Elmira Free Academy - Torch / Sagoyawatha Yearbook (Elmira, NY)

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,aaw:':-1s':w- - - sw-1,v,,, Y ,D-, - , by vote of the people of Elmira and with the approval of the Regents of the University of the State of New York, became the Elmira Free Academy. Although the trustees of the old academy had purchased prop- erty on the present site at Clinton and Lake Streets and this property was taken over by the new trustees. it was not until the close of 1861 that the first Elmira Free Academy building was formally accepted by the Board of Education. The first location of the new Free Academy was in the factory of J. M. Robinson at the southeast corner of Church and William Streets. Since the spring of 1862 however, the Elmira Free Academy has been located on its present site. This first structure was a three story brick building facing Clinton Street. The room used for study purposes was known in those days as the chapel and could accomodate between 150 and 200 pupils. Sliding doors divided this room in two, one side being given over to the boys and the other to the girls. The seats were so arranged that when the sliding doors were opened, the boys and l JAMES R. MONKS girls faced each other. HERBERT M. LOVELL Growth in student population necessitated increased accomoda- tions. ln 1891, the academy building was torn down to make room for a new structure. During that year, school was held in the old Number Six building on Lake Street just south of the D. L. 81 W. tracks. The new building occupied a much larger area than the first but was only two stories high instead of three. Consequently, the new building was not much larger than the old one and in a few years the school had again outgrown the building. ln 1913, the third structure on this site was built. That is the academy which we are using today. During 1939, extensive additions were built to the wings of the building and the Annex to the north was constructed. When the Elmira Free Academy opened its doors in 1859, it had but two teachers, Mr. Moses Sumner Converse the principal and Miss Helen M. Phillips the preceptress. Both teachers had been connected with the old academy while it was a private tuition paying school. Principal Converse retired at the end of the first year. He was suc- ceeded by Professor Isaac Mortimer Wellington of Fryeburg. Maine who was principal from 1860 to 1865. It was during his administra- tion that the first Free Academy building was built and the first class graduated in 1862. The members of this first graduating class were James li. Monks who later became the principal of the Academy and Miss J. Amelia Munson who also became a member of the faculty. So popular had Principal Wellington been that the new prin- cipal. Mr. G. W. Timlow, was resented and after a few months re- signed to make way for Principal Joel Dorman Steele. Mr. Steele was principal from 1866 to 1872. He ruled the school at first with an iron hand, gradually relaxing the policy of extreme severity. lt was under his administration that the first and second honor rolls were first established. the students on these lists being known as the first head scholars and the second head scholars. Mr. Steele was famous throughout the United States for the text books which he wrote. They were known as fourteen weeks courses in Chemistry, Physics, Geology, and other sciences. He also wrote a text book in United history. Because of his growing fame as an author, relinquished his duties in January 1872 and was CIIARLI-IS N. EVANS

