MCCLURE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Local Schools in McClure Borough | West Beaver Township
McClure High School
Public schools followed the Free-school law of 1834. Prior to those schools were privately supported by parents of the children attending them. In 1901, a new school house was built on the site of the two story structure for it. Through there were four large rooms, three of which were used for the grades and one for the high school, which opened in 1908. In the early 1920’s, the rural school consolidation movement began in the County, before construction of the old West Beaver High School building in 1928, students attended school in the building that was known as the McClure Fire Hall.
The West Beaver Township High School was organized in 1908 with a two year curriculum. In 1914, the curriculum was lengthened to three years, in 1921, it was reduced back to two years and in 1928, it was made a four-year curriculum. The West Beaver Schools reached their peak in growth and stature during the two decades in which W. Michael Weader served as principal. By 1934, West Beaver Township had completely consolidated its schools.
All students, grades 1st through 12th were housed in the West Beaver building at McClure. The school was frequently labeled McClure High School. For twenty-eight years, this school became the hub of the community interest and activity. The elementary school regularly excelled in scholarship, as was indicated by outstanding performance in the County Scholastic Contests. Entrance into high school was determined by a testing program administered by or through the County Superintendent of Schools.
McClure High School Alma Mater
Rah! Rah! Rah! McClure High School
To you we raise this tune;
Praises we give you now for
The Orange and Maroon.
We are all for you
And for your team so true
We’ll fight, fight, fight for victory and right,
And we’ll show what McClure High can do.
Rah! Rah! Rah! For the gang, boys
The gang so proud and true;
Loyal we’ll play the game
For M.H.S. and you.
Our banners grandly shall wave where e’re we roam
We’ll fight, fight, fight for victory and right
And we’ll all come marching home.
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West Beaver Elementary 1980 - 2012
In 2004, consolidation rapped at the Midd-West School District in Snyder County as it was voted on joining Middleburg High School and West Snyder High School, two schools there were considered “huge” inner school district rivals. Then in 2005, the work started with the new high school Midd-West High (old Middleburg High School). West Snyder High School was turned into a Middle School, the grades were 5th through 8th grade, and West Beaver Elementary School was turned into a K-4 grade school. Another part of the consolidation was that the Beaver Vocational High School (Beaver Adams Elementary School) in Beaver Springs was closed down and sold. The class of 2005 went from Middleburg having 103 students in their graduating class and West Snyder having 63 students in their class to a new total for Midd-West High School of 166 students. The new mascot was voted on by the students, the choices were: Marauders, Mustangs and Pirates. The mustang was the winner of the contest.
In 2010, the then “new” Midd-West High School underwent a complete overhaul of the old Middleburg High School. The entire building was taken down and a newer and “greener” building was built in its place.
On May 14th, 2012, the Midd-West School Board voted (5 Yes to 4 No) to close West Beaver Elementary School and Perry-West-Perry Elementary school (Mt. Pleasant Mills). West Beaver Elementary School officially closed on July 1st, 2012. West Snyder was turned into a K-5 elementary school and everyone else went to the schools in Middleburg (H.S., M.S., or the elementary school). The closure of the school ended a long history of schools in West Beaver Township, from the one room school houses in the late 1880's to 2012. McClure can be proud of the great educational institutes that were in it's confines for the nearly 130 years that they were there; they will be missed and remembered by the ones that roamed those hallways.
Something to note for future generations West Beaver Elementary did not go down with out a final fight. Nearly 500 signatures on petitions, McClure Borough Council President (Mr. A. S. Benner speaking at the school board meetings) and many concern parents / citizen of McClure and Western Snyder County, went to the meetings to fight for the last pubic school in McClure.