Northampton Area High School - Amptennian Yearbook (Northampton, PA)

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As our town grew, so did the work of the school hoard. The four room addition to the Central Buildini; was conn)lcled in OctoJicr, 1902, at a cost of $6,555. Incidentally, the foundation of the first half of the huilding was made from stones taken from an old barn. Our present high school was completed May 1. 19in. at a cost of SyO.OOU. As early as 1911 our liigli school reached first class recog- nition. Bv 1918. music supervision, medical inspection, manual training, and domestic science were inaugurated. The new junior high school was completed in 1927. This huilding cost $275,000 and housed the new gymnasium. Looking hack upon those first School Board meetings, it seems that we have accomplished much in our fiftv years of progress. We owe many thanks to those loyal citizens who served as school directors and manv thanks to our present Board memliers who find that running the schools these days is ])ig business. We know our present directors will help us to grow as N. H. S. changes it name to N. A. J. H. S. Standing: Russel Becker, Paul Bacbniaii, Howard G. Spanitz. Sealed: Ralph E. Bartholomew, Treasurer; President; Claude E. Troxell, First Vice-President; We are pleased to report that the North- ampton Area Joint School Board is operating very successfully. This is an important for- ward step in public education in this area. All projects planned last year have been completed. Among these are the installation of new seats and other improvements in the auditorium, renovations in the gymnasium, the roofing of the Franklin Building, the paving of the W olf and Washington play- grounds, and extensive improvements in the Wolf Building auditorium. The Board is now considering the renovat- ing and refurnishing of the dining room as a major project for next year. Attention will Raubenold, Ray S. Santee, Stanley Easterday, John R. Paul S. Deck, Second Vice-President; Russell S. Moyer, Charles H. Newhard, Secretary. also be given to the refurnishing of Senior High School classrooms and the improvement of lighting facilities in these rooms. As a long term project the Board is looking forward to the time when a long cherished dream will come true — when Northampton will have a suitable stadium where outdoor events of the school and connnunity may be held. The Board hopes that all citizens will assist by suggesting ways and means so that plans for its realization may soon get under way. RUSSEL S. MOYER President Page 9

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MRE t: DIEFEIMDERf ER nR.CW. HALLER m PW. TROXELL HR. H.T BILHEIhER nR. R F OEIBERT Lawmakers . . . Past and Present On April 28, 1902, six educators met and formed the first School Board in the Borough of Alliance. These men were Mr. P. W. Trox- ell, president; Mr. H. T. Bilheimer, secretary; Mr. E. T. Diefenderfer, treasurer; Mr. R. F. Deibert, Mr. C. W. Haller, and Mr. William Reinert. Thus began the history of the North- ampton School Board. In the light of present day costs, it is al- most impossible to believe the items recorded in those first board minutes. With the per- mission of our administrators, we take you back for a peep at the good old days. Here are excerpts from the first Board ' s records. June 2, 1902. It was voted that the teach- ers ' salaries should be fifty-five dollars per month for the intermediate grade; fifty dol- lars for grammar school; thirty-eight for sec- ondary; and thirty-six for primary. June 3, 1902. A special meeting was called to set the tax rate at three mills school tax and two mills building tax. It was also decided to change geography l)ooks but to retain the old readers. June 25, 1902. A motion was made and car- ried to equip the Alliance School (now Cen- tral Building) with 112 new students ' desks and new teachers ' desks at a total cost of $431.90. July 2, 1902. A motion was made to allow children from Allen Township to attend Bor- ough Schools at eighty cents each per month. At this time the principal ' s salary was set at $70 per month. Yes indeed, times have changed! Other mo- tions which caught our attention were: that thirteen diplomas be purchased at a cost not to exceed $10; that the janitor purchase a lawn mower not to exceed $5; that all schools be fumigated and all books in homes infected with smallpox be burned by health officers; that the Central Building children clean their shoes before entering the building. Page 8

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Good Leaders . . . MR. WILLIAM LANDIS 1908-1922 MR. CLYDE FRANKENFIELD 1922-1930 N O w Northampton High School was fortunate in having two excellent superintendents in its formative years. Mr. William Landis and Mr. Clyde Frankenfield proved their merit in laying a firm foundation for future school achievements. In 1908 Mr. Landis was appointed the first Superintendent of Schools for the Borough of Alliance. He was responsihle for estahlishing our hasic school policy, for initiating the 8-4 school plan, and for guiding the building of most of our Northampton Schools. Mr. Lan- dis resigned in July of 1922 to the deep regret of the townspeople. He left N. H. S. to be- come Teacher Training Supervisor at Kutz- town State Teachers ' College, after which he served as Superintendent of Whitehall Schools until his retirement. Mr. Frankenfield, who held the position of principal since 1913, was elected by unani- mous vote to fill the vacancy of school super- intendent. He brought with him many fine innovations, among them the 6-3-3 school plan. His was the important task of super- vising the building of the new Junior High School. Although serving as Supervising Prin- cipal of Catasauqua Schools since 1930, Mr. Frankenfield has continued to show sincere interest in N. H. S. We, of the present graduating class, feel deeply indebted to these two outstanding school leaders for building strong and well the foundations of N. H. S. GEORGE A. EICHLER A.B., M.A., Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools Since 1930 Dr. George A. Eichler has held the reins of the Northampton Schools with firm but gentle hands. Proof of his good guidance can be found in the many new strides in edu- cation that have been made during his administration, the latest of these being the school jointure. Always a staunch supporter of com- munity activities, Dr. Eichler has been driving steadily towards a great objective — firmly tying the commu- nity and school together. We could not ask for better, stead- ier hands on the reins of N. A. J. H. S. Page 10