Crane Union High School

Last updated

Crane Union High School
Crane oregon high school building.jpg
Address
Crane Union High School
43277 Crane-Venator Ln

Crane
,
(Harney County)
,
Oregon
97732

United States
Coordinates 43°25′00″N118°34′29″W / 43.41667°N 118.57472°W / 43.41667; -118.57472
Information
Type Public
Opened1918
School districtHarney County Union High School District 1J
PrincipalMatt Halwey [1]
Teaching staff5.50 (FTE) [2]
Grades9-12
Number of students54 (2017–18) [2]
Student to teacher ratio9.82 [2]
Color(s)Royal blue, white and black
    [1]
Athletics conference OSAA High Desert League 1A-8 [1]
MascotMustang [1]
Website craneedu.org/high-school
Coordinates from Geographic Names Information System [3]

Crane Union High School is a public high school in Crane, Oregon, United States. It is a boarding school that serves students from a large geographic area.

Contents

Its district is known as the Harney County Union High School District 1J, [4] and covers much of Harney County. [5]

In 1976 it was the only American public boarding high school operated by a local school district. [6]

History

It opened in 1918. It moved to Crane circa 1920 after initially being in Lawen. [6] The dormitory began operations in 1931. [7]

On January 25, 1967, a fire ruined multiple buildings of the school facility. [7] The fire also affected Crane Elementary School, which shared the premises. Students were successfully evacuated from the premises. The students temporarily attended school in Burns. [8] People in Oregon donated funds and clothes to replace academic and personal items that were ruined. [9]

The school resumed operations circa 1969. [7] According to B. Marie Jarreau-Danner of the Burns Times-Herald , the replacement facility was, according to "historical material", "the first all-steel building" in the state. [10]

Maurice Thorne began his term as both the superintendent and principal in June 1969. According to Thorne, he at first tried to manage the students in a similar way to how one would manage university students, but he felt this management style did not work. In the 1970s, the school had a rule that stated that female students were not allowed to wear blue jeans during instructional time. [11]

Taylor Perse of Eugene Weekly stated that the community of Crane reoriented itself around the school after the community declined in population. [7] In 1983 the Associated Press wrote that the school became "Crane's sole reason for being". [12]

Eric Nichols became the principal circa 2018. [7]

Service area

The official school district attendance area includes, in addition to Crane: Diamond, Double-O Ranch, Drewsey, Fields, Frenchglen, [13] Riley, [14] and Suntex. [13] In 2002 the size of its attendance boundary was 7,700 square miles (20,000 km2), an area that was about the same size as that of Massachusetts. [15]

The school also historically served sections of Malheur County, [16] and portions of Humboldt County, Nevada, [6] including Denio. [17] Some communities in Nevada had inter-state agreements. [15] Sending school districts pay the costs of tuition. [18] In 1959, the Crane UHSD territory extended into Malheur County; that year there was a proposal to reorganize the school districts in both counties with part of Crane Union's territory to be given to Malheur County. [19] As of 2009 some students in the Juntura area, who are within Juntura School District 12, a K-8 school district, move on to Crane Union for high school. [20]

Crane Union historically served the Denio area, including when the townsite was in Oregon. [21] The area on the Oregon state line across from Denio is, as of 2020, in the official Crane Union boundary. [5] As of 2004 Denio, Nevada parents with high school aged children may send their children to Crane Union instead of sending them to Albert M. Lowry High School in Winnemucca, Nevada. [22]

Background

Crane Union High School is the only school in Crane Union High School District, which covered the most area in Oregon as of 2006, serving 7,500 square miles (19,000 km2). [23] [24] Students from the surrounding ranches attend Crane Union High School from as far away as 150 miles (240 km). Crane is one of the oldest public boarding schools in the country. [25]

Jeff LaLande, in an Oregon Historical Society publication made in 2005 and updated in 2014, stated that the school was "comparatively expensive" to operate. [26]

