Elders Ridge Vocational School - Elrivo Yearbook (Elders Ridge, PA)

Page 17 text:

HISTORY OF ELDERS RIDGE VOCATIONAL SCHOOL. In order to give a history of the Vocational School, it is necessary to date back to the early days of the Academy, the Vocational School having emerged from the Academy a few years ago. To those interested in the pioneer educational institutions of Western Pennsylvania, the history of this Academy is quite unusualg beginning in a log cabin, April 16th, 1847, which still stands Ha ragged beggar summing, in sight of the present school buildings. Dr. Alexander Donaldson who was ordained and installed-as pastor of the Elders Ridge Church, June 20th, 1839, lived for a few years in the residence now owned and oc- cupied by Mr. John Baker. During the few years that he lived at that place, he had the little log cabin built for his study. Soon a number of boys came to this rustic little building to recite to him privately. The number gradually increased through a period of eight years when the Academy was for- mally opened in 1847, using the pastor's log cabin study for a few months as a recitation room. Then a frame building was erected near the present site of Mr. D. A. Rosensteel's resi- dence, but in 1850 this gave way to the present Academic building which was built in that year and which had sufficient capacity to accommodate the increased number of students. The institution enjoyed a remarkable prosperity as is shown by the vast number of Alumni who have served well in their various professions both in this country and abroad. It was the type of school which met the needs of its day. Education should be determined by the needs of society and since society is always in a process of development, our method of teaching and subject matter should show marked changes. The modern secondary school should build its cur- riculum around the four following objectives: Leisure, Practi- cal Efficiency, Civics and Health. The training in the second- ary school should prepare one for a vocation, also to take his part in the social and aesthetic world and to build a strong body so that he may be able to make the application of his knowledge. In other words, the school should fit for life so that one need not go to higher institutions of learning to pre-