History of the Bement Township High School

(Excerpt from 1948 BETOHI  yearbook)
 
            On October 9, 1915, the Bement Township High School was organized.  About a month later, the election of officers was held.  The members of the first board were:  President, Mr. W. J. Day; Board Members, Mr. James H. Bowyer, Mr. O. E. Wright, Mr. H. E. Shaw, Mr. W. A. Steel, Mr. Frank Lefever, and Mr. John Moery Sr.
 
            In December of the same year an election was held to determine a site for the building.  Five hundred eighty-five votes were cast but there were not enough votes for any one site for a decision to be reached.
 
            The first B. T. H. S. graduating class received their diplomas in May 1917, in the building which is now the grade school.  The class consisted of sixteen people.
 
            High school continued to be held in the grade school building until 1919 when the board bought a three-room portable building for $1,620.00.  The year 1919 also saw another election at which time the present high school site was selected.  The English brothers of Champaign, Illinois built the present building which was completed in December of 1920.  The total cost of the structure was $130,236.60.
 
            January 3, 1921 saw the first class held in the new building and in May 1921, nineteen pupils received their diplomas and thus became the first class to graduate from the new brick school house.
 
            Mr. Otto Weedman came here in 1916 and acted as superintendent until the fall of 1920 when Mr. J. H. Brill took over the reins.  He was succeeded in 1924 by Mr. George B. McClellan who held the position for three years.  Mr. H. E. Slusser came to Bement in 1927 and was superintendent of schools for nineteen years.  The present school head, Mr. S. E. Alkire, came here in 1946 and is just completing his second year.
 
            When speaking of long periods of school service, mention should be made of Mr. O. E. Wright who was a member of the original board and served until 1946 — a period of thirty-one years.  The late Bryon Dyarman served on the board for twenty-nine years.  Ralph R. Siders has been secretary of the Board of Education since 1919.
 
            With the organization of the new school district which will come into effect July 1, 1948, the class of ’48 will not only terminate our high school days when we get our sheepskins but we will also be writing the final sentences in the history of Bement Township High School.
 
(Excerpt from 1949 BIM yearbook) 
 
            The Annual, formerly known as BETOHI, now has a new name.  Because of school district  reorganization, our high school took the title of Bement Community Unit No. 5 High School.  BETOHI (Bement Township High School) was no longer appropriate.  The staff sent a plea to the students urging them to give suggestions for a new name.  George Cavanaugh, an Ivesdale sophomore, submitted BIMCOHI.  From this, the name B I M (Bement, Ivesdale, Milmine) was derived.