Admissions

The district automatically enrolls from the Harney County Union High School District 1J boundary in Harney County. [27] The district also takes tuition-paying students from outside the boundary and students which are sent there by cooperative agreement from other school districts paying tuition. [28]

In 2001 the Crane Union catchment area included less than 500 square miles (1,300 km2) of area in Malheur County, while the district's area in Harney County was over 7,000 square miles (18,000 km2). [10] Some students from Humboldt County, Nevada attend high school at Crane Union. [6]

Sometime around 1989, the Brothers School District of Brothers began sending its high school students to Crane Union instead of to Bend Senior High School. [29]

Governance

Harney County Union High School District 1J and Harney County School District 4 (for Crane Elementary) are two separate school districts, [5] and both have their own boards of education. As of 2002, the same person is the superintendent and principal of both districts and both schools (Crane Elementary and Crane Union High). [30]

Campus

It has 80-acre (32 ha) of area. [16] Crane Elementary School is on the same property. [31] The current academic building and dormitory were built for $893,000. [32]

The dormitory, funded by money otherwise used for transportation, is for students over 20 miles (32 km) away. Male students have the first floor and female students have the second. [33] The school started boarding in 1928, [21] and established a brick dormitory, which had two floors, in 1931. [15] In the 1940s a dormitory for female students opened. [6] Its current facility, made of cement and steel, opened due to a 1967 fire that ruined the previous building. [15] As of 2023 each room houses two students; Perse characterized the room sizes as larger or the same as such rooms at the University of Oregon. When the school had a larger student population, students were housed four to each room. [7] In the 1990s the school removed televisions and video games from the dormitories, and enacted a policy that only allowed students to leave if their parents allowed them to. [34]

The district also provides housing to employees. [6]

Student body and staff

In 1950 it had 63 students, with some of them Basque Oregoners from Denio, Oregon. [21] In 1976 it had 99 students. [6] In February 1998 it had 77 students, [16] and in November of the same year it was up to 88, with 65 of them boarding. [18] In 2002 the school had 97 students. [15] In 2020 its student count was 96, with boarders making up 60 of them. [35] In 2002, the common class sizes were about 10-15 students. [36]

Eric Cain of Oregon Public Broadcasting stated that the student body is "some of the most rural kids in the state – maybe the country". [37] As some of the students came from rural areas, in 2002 some had special driving permits that one could obtain beginning at age 14. [15] Many of the students are alumni of one room schoolhouses and had regularly helped their families with ranch work prior to leaving for high school. [18] Nichols described the school culture as "very neighborhood-ish" despite the students coming from a vast rural area. [7]

As of 1983 it was common for unmarried teachers to teach for one or two years at Crane Union before moving elsewhere in response to the area being isolated. [38]

A teacher quoted in a 1989 article in The Bulletin stated that student discipline was in a very good condition at the school. [29] A student quoted in a 2002 Associated Press article stated that illegal recreational drugs were very uncommon, with alcohol consumption being the most severe occurrence. [15] In 1998 the vice principal stated that chewing tobacco was a more common issue compared to other recreational drugs. [34] In 1976, snuff was common among the student body, while marijuana was considered highly taboo and lacked a presence. Thorne stated in 1976 that some students had issues with alcohol consumption but that this ceased when the school stopped allowing students to go to the movie theater in Burns. [11]

Academics

In 2008, 100 percent of the school's seniors received a high school diploma. Of 24 students, 24 graduated and none dropped out. [39] [40]

Most students, as of 2002, went on to universities and colleges. [36]

In 2002, there were 18 Advanced Placement courses available. That year, the school had satellite access for additional courses that could not be offered in person. [36]

In 1983 the teachers offered extra classes partly because the area had few other activities available, and focusing on teaching was a pastime available. [12]

Transportation

As of 2002 the district has no school bus for students. Students may drive themselves to/from school on weekends. [15] This is because, as of 1972, the school officials use the funding from the state, used by other districts for transportation purposes, to fund the dormitory. [41] In 1983 the vice principal, Bill Thew, stated that the cost would be higher if the district had used school buses. [12]

