Oklee High School History
 When Oklee was first begun, there were a number
of children living in the village. These children did not have a school in town and therefore attended a rural school east of the townsite. A frame school building was built during the summer of 1914 with
the intentions of being completed by the opening of the 1914-1915 school term. However, these expectations were not accomplished and occupancy took place in February, 1915. Classes were held in the Zion Lutheran Church until
February. The new school was built at a cost of $15,000 which was $5,000 more that had been anticipated when construction began. Dedication of the building took place in November, 1915. The
first teachers were Victor C. Hill, Principal; Ida Rovang of Erskine and Astrid Kindseth of Red lake Falls as assistants. In the fall of 1915, manual training and domestic science were added to the
curriculum with 87 students enrolled the first week.
Over the years, rural schools were added to the local school. The rural district lying directly to the north of the village in Garnes Township consolidated with the local district when it was decided to open a Consolidated
School Distric No. 1 of Red Lake County.
Over the years, due to decreasing enrollments and a shortage of rural teachers during the latter part of the thirties
and the early forties, several rural school districts closed their schools and transported their children to the Oklee Public School. On June 3, 1947, the following school districts were consolidated with Consolidated School
District No. 1: Districts 9, 10, 11, 13, 19, 20, 76, 103, 151 of Red Lake County, 204, 252, of Polk County and joint
ditches No. 33, 58, and 8-271. This increased the district area to 86,615 acres. The consolidation made it financially possible to add new additions to our school.
The outside of the school building was renovated by lathing and stuccoing in the summer of 1923. On May 16, 1938, the voters, by a vote of 181 to 29, authorized the school board to issue bonds to the State of Minnesota for
a total of $12,000 for the construction of a fireproof high school building and for repairs of the old building. The
new building provided for offices, a study hall, a library room, a science room, and three general classrooms. it was built with Federal Aid and under the supervision of the Works Projects Administration. This building is still
standing and in use by the Oklee Public Schools.
On June 27, 1947, at a special election he voters authorized the school board to dispose of school buildings and other property acqured from rural school districts by consolidation. Several of the old school building were
purchased by people in the village to be moved in and remodeled into homes which are still being used.
On August 18, 1947, the voters at a special election authorized the local school board to issue bonds to the State of Minnesota in an amount of $16,000 for financing the present practical arts building and $12,000 to be used for
the purchase of new buses, both sums bearing interest at 2 1/2 percent per annum. This building was erected across the street to the east and provided for five elementary classrooms. Albert Riel and Ray Lindquist
supervised the construction of the building which cost the school district about $23,000. It was occupied in 1948. Later when an elementary addition was built in 1953, this building was remodeled to provide industrial arts and
domestic science departments.
From 1946 to 1954 the total enrollment increased from 295 to 506. The largest enrollment in the grades (1-6) was 261 in 1955 and in the high school (7-12) with 237 students in 1959. Kindergarten was added to the school in the
fall of 1971 with 34 students. The enrollment for the year 1983-84 was (K-6) 176, (7-12) 140.
Because of the increased enrollment, a special election was held March 17, 1952, which authorized the school board to borrow money and issue bonds to a maximum of $300,000 for the construction of a new addition which
included a ten room elementary school, an auditorium--physical education unit with lockers and storage rooms, a new heating unit, and facilities for carrying on a school lunch program. This proposal to build was carried by a
vote of 370-140. $290,000 worth of bonds were issued with interest rates of 2 1/2 to 3 percent. Previously, the community hall had been used for basketball, physical education, etc. and the Catholic Church basement served
as the hot lunch facilities.
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