FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  May 16, 2007
CONTACT: Matthew T. Reitzel, (605) 773-3615, Matthew.Reitzel@state.sd.us

State Historical Society conducts school census

PIERRE, S.D. – The results are in for a school census the South Dakota State Historical Society at the Cultural Heritage Center conducted the past school year for fourth grade students.

This year, 542 fourth graders in 26 schools took the census. About 170 more fourth graders completed the census this year then last. Teachers volunteered to have their students take the census.

“The South Dakota State Historical Society is very grateful to those fourth grade teachers who used their time to give the census to their students,” said Matthew T. Reitzel, State Historical Society manuscript archivist and creator of the school census project. “Several of the teachers used the census results in their own classrooms. Hopefully, as time goes by, we will have more fourth graders taking the census.”

The census asked 20 questions of the students. Some of the questions included:  Have you been to Mt. Rushmore? What is your favorite food? What do you want to be when you grow up? Are you left or right handed? and What is your favorite subject in school? 

The census offered fourth grade students the chance to learn the value and purpose of census data, Reitzel said. 

“Censuses are vital historical tools for researchers and genealogists,” he said. “The fourth graders learned how to collect census data and see how that data is compiled.” 

Among the data collected:  

n      the average school room held 20.1 fourth graders,

n      30 percent of the students listed math as their favorite subject,

n      31 percent noted blue as their favorite color,

n      35 percent listed pizza as their favorite food, and

n      21 percent picked the number 5 when having to choose numbers 1 through 10.

Coincidentally, math, the color blue, pizza, and the number 5 were the top choices among fourth graders last year, Reitzel noted.

Travel wise, 67 percent of the fourth graders had been to Mt. Rushmore, 55 percent to the Corn Palace and 60 percent to the Missouri River.

Out of those who took the census, 79 percent were born in South Dakota. The highest percentages of those born out of state were from Minnesota (13 percent) and Nebraska (12 percent).

In all, 25 percent of the students lived within four blocks of their school while 30 percent lived farther than five miles. Only 10 percent of the students were left-handed. Brown-haired students numbered 49 percent, while 36 percent were blond. Of those asked, 54 percent played a musical instrument – 38 percent a recorder, 32 percent the piano, 14 percent the guitar, and 8 percent the violin. 

In addition, 81 percent of students owned a pet; 63 percent had a dog while 27 percent had a cat. Related to pet ownership, 10 percent of the students wanted to be a veterinarian when they grew up – the highest rated profession, in front of teacher (9 percent) and football player (also 9 percent). Veterinarian was also the highest profession of choice last year, Reitzel said.

While not a scientific poll, this census offers some insight into fourth grade students throughout South Dakota. 

“The most interesting part of the census was to see the things that changed and what stayed consistent this year compared to last,” Reitzel said.