Needham High School - Advocate Yearbook (Needham, MA)

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.yr-4, , Q.. i f i i' Y Needham High School from 1923 to 1930. The whole town contributed to the construction of Memorial Field and attended the ceremonial Hag raising in 1921, a few years prior to building the high school on the hill. Kbelow and lefty v S I rw .1 4 L 1 A-i?lXY, i,rP 5' ',,.'u 'f,'1p- J M 9' 2314--un.ui..e-A an ,, Vw Kr, -EEUU: v 7 ,K ff' amps zJvM5W ?: 'Fm , ., -1- ng.,-xg., .. - 1 . , F, :Mais-e.,,1: .J 5,529.,-,5,..,5.kfx,s.5, A mr . A . J' clash W4 .1 1, ,A 5? 1,. - IA.: ,Ul f .H ' V ' 1, 'J' ,M ' ' r g,Qg .2 v' -' , ' if fffffgx X' . ,-49 72 .55-was , Q ,f 1 3. .,: ' 'f 1, 'ff '-M 3' - ' Q, 7-. V u, . ' .x 'X . , A he, , N , 5,1 gn., ,,5-,M3,h.-'.1.,. ,-., - -gre:-+f' , 1,4 ,J ,.-.'T:,....c,,.+ , ,, , 4 ,, -- fs' ','..., f- .4 ,.,.-f-14-1 1 ' ,,'f., '3 Z,?v'v'r - .'? ,, ..v:,,,., .qv . u . , , ,F M .91 gi . f' -- +-1.2,-ff ,sfo-mfr.: 1 . ' - f. 8.1 -if- ' - - -sf A -, P- ' , , -1

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Emery Grover School, Needham High School from 1898 to 1922. The first high school building was the Centre Schoolhouse on the corner of Central Avenue and Nehoiden Street. The East High School of thirty-two pupils Caverage attendance twenty- eight! did not remain there very long but moved to Village Hall, sometimes known as Parker Hall, near the railroad tracks. According to a history of the school written by Lloyd Towle Bigelow in 1935, the pupils who sat near the windows felt themselves most fortunate, for the coming and going of the trains broke up the monotony of the school day. This location was also convenient for students who came by train from Dover. In its third year the East High School combined with Oakland Institute Cpreviously a private preparatory school for boysj and moved to the Oakland House on the corner of Oakland Avenue and May Street. This arrangement did not last, and after two terms the school moved back to the Village Hall under Mr. W. E. Skillings. After the school moved, the Oakland house became the Appleton Temporary Home for Inebriates. It was in this year, 1868, that Needham High School had its first graduate, Miss Caroline Gay. In 1871 the school moved to Keith's Building, formerly Mr. Fowler's store, with Mr. Putnam as teacher. This arrangement lasted less than a year.

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ws, 361. , an - 1 il! ,fQFgVB N' X' . g,.l5f r.:M4.f - ' .g5,fgj.g1.5 ' 2 Y A 1 The school then moved to the Kimball Building factually still Parker Hall. It burned in 1884 and was rebuilt as the Kimball School, since classes had been held in it for over ten yearsb with Mr. C. S. Hamilton as teacher. The many changes of location and teacher were unsettling, but despite these problems, in 1871 Needham High School had two more graduates, Miss Emma Hatch and Miss Annie Moseley, the first students to receive diplomas from the school. The school remained at the Kimball building until 1898. During the later 1880's the school committee presented a motion that Dover students be allowed to attend Needham High School for fifty cents a week. In 1896 the size of the school had increased so that a larger school building had to be considered. Mr. John Moseley gave the school a lot of land next to St. J oseph's Church for the site of the new high school. The school was built at a cost of 533,000 and completed in 1898. This school, later named the Emery Grover after Judge Emery Grover of the school committee, was the first school building built purposely for a high school. By 1920 the number of students exceeded two hundred. The school was becoming crowded, and when in 1922 the enrollment was three hundred and nineteen, necessitating double sessions, obviously a new building was needed. The town meeting voted in favor of a new school, and one was built on the next lot. This school had a gymnasium, which none of the previous schools had had, as well as a lunchroom. Again, however, the number of students increased, and this school, too, became overcrowded. Once more the town meeting voted in favor of a new school, and the present school was built on the hill above Memorial Park, which had been recently constructed by the townspeople. This school was completed in 1930. Because of increasing numbers an addition, which included a new gymnasium and cafeteria as well as classrooms, was built in 1952. Now in 1965, the school is again reaching capacity and another addition is planned.