Lansdowne High School - Lahian Yearbook (Lansdowne, PA)

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In September of 1894, with two hundred fourteen pupils, the doors of the schoolhouse opened as the borough school. During this year, the school outgrew it's present building which was not yet six years old. Early in the year the School Board commenced planning specifications for an addition. The new part would be eighty by twenty-four feet and would consist of four rooms, each with the capacity for seating forty pupils at single desks. Under the addition, a gymnasium was to be constructed. The first graduating class of 1895 consisted of three girls: Emily Hibberd, Kate Anna Beadle and Elsie Taylor Robertwon. At commencement excercises on June 27,1895, each gave a short address and received a set of books from the School Board. Through the efforts of the then Burgess of Lansdowne, J. T. Stewart, a playground had been established on a lot on Highland Avenue. Many people felt that the Lansdowne High School should be adjacent to an athletic field, so another section of the Highland Avenue property was closed off and a school built. On January 16,1929 the students at the old Highland Avenue building were instructed to gather up their belongings and walk to the new school. Four hundred fifty students arrived at a building which, in it's time, was considered one of the most modern and well-equipped in the county. Up until 1953, Lansdowne High School served students from Aldan, Springfield, East Lansdowne and Millbourne if they were willing to pay tuition. At that time there was a feeling in Aldan, because of the small number of students and the belief that a better education could be attained at Lansdowne, that Aldan should join Lansdowne and share the finance of the school, rather than pay individual tuitions. In 1959 another jointure was formed between East Lansdowne and the Lansdowne-Aldan joint school system. At this point, the school accepted seventh and eighth graders from both Aldan and East Lansdowne. In 1959 the A gym, music, home ec, junior high guidance office art and health rooms were added at the cost of $1,225,000. On July 1,1972 the Lansdowne-Aldan Joint School District, Darby Colwyn District and Yeadon School District were united to form the William Penn School District. In June of 1982, the doors of Lansdowne and Lansdowne-Aldan will close for the last time.

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