From the pages of The Tornado (notice the High School requirements changed from 3 years to 4 in 1902!!):

June 16, 1894
Mrs. H.H. DOW and her daughter Miss Mary LANE were callers at the Tornado office last Wednesday. Miss Mary, who has been attending school in Minier, Ill., for the past year, is at home for a short vacation. She speaks very highly of the schools there and says it is her intention to continue her schooling until she graduates. Mary is an apt pupil and has the rapid progress with her studies during the last year and we look for her to soon be numbered among the graduates of that school and with highest honors too.

June 6, 1896
Frank L. PITNEY and Miss Neva JONES and Ford SMITH and Miss Ida SMITH took in the commencement exercises of the Prophetstown school last Wednesday evening. Mr. PITNEY tells us that the exercises were good and there were ten graduates.

September 8, 1900
TAMPICO HIGH SCHOOL NOTES
Edited by Tracy WYLIE
School began Monday morning with an enrollment of 164 pupils, which is an increase of seven over last year. Mr. DENISON's room is overcrowded and some new seats have been put in.

There are sixteen pupils in the German class, including one who comes from the Grammar Dept., and they are beginning to have their own troubles with the alphabet.

Jay CANTLIN, Jennie BURDEN, Grace SULIVAN and Asael THOMAS have completed the studies of the Grammar Dept., and their names are now enrolled upon the register of the 4th room.

May ALLEN was appointed chorister for the coming month and Darlene WEST as organist.

There is some talk among the scholars of placing a croquet set upon the grounds formerly used by the Pioneer Tennis Club.

We wonder why the picture of last year's graduates isn't framed and hung up in the school room.

Mr. BREWER has again laid down the rule, the same as it was last year, that two unexcused absences means loss of seat, four means loss of credit for one term and six means dismissal from school.

The class of 1900: - Miss Ellen BARROWS will attend Northwestern University. - Mr. Carl Barney RICHARDSON is attending high school at Lorain, Ohio. -Mr. Homer TURNER will farm this year and next year will attend college. -Miss Mabel THOMAS is at home at present. -Mr. Harry MAXFIELD is at this writing enjoying the comforts of life. -Miss Daisy FERRIS will attend Normal school at DeKalb, Ill., where she will fit herself to be an instructor.

The graduation class of 1901 will probably be one of the largest classes that has yet went out of Tampico High School. At present numbers eleven.

Our new janitor, Burdette POTTER, is rapidly becoming accustomed to his new duties. We notice that he does not come in contact with the seats as often has at first.

June 1, 1901
There is a class of eight graduates from our school this year, five boys and three girls, as follows: Jesse ARNOLD, William COLLINS, Lee DAVIS, Tracy WYLIE, Alfred THOMAS, Maggie STURM, Anna MURPHY and Corinne MORGAN.

September 13, 1902
A YEAR ADDED TO HIGH SCHOOL COURSE
There will be no graduating class or commencement of the Tampico high school next June. The board of education has raised the course from three to four years and the present class will get another year to cram knowledge into their heads.

June 20, 1903
Mr. and Mrs. James CANTLIN went to Earlville, Ill. Thursday to attend the high school graduation exercises and see their son, Jay, graduate.

June 11, 1904
Class of 1904 - Had four graduates: Edna ALLEN, Hattie KELLY, Sadie POPE and Eunice McCLURE.

June 15, 1906
Pupils Get Diplomas
Miss Anna MURPHY received diplomas for eight of her pupils this week from Supt. Claude BROWN certifying that they had finished the eighth grade and were graduates of the common school. Both teacher and pupils feel quite jubilant to think they can boast of having such a large class finish the work. Those who received diplomas were: Willie ADAMS, Vincent BURDEN, Nellie BRADY, David MURPHY, George BURDEN, Carl RASMUSSEN, Bessie BRADY and Bessie HACKETT.

June 14, 1907
The girls of the graduating class chaperoned by Mr. and Mrs. Leslie DENISON were in Sterling Monday where they had their pictures taken. The lone boy of the class, Arthur BECKER didn't go.