Berkeley Springs High School - Arrowhead Yearbook (Berkeley Springs, WV)

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PACE TEN ■

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i.-COCOl OUR SCHOOL BATH DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL

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OOWOOOWOO'WOWtfOXWWWXn HISTORY Ol- BATH DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL I A new four-room building, known ns tin Mt. Wesley Academy for forty years, was occupied in the fall of 187$, with C. A. Waynant as principal. About ten years later the course of study was enlarged and the first class was graduated in ,1800. under the direction of ( J. C. Bennett, principal. At this time and for another ten years the school was probably doing about; two years of high school work. However, the absence of a graduating class in 1800 would seem to indicate the addition of a year’s work at that time. In 1892 an addition of two rooms was made to the main building. In 1900 under the jn-incipal.ship of Prof. ,1. X. Fries, who is still teaching in the high school. Mt. Wesley Academy was made a three year high school. In 1912 while II. Gain was head of the school another year’s work was added, and thus a regular four-year high school was created for the first time. In 1910 the high school was made first class by state classification. The next year i was reduced to second class, hut was restored to first class a jyear later. During all this time both elementary and high schools were housed in the one building, and a very crowded condition existed. Consequently a movement was set on foot for a new building. By dint of hard campaign- ing a bond issue for the small sum of 20.000 was secured in 1910, a similar sitter.pt having failed in 1912. While the. new building was in course of const ruction the high school was conducted for one year in the opera house. In the fall of 191X the school was held for a few weeks in the old building, but later in the fall; the new building was occupied under the name of Bath District High School. The name of Mt. Wesley Academy was then changed to Mt. Wesley Graded Schools. However, it was not until the spring of 1921 that the Bath District High School building was completed, at a total cost of alKUit $20,000. A fairly accurate record of the graduates of Mr. Wesley Academy since 1X90 has been completed. This list added to that of Bath District High School totals 20.2 names. These graduates of the local high school, one of tin» oldest in the state, are to be found in many localities of West Virginia and the I’nited States, and thus the influence of the school has been considerable. Ar present Bath District High School has an enrollment of 141 students. The high school to a considerabit extent serves four other districts besides Bath