Commercial Interests

The 1934 school year began with just 13 new students, five girls and eight boys. They joined a class known as ‘Sexta’, a Latin word meaning 'sixth'. If you were to walk past their classroom between 2pm and 3pm on any school day, you would have heard the staccato click-clack of three typewriters.
The college had decided to cater for the needs of students who saw their future in the business world. Book-keeping, shorthand and typing formed a new course of instruction, and an experienced teacher, Miss G.M Wood, was appointed.
Typewriters at the time were very expensive, so only four second-hand machines were purchased. With seven students in the typewriting class, a rotating roster system was implemented to allow everyone enough opportunity to improve their skills.
It could be argued that the girls had an unfair advantage in becoming proficient typists - one of the type-writers was made available for their exclusive use in the hostel.

Photo
Girls (L-R): Eileen Siebert, Dora Georg, Florence Gladigau, Edna Pluckhahn
Boys (L-R): Albert Scholz, Alwin Schroeder, Clemens Pietsch, Norman Wendt, Walter Zweck, Gerhard Fischer, Louis Hoffrichter, Bert Schmidt.