Cape Public Schools mark 150th anniversary

Cape Girardeau is celebrating its 150th anniversary of public schools for the next year.

On April 7, students in the Cape Girardeau School District celebrated the first day of public school.

According to a story by Tyler Graef, establishing a public school was met with great resistance back in 1867. Promotional fliers were torn down multiple times, Graef wrote, and on Election Day, the newly elected school board members adjourned to the basement of the nearby Presbyterian Church after a large crowd, a "bitter host of enemies" appeared on the steps of the courthouse. This account was found in a yearbook post many years later.

The first classes, Graef wrote, were held in that same basement two months later, but the resistance continued in 1871 when "an armed force" occupied what was to be the Lorimier School and had to be "overpowered ... without bloodshed" by militiamen, according to the yearbook account.

Later, the district expanded to 10 campuses, including the Career and Technology Center and Central Academy with more than 4,000 students enrolled.

"We are very excited to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the first day of school for Cape Girardeau Public Schools," said superintendent James Welker in a statement Friday. "It is a great opportunity for us to celebrate the long and rich history of our school district. It is also an opportunity for us to highlight the importance of public education in our community."

Public schools are cornerstone to our nation. We have good public schools here in Cape Girardeau. We thank those, especially our teachers, but all who dedicated their working lives to helping children learn and grow into responsible adults.