Hamilton High School - Hamiltonian Yearbook (South Hamilton, MA)

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(Srabmtttmt iaxerriscs of tl]P amiltim i l] cl|nnl HJune 21, 1934 ! iliaxhiell Norman JlHemorial I j i u itovium f I

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14 The Hamiltonian meantime the Hamlet had separated from its mother town and become incorporated as the town of Hamilton 1793, and of course assumed the responsibility of its schools. As the years passed, Hamilton grew in population and this was the cause of radical changes beginning in the last decade of the nineteenth century. On April 8th, 1890, Hamilton voted to appropriate $1800 for the purpose of build- ing a schoolhouse in the vicinity of the “Wenham and Hamilton Station.” Pre- vious to this, the children in that district had been attending grammar school in 3Venham and their tuition was enough to warrant the cost of building a schoolhouse in South Hamilton. d ' he first schoolhouse was a one story building situated on Railroad Avenue. It was filled to capacity within three years. Immediately there was talk of enlarging the building where it stood, of adding a second story, or of building a new school which would include a high school. The people argued that the town might as well provide a high school for its students as pay tuition to send them to other towns, Salem, Beverh’ or Ipswich, as it was then obliged to do. Nothing had been done about a high school by 1896 so the school committee voted that the pupils should go to Beverly unless they presented sufficient reasons for going elsewhere. At this time the committee realized the necessity of having graded schools, especially since graduates of the ninth grade found it difficult to enter Bev- erlv High School. Two years later, 1898, a new grammar schoolhouse w as dedicated. his building was larger than the first in order to ac- commodate the increasing attendance. The high school question remained un- solved until the town meeting in March 1906 when it was voted to establish a high school. P ' our rooms were added to the South School during the ensuing year for that purpose. June 1911 marked the first graduating class of Hamilton High School which consisted of two girls, Florence Schaller and Pearl McCilauflin. Fhat summer an annex was built to ac- commodate the classes inconvenienced by the high school. During these tears, the attendance at the district schools had become irregular, there- fore they were kept intermittently until finally in 1924 the last was closed. It was voted the next year to sell these buildings. Having done away with the district schools, the town was obliged to provide transportation to the two remaining schools — one in South Hamilton which included the High School, and a very fine, two room, up-to-date stucco building in East Hamil- ton which was erected in 1921. Phis school- house has since been dedicated to Adelade Dodge Walsh who did much for education in Hamilton during her years of service on the school committee. From the very beginning of agitation the town has always desired to have a separate high school building. For many years, due to lack of funds, this was impossible. After long controversies and much agitation on the part of the townspeople, it vv-as voted M arch 1931 to build a separate high school upon the Dorothy Winthrop lot which had already been given to the town for school purposes by Fredrick Winthrop as a memo- rial to his wife. It was also voted to use the M axwell Norman Fund (a gift to the town of $10,000) for the purpose of adding the auditorium. Thus have the ideals of Hamilton citi- zens been realized and Hamilton High School inherits the rich legact’ of three cen- turies of growth and development in edu- cation. And we, who go forth from here to- night, will carry with us the benefits which love, devotion, and sacrifice have passed on to us. We will try to carry on our prede- cessors ideals and give to future graduates proportionally the same advantages which have been open to us. — Edna Sprague.

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yrnqram Processional: Priest’s March - Mendelssohn Invocation Rev. Elmer Eddy The Lord’s Prayer — Forsyth, Kraft Chorus History of Education in Hamilton Edna A. Sprague Salutatorian The Bells of St. Mary’s - Adams Chorus Horace Mann’s Influence on Education in Mass. M. Rita Walsh Presentation of Class Gift Edward G. Laski Class President Class Propheq,’ L. Edna Preston Recessional: -- DeKoven Girls’ Chorus Development of Education in Mass. Dorothy M. Greeley Valedictorian Sylvia - Speaks Perfect Day - Bond Boys’ Quartet Presentation of Diplomas James H. Conway Chairman School Committee Benediction Rev. Elmer Eddy Recessional: Priest ' s March - Mendelssohn