In 1975 the school district owned a school bus but only used it for transportation to and from athletic events. [17]

In 2001 the district gave money to compensate parents for transporting their children to and from the school. [10] As of 1985, the district gave parents this aid money on a monthly basis, at the end of said month. As of 1985, if a student ate a school meal, the cost was taken from the aid money that was to be given at the end of the month. [42]

In 1950 the district had a bus to take students to Burns, Oregon so they could access entertainment. [21] By 1976, the school no longer allowed students to go to the theater in Burns. [11]

Athletics and extracurricular activities

In 1998 about 90% of the students participated in athletics. [16]

As of 2023 several students partake in rodeos outside of school functions. The school previously had rodeo as an official sport. Fears of legal problems meant that rodeo was withdrawn as an official sport. [7] In 1983, the school had a mechanical bull in its possession. [12]

The school newspaper is called The Whirlwind. James C. Flanigan of the Oregon Journal wrote that this publication "received national awards." [11]

Feeder patterns

The high school, in its official attendance zone, takes students from the following K-8 school districts: [13]

As of 2004 Denio School of the Humboldt County School District would also be a feeder school as Denio, Nevada students had Crane Union as one option for high school. [22]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "OSAA - Error".
  2. 1 2 3 "Crane Union High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Crane Union High School". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. May 22, 1986. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
  4. ↑ https://policy.osba.org/harney1jcrane/index.asp - Also seen in the 1998-1999 Oregon School Directory, page 29 (PDF 17/55)
  5. 1 2 3 Geography Division (December 18, 2020). 2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Harney County, OR (PDF) (Map). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved July 15, 2022. - Text list
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Flanigan, James (March 1, 1976). "At Crane, they board 'em". The Capital Journal . Salem, Oregon. p. 12. - Clipping from Newspapers.com. There was an abbreviated version published: Flanigan, James (March 18, 1976). "Crane Union High students live on campus at Burns". The World . Coos Bay, Oregon. United Press International. p. 14. - Clipping from Newspapers.com.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Perse, Taylor (August 17, 2023). "School on the Range". Eugene Weekly . Eugene, Oregon . Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Fire Levels Crane School". The Oregonian . Associated Press. January 27, 1967. p.  22 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Bids to be opened for Crane school". The Bulletin . July 4, 1967. p.  2 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. 1 2 3 Jarreau-Danner, B. Marie (October 12, 2001). "Oregon's most well-traveled students". Baker City Herald . Vol. 132, no. 111. pp.  1, 3.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Flanigan, James C. (February 16, 1976). "Education in the Desert: Harney School Unique". The Oregon Journal . p.  17 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Justice is unique in nation's last public boarding school". Reno Gazette-Journal . Reno, Nevada. Associated Press. May 11, 1983. p.  2F – via Newspapers.com.
  13. 1 2 3 "CUHS Rural Feeder School Districts". Crane Union High School. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Education". Harney County Economic Development. Retrieved July 15, 2022. Suntex Elementary School 68178 Silver Creek Road Riley, OR 97758 - This shows Suntex Elementary, one of the feeder schools of Crane Union, is also the area school of Riley, OR.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Hagemeier, Heidi (October 20, 2002). "Public boarding school is one of few". Statesman Journal . Salem, Oregon. Associated Press. p. 3C. - Clipping at Newspapers.com - Also at: "Untitled". The Bulletin . October 6, 2002. Archived from the original on October 10, 2006. Retrieved July 15, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - The mathematical calculations support the claim that the district's size is around that of Massachusetts.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "Head 'em up, Move 'em out, Board 'em". Farm Journal . February 1998. Archived from the original on October 10, 2006. Retrieved July 15, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - The claim about the size of the district being larger than three states combined is contradicted by mathematical calculations of the state's areas.
