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

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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-

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pare to do something in the industrial world. The High S-chool should have Vocational and Home Economics courses in the curriculum so that on leaving such a school the boy or girl need not gaze into space and wonder what to do. I admit that schools of this character have not been attained in many cases, but in my mind, it is the ideal school. Our Commonwealth realized this and in 1913 laws were legislated for the provis- ion of Vocational Schools. As a result this and many other schools have been established at different points in the state which is a big step toward the ideal technical school. The Elders Ridge Vocational School was established in August, 1914, the pioneer school of its type in the state. It is about to close this year's work, graduating the fourth class in the history of the school. As the Alumnus of the Academy comes to visit the Old Home, many changes are perceptible in the way of new buildings and modern improvements. Perhaps the greatest changes are those in connection with the Dormitory. In order to take care of the Home Making course, more extensive apart- ments were deemed necessary. As a result of this the School Board voted to build a frame annex, thirty feet square and three stories high, to the Dormitory. This building was erect- ed by Contractor H. Porter Miller, in 1916. The foundation for the building, all the cement work and plumbing was done by the school boys as practicums under the supervision of J. W. Warner, Supervisor of Agriculture. A steam heating sys- tem was installed at that time for the entire building and it also has a modern water system. A blacksmith shop was built to the rear end of the Gym- nasium by the school boys. This has attracted much attention on account of the size and grade of workmanship. The Chem- istry and Agricultural laboratories have been provided for on the second floor and the wood working shop in the basement. A moveable stage has been built for the production of school entertainments and plays. The Academy is much the same in its bleak location with Ivy clad walls. The interior has been improved by the re- moval of the old paper and calcimining the walls a light tan. A number of framed pictures help to make the antique rooms restful and attractive.