Milton Hershey School - Acropolis Yearbook (Hershey, PA)

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. 5 . l ttee E59 4 ' 5 iiY?55?+51 L l'Qff'f1ffi ette ' ' S ' I -, h ? 2 'b A Tru ute t to ' S 'I h - Ml ton S. Hers ey a n d I O f H IS WI e Catherine S. Hershey Dedicated September 13, 1970

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ur Heritage Sixty years of dramatic progress under- girds Milton Hershey School in its splendor today and provides the foundation for its claim to greatness in the years ahead. The School was born within hearts of love as Milton and Catherine Hershey signed the Deed of Trust on November 15, 1909, to begin the fulfillment of their dreams for boys whose families had been marred by tragedy. It was from humble beginnings of limited financial resources, Spartan faci- lities, a small student body, and a narrow program of service from which the School has grown to an institution of prominence. Second only to the spirit and wisdom of the founders are we indebted to the loyal and dedicated efforts of those who have accepted and lived by the philosophy of Milton Hershey School and have given themselves to the achievement of the ob- jectives that measure the true greatness of the School in our society. Mr. and Mrs. George Copenhaver were entrusted with the leadership of the school during the early stages of organization and development. A host of others serving in capacities of Board membership, administrative supervision, classroom instruction, student homelife, and the physical services, have contributed in concert to the immediate needs of the stu- dents enrolled during the years and, at the same time, to the steady growth and expansion of the entire School program and operation. Paralleling the increasing financial re- sources, came expanded facilities, extended programs and more students. From a class- room in The Homestead, another classroom in a renovated barn nearby, and still another at Harpers some miles away, more modern classrooms were built in Ivanhoe. Then came the Fannie B. Hershey Memorial Build- ing, dedicated in 1927 to the memory of Milton Hershey's mother, followed by the opening of the secondary school building on Patt's Hill in 1934. A rather simple cur- riculum for the boys in elementary school and the sending of boys in secondary school to the local public school now had given way to a more extensive and personalized edu- cational program for all students of Milton Hershey School through a large, well- qualified professional staff using spacious, well-equipped facilities. From one group of boys living at The Homestead, other groups came into being in other houses converted into suitable dwellings for large families of boys. It is worthy' of note that, from the beginning, the founders wanted their boys to live in family groups rather than in dormitory fashion common to that period of time. During the early twenties we see the first newly-built student homes for the Junior boys located near The Homestead. It was in 1929 that the farm home concept first began to take form, whereby the older boys would be given opportunities to develop a sense of responsibility through daily work assign- ments and to have a richer life through daily contact with nature in its finest setting. By 1959 there were 48 homes dotting more than 10,000 acres of School land. By now a student body of 10 boys in 1910 had grown to a group of nearly 1100 boys. In addition to 2500 alumni, over 2400 other boys had benefitted through enrollment in Milton Hershey School, even though, for a number of family reasons, they did not remain at the School until graduation. For our heritage we give thanks. It has provided the inspiration and challenge for, and indeed has demanded, the extensive efforts put forth in the decade just past in the study of and implementation of ways in which to keep the School abreast of the needs of the day, according to the expressed terms and within the implied spirit of the Deed of Trust which makes Milton Hershey School possible.