Facing Adversity - 1930’s-1950’s

The Great Depression was a difficult time for most Americans, and Rossman School suffered from its effect. Enrollment dropped steadily during the ’30s to a low of 56 in 1938-1939. As tuition money dwindled, Miss Rossman and Miss Schwaner tried various means to keep the school open. Regretfully, they finally had to cut back on salaries, and it has been said that they met the payroll out of their own pockets during the worst times. One of their efforts to balance the budget was to increase the size of the school by adding more grades. Seventh grade was added in 1932 and was not dropped until 1945. Eighth grade was taught from 1935-1940. Kindergarten was offered beginning in 1931 and remains a part of the curriculum to this day.

Sometime during the late ’30s a lunchroom was set up on the third floor of the Delmar building and the era of school lunches began. The family-style meals were eaten at tables covered with white cloths, and were presided over by a teacher who served up a thorough course in table manners along with the meat loaf.

Miss Rossman and Miss Schwaner still clung to their belief that all academic work could and should be done during the morning hours, but added an afternoon program of enrichment, partly as a means of attracting students to the school. It was the forerunner of the present Afterschool Enrichment Program. This program made use of the staff and facilities of the Sebago Club, a private recreational club for boys. Since Rossman was coeducational, the club relaxed its rules to include girls for the afternoon program.

The ’40s and early ’50s rolled by with no major alterations, although there were always countless minor changes. Since the end of the Sebago Club era, there had been a full day of school with afternoon classes at Rossman, except on Fridays when school was dismissed at noon and the students went ice skating at the Winter Garden. The school continued under the guidance and control of Miss Rossman and Miss Schwaner, who were both in their early ’70s. They were still active in school, although teaching fewer classes.

Helen Schwaner died September 2, 1956 at the age of 87. For some years she had not been teaching, but still came to school for a few hours each morning and was active in keeping the financial records. Her death was the first of several major changes to take place in Rossman School. The next school year, 1957-1958, Miss Rossman resigned as head of the school and the leadership passed to Pauline Marshall. Miss Rossman, who was troubled by failing eyesight, remained as a consultant for several more years and also continued for a time as president of the Board. She was in her mid-90s when she died December 5, 1967.

Scarcely had Mrs. Marshall gathered the reins of the school into her capable hands when another blow fell. The Saint Louis Board of Aldermen passed a new fire safety ordinance on September 30, 1959. An inspection of the Delmar building by the fire marshal in February 1960 revealed that extensive and expensive changes would be required to bring the school into compliance with the new ordinance.

With the help of Hugo Walther, who was the legal advisor of Rossman School during both Miss Rossman’s and Mrs. Marshall’s time, the Board of Directors considered various plans for the future of the school. For several reasons, the foremost being financial, they decided to move to Saint Louis County, where a number of their students’ families had already relocated. In order to accomplish this, the directors concluded that their best, and perhaps only, choice was to embark on a fund-raising drive and ask for donations to finance the new school building.

This step necessitated yet another major change. Until this time the school had been a private enterprise principally under the control of Miss Rossman and Miss Schwaner. The school needed to reorganize as a not-for-profit corporation. This was done in July 1960, and the first Board of Trustees of the new Rossman School Corporation was selected.