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

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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.

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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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