Historyof Education in Lannon Area; Waukesha County, Wisconsin
Edited by Mike Reilly, c.November 6, 2000
revised 06/04/04
Consolidation: The Hamilton SchoolDistrict Formation Thru 1989
1960 – On March 8th, the “Pursch farm” is chosen asthe site of the new Hamilton High School and on March 21st was purchased for$40,584.75
1961 – a new church addition is built in the basement of the St.James Catholic School.
After the Hamilton School District was formed and the newhigh school built in 1962, Lannon reverted to grades 1-5, though there may have been akindergarten class as well.
1962: Fall – Hamilton High School opens with 375Freshmenand Sophomore students. (Question – Did the HS open with ONLYfreshmen and sophomores? If yes, why? If no, were all District studentspreviously attending Menomonee Falls, Waukesha, or other high schools requiredto transfer to Hamilton or allowed to complete their Senior year there?
1962 – Willow Springs School becomes part of the newly formedHamilton School District.
1963 – the “Hamilton Area Schools, Joint District #16, of the Towns of Lisbon,Pewaukee, Villages of Butler, Lannon, Menomonee Falls, and Sussex, WaukeshaCounty” is created.
1968-69: Mrs Wolfe is thekindergarten teacher at Willow Springs School.
1970/Apr. – St. James Catholic Church Grade School has announced that it would close inJune. It has been operating since 1956.
/Oct. – 280 studentsenrolled at Lannon School, more than twice the number in 1945.
/July – Sale ofsurplus equipment at St. James Grade School. It operated as an 8 grade schoolfrom 1956 (1954?) to the late 1950’s when it dropped to 1st-5th grades.
May, 1985 – Village requests State approval to allow Lannon School to use an existingholding tank until sewer can be established. The 5,000 gal. tank has to bepumped nearly every day.
1982 – with declining student enrollment the Willow Springs school is closed.
1985 – Quad/Graphics leases the Willow Springs school as a day care center forits’ employees.
In at least 1987, there were too manykindergarten students for Lannon to handle, so some had to attend class at MapleAvenue School in Sussex, then go back to Lannon for 1st Grade in Sept.1982 The students had Mrs. Jan Wunrow at Maple Ave.
1989 – At Lannon: Besides Mrs. Olsonand Mrs. Vermillion each teaching a 1st grade class, there was athird 1st and 2nd Grade split/combined class with Karen Thompson asteacher.
1989 – the Willow Springs school is reopened for kindergarten classes.
Reference Sources: “From Farmland to Freeways: A History Of Waukesha County” edited by Ellen D. Langill and Jean Penn Loerke; the article “TheHistory of Education in Waukesha County” by Ellen D. Langill;”Public Education in Wisconsin” by Conrad C. Patzer,Superintendent of Practice Teaching – Milwaukee State Normal School, 1924.Issued by John Callahan, Wisconsin State Superintendent of Schools; “Memoirsof Waukesha County”, Theron W. Haight, editor, 1907; the works of local historian Fred Keller, some of them printed or reprinted in the Sussex Sunnewspaper; and the microfilm Menomonee Falls News articles and “Glimpses ofMenomonee Falls – Past and Present” – Menomonee Falls SchoolHistory contributed by Carol Wildt, at the Maude Shunk Library; andthe microfilm Waukesha Freeman articles at the Waukesha PublicLibrary; plus the historical archives held by the Waukesha County HistoricalSociety Museum; in addition to interviews with current or former Lannon residents: Keith RichardGissal, Donald E. Miller, Shirley DeLorm (nee Wandsneider), and other individual input.