Fairport High School - Hourglass Yearbook (Fairport, NY)

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10 THE HOUR GLASS attending school and the remaining one-third was levied on real estate. So you see in those years a school tax was not a serious matter. Several years later Mrs. L. M. Shaw came to Fairport to attend a Monroe County teachers' institute, which was the first event to be held in Sh.aW's hall. She was engaged by the district as a. teacher and with three assistants comprised the faculty of fifty-six years ago. Undoubtedly there are some at the present time who were members of her class in 'the large upper room in Hicks house, where she taught 117 pupils. The rapid growth of the village after its reincorporation in 1866 and in general, advance i11 educational facilities at other points made the want of better facilities felt here. l'hus the old district school had served' its purpose and the Fairport Union School was organized in 1870, with a faculty consisting of Prof. Fowler and three assistants. Four years later a charter was obtained from the hoard of Regents granting the academic department all the right. and privileges of a high school. lt was soon found, however, that the old building was inadequate to fill the new requirements, so a site was purchased on VVest Church Street at a cost of two thousand dollars and' the present building erected at a cost of twenty thousand dollars. Later in 1888 four additional rooms were added. In 1886 the growth on the other side of the village necessitated the erection of a brick building on East Avenue at the cost of eight thousand dollars. The continued growth of the schools necessitated the use of other build'- ings to care for the ever increasing enrollment. An annex was 'built to the rear of the south side building, the south side building was remodeled and enlarged. The Schummers house was purchased and converted into a school building. This past year the old high school building has been remodeled into grade school and the new building has been completed. A span of ninety-eight years has elapsed since the erection of the little stone school house. VVould' we care to give our splendid new building for the little school house of the past? lVe have had a vision of a biigigfer and better village, and we are proud of the fact that we have endeavored to look up-on our school matters with the same generosity and good judgment as our forefathers did during intervening years. CAn acknowledgement to Mr. Yale Parcel 171 29' , Y

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THE HOUR GLASS 9 THE SCHOOL HISTORY IN BRIEF VVhat would our forefathers have thought 98 years ago if they could have visualized our modern buildfing when they organized the first school and laid! this vicinity out as District No. 9, Town of Perinton? Just a few years previous there stood' on the site of the village but seven log houses, one block and one frame builidinig. At that time Egypt was a thrivinig village located on the main route of travel, but the opening of the Erie Canal in 1822 diverted the trade and population from Egypt. to Fairport, and rapid growth was made in this vicinity. Thus, in 1826, our early townsmen purchased a site on East Church street and erected a small stone school building on what was later known as the Hicks property, now owned by VVillialm Rightmfire. Several years later a frame building was erected ad- joining this plot which a number of older residents will still remember. Unfortunately, there are no record-s in the possession of our school previous to 1855, but we know the district continued- to grow as this point became the buying and selling center of a large bodly of producers. In that year Trustees James VanBuren, J. T. Brown, and' Wlilliam Storms had a 'building program on their hands for eight hundred and twenty-two dollars was spent on what is known as the Hicks house and' forty-two new desks and two stoves were purchased.. The budlgnet for the maintenance of the school that year was six hundred and twenty-seven dollars, of which sum one-third was furnished by public money and tuition, one-third by the rate bill whereby each pupil was assessed a certain sum for the privilege of

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THE FACULTY