The Spartan Shield has been a staple at Pleasant Valley High School for decades, but its start had been lost in time–until now.
All great things must start from the ground up, and the obstacles endured at its creation are often overlooked by the current generations. The story of Pleasant Valley High School’s current news publication only recently resurfaced when Larry Schroeder, class of ‘63, reached out.
The Spartan Shield is a name that PV students recognize, since its original name, High Line, was abandoned in 1963. The class of ‘61 started the high school’s first ever school newspaper with Judy Fricke as editor-in-chief and Sharon Leininger to follow. Schroeder saw the High Line as an opportunity to better himself as a writer and an outlet to express himself. He became the editor-in-chief his senior year.
Schroeder’s story is one of humble pride. His accomplishments on the High Line, however, only begin to scratch the surface of the mark he made on PVHS. His art skills not only landed Schroeder the task of designing and hand-tracing the logo for the newspaper, but also the honor of writing the lyrics to the PVHS fight song which students still proudly recite.
Schroeder remembers struggling with grammar in his English classes but was determined to be the best writer he could. Journalism was his way to practice and better himself while expressing his point of view and insight.
Along with being an active member of the school’s publishing staff and designing the High Line logo, Schroeder also participated in student council, theatre, debate, science club, basketball, band, and dabbled with poetry in his free time.
Schroeder said, “If you take a look at the copies of the High Line, you will find many names recurring.” Since the school was much smaller than its current size, “students were encouraged to participate in everything.”
There may have only been 160 students in six classes in 1963, but these students left a lasting impact on the 1402 current PVHS students that most don’t realize. Schroder is the third editor-in-chief of Pleasant Valley’s newspaper and the namesake of the Spartan Shield.
He carried a sense of pride in the Spartans and decided that the school’s publication should be representative of this. When he took over the High Line, he met with Fulton Printers–the local business that printed the monthly publication–to discuss renaming ideas and landed on the “Spartan Shield.”
After graduating from Pleasant Valley and leaving the city of Bettendorf, Schroeder spent 40 years working for the University of Iowa in science and mathematics before retiring in 2010. His story not only showcases hard work and talent but also persistence. “Learning is a lifelong process–setbacks occur–but overcoming them can be very satisfying,” Schroeder said.
Schroeder said it wasn’t until several of his classmates passed away before he realized that Pleasant Valley High School may not have preserved many of its first memories. He contacted the Spartan Shield’s current adviser, Maureen Dyer, to find out how to gift his original copies of the High Line to the school’s historical archives.
When students walk the halls of Pleasant Valley High School, they unknowingly see Larry Schoeder’s legacy plastered everywhere.
People often have a fear of being forgotten, but whether Schoeder’s name is remembered or not, an imprint of his high school years will forever be embedded in the walls of Pleasant Valley High.
