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Heritage E-STEM Middle School in West St. Paul is connected to a history that stretches back to the Depression era. It all started with Sibley Junior High School in 1936.
We’ll explore the history of West St. Paul schools in a 7-part series as part of our member drive, so stay tuned for more.
The Schools
It began with Sibley Junior High School in 1936 on the southwest corner of Bernard and Bidwell Streets, and would later expand to include Sibley Senior High School, Frances M. Grass Junior High School, and eventually be replaced by Heritage E-STEM Middle School.
Sibley Junior High School
In 1935, work started on a new Sibley School on a 13-acre site to the east of the original Sibley Elementary on Bernard Street at Bidwell. The area had previously been farm and pasture used by the Wolters, Kluck, and Hochuly families. Sibley Junior High was a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project, with the federal government contributing 45% of the total cost.
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- Opening: The school opened in 1936 with 11 classrooms—four used for elementary grades (students from the nearby Sibley School would be transferred over and the Sibley School used for kindergarten only) and seven for junior high, including a room for cooking, sewing, and household arts for girls, one for wood work, metal work, and electrical/mechanical drawing for boys. The building also included a gym and stage to accommodate 750 people, a library, and a large activity room.
- Staff: The initial staff included Principal Agnes Welton for grades 5-6 and Mr. Sonstegaard for grades 7-9, Miss Krueger (arithmetic and algebra), Miss O’Brien (geography and history), Miss Runnel (home economics), Mr. Lower (shop and science), with Miss Yanz and Miss Meisinger dividing English, art, music, and girls physical education. Frances M. Grass would come to the school in 1942 as a teaching principal.
- Dedication: Governor Hjalmar Petersen attended the dedication ceremony on Nov. 20, 1936, which drew 800 people. Petersen congratulated West St. Paul on erecting such a large and up-to-date school building and emphasized the contributions of Thomas Jefferson and Horace Mann to the field of education. West St. Paul Mayor Louis Gydesen also spoke, commenting on the growing population and the need to build recent schools (including Dodd School and Oakdale School), as well as the need to continue to properly fund the school district.
- Expansion: Sibley Junior High expanded when voters approved a $90,000 bond to pay for the addition in 1940. The expansion added eight classrooms and a basement. 850 people attended a dedication ceremony on March 7, 1941 with West St. Paul Mayor Edmund C. Meisinger comparing the building to the past, noting that the site had previously been a brickyard, a cow pasture, and now a school.
More to Come
Stay tuned for the next part in our seven-part series on the history of Sibley schools:
- Part 1: Overview
- Part 2: Sibley Junior High
- Part 3: Sibley High School
- Part 4: Grass Junior High School
- Part 5: Henry Sibley High School
- Part 6: Heritage Middle School
- Part 7: Demolition and What Remains
Researching West St. Paul history happens thanks to the generous support of our members. Learn more about our history coverage and consider supporting our work.