ENTERPRISE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

 

Before annexation in 1963-64 to the Wichita Public School System, Enterprise Elementary School was one of the two schools in District 15. Enterprise School District 15 was organized in 1875 with half a dozen or so pupils. The schoolhouse was located first at the corner of Broadway and MacArthur Road. Church was held in the building and, according to the old timers, a number of men jacked up the structure one Sunday after church in 1880 or 1881 and moved it to the location at 3612 South Seneca. The work was done before the opposition could get an injunction to stop them. The courthouse, of course, was closed. The school, by 1885, had grown to 14 pupils with Robert O. Melie as teacher. In 1888, a new and larger building was erected with two rows of seats on each side and a large pot bellied stove which occupied the center of the room. That building served the district until the 1918-19 school year when a two-room modern brick schoolhouse was built. Enrollment had risen to 62 pupils by 1924, and the need for more room brought about construction of two more rooms by 1926. Three of the rooms were used for classrooms until 1943. The fourth room served as a music room and meeting place. It was in the spare room that the PTA was organized in 1933 with 26 members. Addition of three more classrooms and an auditorium in 1949-50 helped relieve crowding. A five-room addition was constructed in 1952, and more classrooms were added in 1954 and 1956. The last major addition to the building was completed in 1958. Enrollment increased rapidly the next year or two, and it was necessary to locate three classrooms of fifth grade across the street in the National Guard Armory until completion of a new school. South Enterprise, located at 2101 West 45th Street South, opened in the fall of 1961 to house grades five through eight. At this time Enterprise School was named North Enterprise, and grades one through four were taught. After annexation to the Wichita School system in 1963-64, the name was changed back to Enterprise, and South Enterprise was renamed Clyde V. Cessna. In 1975-76, Enterprise consisted of 26 permanent classrooms and two portable classrooms housing a school population of approximately 500. At the beginning of the 1988-89 year, sixth grade students were incorporated into the middle school program. In 1991, Enterprise began a new growth surge to 600-plus students and implemented a prekindergarten program. In April 2000, the voters of the Wichita School District approved a $284.5 million bond issue. The projects began in the fall of 2000 and were completed over the next five years. The plan built 19 multipurpose rooms, upgraded science labs, replaced portable classrooms with permanent construction, improved handicap accessibility to all buildings, rebuilt five existing elementary schools, added a new elementary and middle school, expanded seven other elementary schools and provided nine new libraries as well as the expansion of nine others. Building infrastructure in 82 buildings was also upgraded, including the replacement of antiquated plumbing, updates and expansion of electrical systems, replacement of inefficient or broken windows and doors, upgrades of heating and cooling systems, and asbestos abatement when required. PBA Architects, P.A. designed a three-section elementary school prototype for Allen, Linwood and Enterprise schools. The new Enterprise allowed for the removal of portable classrooms. Both Enterprise and Allen were built by Eby Construction Co. for a total of $10,273,000. Upon completion, the dedication ceremony was held October 21, 2003. Staff, students, and the community love the new facility provided by the district. The old building was removed and the property was then utilized by South High School.