Eighth-Graders Celebrate Promotion at Tacoma Theater
A crowded midwinter graduation ceremony honors 183 students moving on to high school, marking a milestone in early 20th-century Tacoma education.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Last night at the Tacoma Theater, 183 pupils of the eighth grade received certificates of graduation which entitle them to enter the high school. The theater was crowded to overflowing. Seldom has the Tacoma Theater witnessed the graduation of a larger class than the one last night, and never before has there been such a large midwinter class to graduate. The program opened with prayer, followed by choruses from the class and musical performances by students from the Bryant, Edison, and Lowell schools. Robert Baker of the Logan school delivered an original poem titled 'What Will Be?' which earned hearty applause. Superintendent Warner presented the certificates in place of Dr. Burkhart, offering congratulations on behalf of the city.
“With these papers, which are only certificates of promotion and not diplomas, have the congratulations of thousands of our people who have been interested in them since they entered school.”
Education in Tacoma has grown from a handful of theater-based ceremonies to a massive district-wide institution. While 183 graduates was considered a significant 'overflow' event in 1905, Tacoma Public Schools now serve over 28,000 students, though the community's focus on academic achievement remains a constant through the decades.
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