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Page 13 text:
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BRIEF HISTORY OF BURLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL One hundred and five years ago, a building seventy feet in length and forty feet in width, situated upon an one-half acre lot sold to the Village School Dis- tricti' of Burlington for the consideration of two hundred and ten dollars, was completed at a cost of less than one-thirtieth of that of the present high school building. This building, known as the Burlington Academy, was situated on the site of the present Grammar School of this city and in it the pupils of all ages, divided into three departments, were instructed. The first term of the Academy was opened September 3, 1816. This was the beginning of the present high school. In a notice of the day the building was described as a credit to the donors and an ornament to the town.', At that time, the population of the village was nearing two thousand. The Academy was in the charge of three teachers during the first year. The citizens defrayed most of the expenses of the school by a tax on the Grand List of the two districts of which the school system was comprised. A small tuition was charged to the students. Among the names of the principals of the old Academy is that of Williaiii Arthur, the father of the Vermont president, Chester A. Arthur. The Academy prospered and after thirteen years the little brick schoolhouse was found to be too small to accommodate all the children of school age, who numbered 674. Consequently, the Prudential Committee was authorized to use the school building as a high school for young men and boys, foreverf, The school system was divided into six districts, each to have a schoolhouse for the primary and intermediate pupils. Thus the Burlington High School came into being. Eleven years later, in 1850, the population of Burlington had increased to nearly eight thousand and the Burlington Union High School was established. The citizens had realized the benefit which their sons were receiving from the high school and determined to open its doors, also to their daughters. Joel T. Benedict was the first principal of the Union High School. Rules were adopted by the newly formed Union district for the management of the school, making the term 46 weeks and, nine years the youngest limit in age, all to be able to read and write as requisites for admission. Page nine
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Page 14 text:
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Since, under the new system, each district separately maintained a Primary and Middle School, the instruction in the High School was confined to the higher mathematics, natural science, history, moral and intellectual philosophy and, in the classical department, Latin and Greek. The tuition now was free to all resi- dents of the district. Compositions were required every two weeks and declama- tions every month. A glee club was formed by the boys at this time and later in june, 1853, the f'Excelsior Club, an excellent society, was organized. Its object was to accustom its members, some thirty or forty of the older boys, to Hthe exercise of thinking and debating on their feet. The next reorganization of the school system occurred when, in 1868, the School Districts were abolished and the schools, including the High School, passed under the control of a Board of School Commissioners. The first superintendent under this system was the late Professor I. E. Goodrich. At this time' the name of the school was changed back to HB. H. S. In 1869 the branches taught were divided into two courses, Classical and English. Under the new system the school developed and grew rapidly. Its progress was in leaps and bounds. In 1871, the old Academy having been taken down, the present Grammar School building, which still bears the name High School in letters carved on a stone slab high up, under the belfry of the eighty-foot tower, was erected and furnished. The enrollment in 1874 was 96 pupils, in 1888, 1575 in 1889, 180, and in 1898, after Mr. Landon had been principal for nearly sixteen successive years, 321. The graduates in 1898 numbered 62, whereas in 1882, when Mr. Landon took charge, there were 20. Now they number around 100. The report of the superintendent for the year 1877 contained a mild ex- pression, the first, of the need of a new high school building. The name of HB. H. S. was again dropped in 1900 upon the completion of the present build- ing, which was given the name Edmunds High School. We owe very much to the generosity of the late Senator George E. Edmunds who donated the land from a part of the Edmunds homestead for the site of the new building. We now have the building pictured on the preceding page. It is a grand, spacious building of wonderful architectural beauty in which seven distinct courses of study, under the supervision of thirty excellent teachers, are pursued by about 600 growing boys and girls. Page ten
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