  17. 1 2 "Even the girls chew tobacco: Crane unique among U.S. high schools". The Bulletin . December 3, 1975. p.  9 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. 1 2 3 Frazier, Joseph B. (November 22, 1998). "In Eastern Oregon, 'Going' to School Means Living There". Los Angeles Times . Associated Press . Retrieved July 15, 2022.. The claim about the district's size being the same as three states does not match the mathematical calculation which shows the sum of the states being larger than that of the size of the school district's territory stated in other articles.
  19. ↑ "Crane School Area Proposal Wins Approval". The Idaho Statesman . Boise, Idaho. September 24, 1959. p.  19 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ "The Oasis lives between Vale and Burns". East Oregonian . July 25, 2009. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  21. 1 2 3 4 "They 'Live In' at Crane". Sunday Journal Magazine . November 12, 1950. Archived from the original on October 10, 2006. Retrieved July 15, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  22. 1 2 Roccapriore, Carla (December 12, 2004). "Tiny-town students visit biggest little city". Reno Gazette-Journal . pp. 1C, 2C. - Clipping of first and of second page at Newspapers.com. "a public boarding school in Crane, Ore." automatically refers to Crane Union HS, as it is the only boarding school in Crane.
  23. ↑ "Governor addresses Crane Union HS commencement ceremony". Oregon.gov. May 26, 2006. Archived from the original on September 29, 2006. Retrieved March 24, 2007.
  24. ↑ As of 2008, the Klamath County School District is the largest.
  25. ↑ McDonald, Rachael (March 22, 2005). "Life at Oregon's Rural Boarding School". Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB). Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved March 24, 2007.
  26. ↑ LaLande, Jeff (2005). "Challenges Ahead". High Desert History: Southeastern Oregon. Oregon Historical Society . Retrieved March 11, 2024. - Updated in 2014.
  27. ↑ "Admission of Resident Students" (PDF). Crane Union High School. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  28. ↑ "Admission of Nonresident Students" (PDF). Crane Union High School. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  29. 1 2 Rhiannon, Thea (April 23, 1989). "Teens become family at boarding school". The Bulletin . p.  D-1 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ↑ "Tiny district feels financial pinch". The Bulletin . April 30, 2002. p.  C6 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ↑ Bradley, Carol (March 13, 1994). "'Local' students seem to be gone for good". The Idaho Statesman . Boise, Idaho. p.  8C – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ↑ "Only public boarding school in U.S.: Crane High offers unique way of life". The Bulletin . September 29, 1972. p.  2 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ↑ "Crane Dorm". Crane Union High School. October 10, 2006. Archived from the original on October 10, 2006. Retrieved July 15, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  34. 1 2 "Remote school poses a challenge". The Daily Astorian . Associated Press. October 23, 1998. p.  10A – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ↑ Hall, Aliya (March 27, 2020). "Rural boarding schools combat distance, create connection". The Other Oregon. EO Media Group LLC. - Non-AMP link
  36. 1 2 3 Hagemeier, Heidi (October 6, 2002). "Crane Union High School". The Bulletin . pp.  C1, C11 – via Newspapers.com.
  37. ↑ Cain, Eric (August 25, 2013). "About Crane Union High School". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on August 25, 2013. Retrieved July 15, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  38. ↑ Seagrave, Jane (March 30, 1983). "School has homey touch". Corvallis Gazette-Times . Corvallis, Oregon. Associated Press. p.  9 – via Newspapers.com.
  39. ↑ "State releases high school graduation rates". The Oregonian . June 30, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
  40. ↑ "Oregon dropout rates for 2008". The Oregonian . June 30, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
  41. ↑ "80 Students Live At Crane School". Corvallis Gazette-Times . Corvallis, Oregon. Associated Press. October 4, 1972. p. 9. - Clipping from Newspapers.com.
  42. ↑ Braymen, Pauline (March 5, 1985). "Crane students work up appetites by traveling". The Oregonian . p.  FD2 – via Newspapers.com.
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