Kensington High School - Compass Yearbook (Buffalo, NY)

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l The Wfistory of Qnsington 'High ,School T WAS in March, I93O, ThaT a group oT inTeresTed BuTTalonians broughT To The aTTenTion oT The Board oT EducaTion The urgenT necessiTy Tor a new high school in The KensingTon Avenue secTion. AcTing upon Their requesT, The PresidenT oT The Board presenTed The maTTer To The Common Council-and Thus seT in moTion plans Tor The new building. . ATTer The decision oT The Council To erecT anoTher high school, came The problem oT choosing a siTe. Discussion oT This quesTion began in December, l93O, and various siTes in The proposed localiTy were con- sidered. However, Trom The very beginning, The mosT saTisTacTory land seemed To be The Lang siTe on SuTlolk STreeT. IT was noT unTil SepTember, l932, ThaT The necessary legal TormaliTies had been compleTed and in The nexT monTh The CiTy CompTroller placed The 575.000 needed To purchase The siTe To The crediT oT The ConsolidaTed School Fund. 0 WiTh The purchase of The land compleTed, The Board of EducaTion began in July, I933, The imporTanT Task oT considering plans and speciTi- caTions Tor The new high school. ln The Tall OT The same year, The Council CommiTTee on Public Works reporTed ThaT an allocaTion oT SI,l98,000 Trom The 6overnmenT had been approved. A Councilmanic CommiTTce was Then appoinTed To aid in an immediaTe compleTion oT The plans. 9 On May 8, I934, deTailed plans Tor KensingTon High School, pre- pared by The Board oT EducaTion's Bureau oT ArchiTecTure, were approved. A loan agreemenT wiTh The Federal GovernmenT Tor The consTrucTion oT The school was arranged and conTracTors were inviTed To submiT bids. ln SepTember various conTracTs Tor consTrucTion, heaTing, lighTing, venTila- Tion, and so TorTh, were awarded. OcTober I5, l934, was The daTe seT Tor beginning work on KensingTon High School. AT a very simple cere- mony The cornersTone, bearing The daTe and The oTTicial seal of The ciTy, was placed and Trom Then on work progressed sTeadily. The nexT Two years were needed Tor compleTing The consTrucTion oT The building and insTalling The excellenT modern equipmenT which makes iT one oT The TinesT schools in The sTaTe. 0 Mr. Thomas J. McDonnell, who had been The assisTanT principal aT Grover Cleveland, was appoinTed as TirsT principal of The new high school. He began his duTies wiTh a sTaTT oT approximaTely ThirTy-six Teachers. ATTer The enrollmenT of The sTudenTs, The TaculTy appoinTmenTs were in- creased To sixTy-seven. On SepTember 9, l937, KensingTon .High School opened iTs doors Tor The enrollmenT oT iTs TirsT sTudenTs. ThaT The new school was a real necessiTy has been clearly shown. More Than 2.000 sTudenTs have been regisTered during iTs iniTial school year. 0 On May 23, I938, KensingTon had an Open House RecepTion Tor parenTs oT The sTudenTs and residenTs oT The communiTy. ivlr. McDonnell and TaculTy members received The guesTs, who were given every oppor- TuniTy To inspecT The building. 0 The Tormal dedicaTion oT The school was parT oT The TirsT commence- menT exercises on June 27, l938. Dr. RoberT T. BapsT made The dedi- caTory speech as parT oT his address To The graduaTes. The chairman and members oT The Board OT EducaTion parTicipaTed in The ceremony. page eleven

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E are TorTunaTe in having as our assisTanT prin- cipal, John N. Chassin, a rnan oT abiliTy, per- severance, and unclersTancling. Mr. Chassin, who was Tormerly principal oT The annex To SouTh Park l-ligh School, has gaineol during our brieT acquain- Tance wiTh him The aclrniraTion oT Teachers ancl sTuolenTs alilqe.

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in s lllllllllllll Top Row: R. Pearl, M. Lahilll. R. Harlman, M. Healy, R. Cullilon, H. Graf, E. Rofh, V. Walker, M. McGee, L. Sfriclcland, G. Schroeder, C. Valenle, E. Frank, A. Mcllhenney, A. Campbell Fourlh Row: H. Albing. R. Denney, J. Warren, J. Kelly. R. Kunz, N. Millard, L. Roseffie H. Rosenbaum, A. Rulslein, L. Haynes. W. Pinlcow. Third Row: W. Berqsfrom, E. Browniohn L. Smifh, W. Miller. R. O'Day. H. Gleason, M. Larrabee, J. Meegan, E. Thompson, T. Mounfain Second Row: J. Chassin. S. Kauffman, H. Goossen, B. O'H'e, E. Lamperl, D. Crislall, G. Roche D. Holchlciss, R. Weslerman, H. Tewlcsbury, J. Blair, A. Foss, L. Sanlleel, M. Heaps, N. Sfoesser L. Kauffman, A. Connors, T. McDonnell. Firsi Row: R. Rooney, M. Kennedy, M. Kammerer N. Larrison, l. Johnson, L. Belden, M. Curran, M. Creahan, A. Maloney, M. Scanlon, M. Sieudle G. Heacock, M. McCarlhy. A. Link. , K J A .QF QQ .RRRR my C5712 Cgfaculty .- 1 if page Twelve Thomas J. McDonnell, M.A., Principal John N. Chassin, M.A., Assislanl Principal Monica P. Lahilif, B.A., Aolminisrrarive Assislanr Grace J. Schroeder, Secrerary Rosalia M. Harrman, B.A., Librarian Elhel E. Arrnslrong, R.N.