue involvement with it more. Both the club and the class are long gone.

Thespians: Group that encouraged people to join High School drama classes.

There are many more, but this is all I chose to include here.
The past is a strange and wonderful place, and without books or artifacts to give us an understanding of what life was like back then, it will be lost forever.

Here is some fun SHS Library history from 1973!

Did you know that Snohomish High School was among the first schools to support the World War II draft? We also have a rich history of sports dominance in football, baseball, and basketball. "The Panther: Student Handbook" provides insights into the school's Christian values, the development of our famous school pride, and the beginnings of a Snohomish legend.
Written in 1944 by the Associated Students of Snohomish High School, this handbook aimed to provide students with information about school schedules, sports, clubs, classes, and more. It is a 30-page book with a light-blue cover featuring the words "The Panther" and "Snohomish High School Student Handbook," with a panther symbol in between. The pages are typewritten, except for the last few pages which are bright yellow and provide a guide to studying and preparing for exams. Every student received a copy of the handbook at the beginning of the 1944-45 school year, most likely in the current-day A building. The handbook was a requirement for all students, and they were expected to carry it with them and refer to it when misbehaving.
The handbook includes schematics of the recently expanded campus, club and sports rosters, and mentions of Snohomish legend Keith Gilbertson. The schematics depict the school's growth from a single building (now A building) to multiple buildings, including parts of the present-day D building, the Office building, and a small stage where the promenade sits today. In the handbook, clubs and sports are given almost equal importance and social status. However, it's important to note that these programs reflect the social norms of the time, which were socially dated. Many of the programs required adherence to Christian values. For example, the Hi-Y Club, a group similar to the YMCA, emphasized a clean-Christian lifestyle to "purify" society. The drill team (cheerleaders) had specific rules regarding appearance, flexibility, hair length, and clothing. One striking example of the handbook's datedness is the exclusion of girls from participating in sports like basketball or tennis. Their main focus was on academics and clubs, but it's interesting to note that we were historically one of the first schools to integrate female sports.
This artifact is essential for understanding our school's history and the societal norms of that time, particularly during the peak years of World War II. It provides a rare and detailed glimpse into the experiences of schools during wartime. Additionally, it holds significance as one of the first mentions of the Gilbertson family, with Keith's role as the president of the committee responsible for creating these books. We can observe Keith's transition from a student to a coach and teacher, understanding his deep involvement in the school and his dedication to improving the educational experience for everyone. Other artifacts in our collection include a 1943 Kla Ha Ya yearbook, where we see Keith's brother, George. George is important because he became the superintendent of the district, demonstrating Gilbertson's dedication to our school. In the DuChesne collection, “Gilbies” antique typewriter is displayed which was used to write letters to all of Keith’s former athletes. Could Keith have learned how to type through the creation of these handbooks? Well from all signs, yes! We see striking resemblances in writing styles in the handbook and in Keith’s letters (of course all types); with word choice and sometimes funny jokes sprinkled in!