Former Strandquist Public School (Strandquist, Minnesota)

School District No. 65 was granted organization on April 2, 1892, and was comprised of all of Lincoln Township, Marshall County, Minnesota. There was no schoolhouse, and classes were held in a private home. A special school meeting was held at a private home on February 18, 1893. The South school house to be built on the northwest quarter of section 29. On September 14, 1900, a petition for the organization of District No. 90 to be comprised of the east half of the township was granted by the county board. Schoolhouses for District 90 were built on the northwest corner of section 11 and on the northwest corner of section 26. By the early 1900's the village of Strandquist had come into existence and desired a school of its own. Accordingly, a petition for the organization of a school district to be comprised of the south half sections 15 and 16 and all of sections 21, 22, 27, 28, 33, and 34 in Lincoln Township was presented to the county board. The petition was granted for the creation of District No. 129. A schoolhouse was built in 1905. This building was sold in 1916 to an individual for $530, and it was also the home of the Mission Covenant Church. This building was later purchased by another individual, and was a home for many years. In 1915, the rural districts consolidated into the Strandquist Consolidated District No. 65. Also in 1915, a brick building was erected for the cost of $20,176 on the NW corner of the SE 1/4 of section 22. The total number of pupils enrolled at that time was approximately 150. SHS entered athletics in the 1920's. Basketball was the major sport throughout the years beginning in 1921. In the late 30's, a south addition to the school was constructed by the W. P. A for the total cost of $69, 415.69, with the W. P. A contributing $37,784.79 toward this cost. The addition doubled the size of the original building. 1940 saw SHS taking part in several sports, including basketball, baseball, track, football, and volleyball. In 1951, the Sunnyside School was moved from District 130 into Strandquist. It served as a classroom for grades one and two. When construction of the new school started, Sunnyside School was moved one block north of its present location. It was used for a band house for a number of years, then as a storage area. Sunnyside was completely restored by the shop classes during the 1989-1990 school year. Visitors can now go inside and see what the original one room school looked like. In 1955, a new gymnasium was built on the north side of the school at the approximate cost of $90,000. Prior to the building of the new gym, the school had used the town hall for its activities. On February 3, 1956, the first basketball game was played in the new gym and the class of 1956 was the first class to graduate in it. On September 3, 1974, the community turned to watch the Warrior girls play their first game of basketball. During the 1987-88 season, the community watched the last Warrior girls basketball team play their games. The 1988-89 season saw the last Strandquist High School Warriors boys' basketball team play. The end of Strandquist's athletic teams was due to a sports cooperative with Karlstad. When all sports were shared, a new mascot, colors, and school song were chosen. The new name for the teams was "Wildcats"; the colors were red, black, and white; and the new school song was Ohio State Across the Field. Through the 1990-91 school year, the building was used for grades kindergarten through grade 12. The school saw many changes in the past few years, the most obvious being the smaller and smaller classes. There were 675 graduates from Strandquist schools. The 1990-91 enrollment was 81 students, K-12. Vocational classes have been made available for grades 10-12 by bussing to Thief River Falls. On May 23, 1991 the last graduating class received their diplomas. In the fall of 1991, the Strandquist School District consolidated with the Karlstad School District. The Strandquist School building housed the first, second and third grades for a few years until it closed in 1998.