If there is one class of students at East High which deserves more than any other the honor and praise of the student body, that class is composed of those boys and girls who work their way through school. The rich man’s son (often a worthless sort, though sometimes quite the contrary) does not, and cannot see how a fellow can be at work every afternoon at 1 :30 and work all day Saturday. To him, the idea is preposterous. Yet, there are many boys and girls in E. H. S. who are doing that very thing. These people should be respected more than the football hero, the debater, or the one who reads the valedictory,. for they are the ones who will help make the world a better place. They are preparing for the struggles and problems of real life, compared to which the trials of a high school course are trivial, indeed. But think what sacrifices the young man who works must make as regards his school life. He may have ambitions to get high marks, to debate, to play football or baseball. He may be a “star” in one of these lines, but he has no opportunity to indulge, for these things all take practice, which means time. And all his spare time is taken up in an office or shop. He may want to let loose some of his surplus animal energy and school spirit by attending the games and yelling for East; but even this pleasure is denied him. Of the great benefits which the student derives from his work, it is not the purpose of this essay to speak. But let this point remain, that the fellow who gets on the football team is not the greatest man on earth. His honors must at least equally be shared by the fellow who works his way through the High School course. If it came to a test as to who would make more of a success in later life, which would be a better citizen, the training of the latter makes him by far a favorite.
–From the East High School Cardinal Annual, 1912
East High School was built on the site St. Anthony’s old Winthrop School in 1898. In 1927 the building became a boy’s vocational school. The site was sold by the Minneapolis Public Schools in 1950 and most of the building was demolished to make way for the Eastgate Shopping Center. In 2007, a the remaining portion of East High, which survived as business offices and artists’ studios, was torn down to to make way for the current nondescript development.