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'H 71... .exam 41... ,4caklem.,G - Une hundred years ago. on March thirty'-first. eighteen hundred forty. the Elmira Academy-' was incorporated as a recognized educa- tional institution by the Regents of the l'niversity' of the State of New York. In addition to celebrating the centennial anniversary of its beginnings. we have this year seen not only' a big growth in the school population but an extensive broadening of the educational facilities that are being offered to the boys and girls of Elmira today. It is htting that at a time like this. we review the past and do honor to the men and women who have made our present achievements possible. Secondary' education by which. in its broadest sense. we mean the education of boys and girls between the elementary and the college levels. had its beginnings more than three hundred years ago when our Puritan forefathers founded the Boston l.atin Grammar School in l635. Despite the fact that the general principle of univer- 'myggg 5, 4jqyNyl.jRgl.j sal education was early recognized as essential for the perpetuation of democratic institutions. it was many' years before this idea was actually' put into effectual practice. The Latin schools of colonial days were intended only for the few who possessed the leisure. the D, wealth. and the intellectual ability' to profit from the curriculum offered. With the growth of the colonies in commerce. industry' and social and political institutions. the demand for a more extensive type of education became evident. Young men and women asked for an education more closely related to the everyday problems which they were called upon to meet. ln l75l. Benjamin Franklin in Philadel- phia gave impetus to this new trend and to the revolt against the older traditional type of education by establishing the academy' in which English. geography. arithmetic and other 'fpractical sub- jects became the core of the curriculum. Between l780 and 1850. hundreds of academies were established throughout New England and the Atlantic states. In New York State. more than three hundred academies were opened during this period. It will be seen. then. from this brief summary' that the Elmira academy was established rela- ISAAC M. WEI.I.ING'l'0N tively late among the academies in New York States. y Q In the year 1830, when the First Presbyterian Church at the corner of Church and Baldwin Streets decided to erect a new edifice. the old building was moved to the east side of Baldwin just south of the present Methodist Episcopal Church. lt became the first home of the Elmira Academy. During the next few years instruction was given first in this building and later in the basement of the Congre- gational Church that stood on the location of the present Park Church. This school was a private school attended by pupils whose parents could afford to pay' the necessary' tuition. Many of the early leaders of Elmira received their secondary' education there. The establishment of this private academy' came at a time when the demand for universal and for secondary' education was growing in strength. Its history as a private institution therefore. is relatively . high schools in the Union Free School Bill in 1853. So it was that on y shortlived. In 1840. the people of New York State voted for free N popular education and legalized the formation of tax supported ppm,-ESSOR S'I'I,:l,:lAl,: May 24. 1859 the Elmira Academy ceased to be a private school and at 5 ., ,F rf . 1 Y- -sassy ' '

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.1-.-.--.1-wgqrm 5-Taxa Q succeeded by Principal James R. Monks. It was during his adminis- l tration that the course of study was changed from a three to a four year course for all students. Previous to that time, the college pre- paratory course had been four years and the general course three years in length. Principal Monks was succeeded by Herbert M. Lovell who ad- ministered the school from 1887 to 1895. It was during his adminis- tration that the second structure on the school site was built. During his time the Regents standard for graduation was adopted, football was introduced as an extracurricular activity, and only college graduates were permitted to teach in the academy. From 1895 to 1900, Mr. Charles VV. Evans was principal. It was under his leader- ship, that the school paper, the Vindex, was launched. During his , regime the school population more than doubled and the school l was registered by the Regents as a high school U8981. Mr. Howard HOWARD CONANT Conant, who was principal from 1900 to 1906, did mtlch to develop school Splfll and to unify the student body around the growing traditions of the school. A symhol of this unity was indicated when in 1903. the Alma Mater was com- posed by Miss Florence Volbrecht flater Mrs. Frank J. Allen of Sharon, Pennsylvaniai. Mr. Francis F. Parker became principal in 1906 and for thirty years guided the destinies of the school. During his administration the present building was built and the greatest increase in student population occurred. The change in the character of the student body from a selective to an all-inclusive group called for an expanded curriculum. During the past year, Industrial and Vocational Arts courses have been opened, the building facilities expanded and the faculty enlarged. On April first, nineteen hun- dred forty, the one hundredth anniversary of the Incorporation of the Academy was appropriately celebrated in the newly decorated auditorium. The program at this event was as follows: MR. THOMAS S. CRAIG President of the Board of Education, presiding March Carnavalesque ....... F riml ELMIRA HIGH SCHOOLS ORCHESTRA ' ' I I I MR. GEORGE J. ABBOTT, Director of Music, conducting Opening Exercises O Beautiful for Spacious Skies The Lord's Prayer One Hundred Years of Educational Opportunity DR. ALBERT 8. Hr:LMR,,xMP, Principal, E. F. A. Recollections MR. FRANCIS R. PARRI-LR, Principal, E. F. A. 1906-136 Koosheeo fCradle Song! ...... Ferris E. F. A. GIRLS GLEE CLUB MR. W. FREDERICK SCHAAII, Directing Greetings MR. EVERTS H. HOWELL I President, E. F. A. Parent-Teachers Association Future Plans FRANCIS R. PARKER MR. OSCAR F. KERLIN, Superintendent of Schools America Acknowledgement und thanks are hcrehy given for much information contained in this brief review, to the splendid historical article written hy Miss M. Louise Godfrey for the Yearbook of 1909.