Glens Falls High School - Red and Black Yearbook (Glens Falls, NY)

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Under the leadership of Sherman Williams, the people voted for a new building, which was built where the junior 1899 The First Home Science Class A course in domestic science or cooking, was not offered until 1909- 10 in the new building. Sewing was first confined to the sixth grade but was offered a year later to the older students in the high school. Seated: Leila Loucks, Bertha Clements, Gert- rude Whipple CMrs. Ward Russellj, Mabel DeLong flater Mrs. Fred Chapmanl. Standing: May Adams, Kate Kennedy, Miss Meserve, the teacher, Gertrude Ordway, Grace Safford, Belle Roberts QMrs. Stewart McFarlandJ. In 1855, the formation of Union Free School Districts was agitated in the legislature. In 1867, the people rebelled against rate paying and the schools of New York State became free. In 1881, four of the five Glens Falls School Districts united and formed our Union Free School District. High now stands. After an outcry on the part of many that tax money should not be spent on the frills and furbe- lows of education-since the study of algebra, chemistry, and other high school studies were useless, the funda- mental principle of education as training for citizenship prevailed, and the academic department or high school was organized in 1888. In 1891 the first class was graduated. The year 1897 completed one epoch in the educational history of Glens Falls. The last school building in use when the Union School District was organized had been adandoned. Schools had opened with thirteen teachers and four hundred pupils and at the end of a month had fourteen teachers and six hundred forty-nine pupils, three hundred of whom were withdrawn when the parochial school opened. In the beginning, aside from the Ridge Street school, there was not a desk, map, chart, globe or anything else that indicated any acquaintance with what had been done in the education world for the previous quarter of a cen- tury, and the schools had been merely tolerated by the people. In fifteen years, however, all new buildings had been provided and the schools equipped with furniture, reference books, and apparatus. In 1896, the district had three large brick buildings and school equipment, exclusive of sites, was worth 35100 000-. There were thirty-four teachers in the system of whom seventeen were college graduates. In 1897 a year wasiadded to the academic course making it a four-year course. QContinued page 7j. Sanfflrd Street School Glens Falls Junior High School OP'-med f0f iflstfuffmfl Opened for instruction January, 1916 September, 1924

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This building, which is now part of the Junior High School, was the first to be planned as a high school, and was built on the same site as the building which had been destroyed. Its exterior was praised for its simple Renaissance style. It was opened for instruction in 1906 and pro- vided a gymnasium, a full suite of rooms for the department of science, and rooms for the scientific teaching of cooking and manual training. w W 4 we a 35 Yi-5 . s -A si' . ., 9,51 x lr' 'f lg S' Q' A if lf! Vi' P' ff ,A 1 'J:?j,,uin 'i'f,v1 was--se ids-ty' - In 1795, the New York State Legislature appropriated 5,000 pounds to be distributed among those who would start schools. In 1812, school districts were formed so that no child would have to walk more than a mile to school, and by 1815, there were fifteen in the Town of Queensbury. Glens Falls had five one-and two-room schools. -Q ff 3' if ' T' '1 .9 . s Qin Rates of 12V2 pennies to 139 pennies for several children were charged against the parents, many of whom took the pauper's oath to avoid payment. Business was done by trading and many parents did not possess more than 31.50 in cash during a year. The trustees hired the teachers, bought the sup- plies, such as stoves, pencils, books, and paper. Wood to keep the fire going was part of the tuition. It was the duty of the teacher to collect the rates in order to be paid. In 1795, ten citizens of this commu- nity hired a teacher named Seba Bement to teach school for three months at three pounds a month. In 1841, the Glens Falls Academy, a private school, was founded by wealthy people who were tired of sending their children out of the state for an education, and of the haphazard local educational pro- visions. fContinued page 61 1891 The first graduating class of Glens Falls High School First row: Edith W. Goodman, Annie DeLong. Second row: Lena P. Wait, Margaret M. Howard, Gertrude Ferguson. Third row: B. Ferriss Greens- let, W. W. Leavens, Albert W. Harris, Charles M. Russell. Not pictured: Augusta Silver.

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By the end of fifteen years, the results of a special election showed that the public schools were firmly established in the hearts of the people. In 1899, the students began to outgrow the schools. The solution was to move the pri- mary grades out of the original Glen Street building and fill it with high school and eighth grade classes, and to lease a building on Union Street as an annex to the Glen Street Building. The Board of Education faced the problem of building a new school. December 9, 1902, fire destroyed the Glen Street building. For the next four years, stu- dents had to attend school in the Village Hall. By a vote of 3V3 to 1 the citizens decided to raise S100,000 which together with the in- surance provided a 3111000 high school. By 1906 the new high school was opened for instruction. It is now in use as part of the junior High School. An illustrious visitor to the high school in 1906 remarked, It has been my experience that the school building of a city will tell a great deal about the character of the place and I felt after I had been through your beautiful building that the city which could erect so admirable a high school must be a very desirable place of residence. Our new high school was built at a cost of 32,500,000, and this same thought was ex- pressed many times four years ago by other illustrious visitors who came to inspect the new high school. From the formation of the district seventy- five years ago until today, every phase of school work has improved. The school buildings in Glens Falls compare favorably with other cities, the textbooks and other teaching aids are up to dateg the courses of study are constantly being changed for the better. In 1881 there was not a Normal School or College graduate on the faculty-in fact there was only one teacher who had a license to teach for more than one year, and several for only three months. Present day certification by the state requires college gradu- ation for elementary schools and a Master's de- gree for junior and senior high schools for teachers' licenses. The main improvement, however, is in the sentiment toward good public education. It is a matter of common knowledge throughout the state that Glens Falls people want first-class schools for their children and are consistently ready to support them. More of the detailed history of the growth and progress of education in Glens Falls is told on the division pages of the Red and Black, and subject by subject, in the classroom section. Big Cross Street School Opened for instruction September, 1928 Broad Street School Olwfnfd for IUSUUCUOU jackson Heights School December- 1931 Opened for instruction September, 1957