Wellsboro Area High School - Nessmuk Yearbook (Wellsboro, PA)

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THE NESSMUK 2. ,, L A E .Q I: X F1 1' X 1 1 WELLSBORO HIGH SCHOOL-1875 l 4 .-,J ' A ' 3 K4 X ra ..f' ' I Nfx X ' ,U 1 'X Page Fifteen i

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' I THE NESSMUK THE OLD ORDER CHAN GETH Our first settlers had what was then termed a liberal education. Naturally they took an interest in schools for their children, and for this reason classes were held in the Quaker Meeting House soon after it was erected by Benjamin Morris. In this small structure the educational system of Wellsboro had its beginning. Charted in March 1817 by the Legislature, the Academy was built at a cost of one thousand five hundred dollars for all material and workmanship. It was of wood, forty- eight feet long and twenty-two feet' wide. On the ground floor were two large rooms and a hall eight feet wide. On the second floor were two small rooms and one large room. In 1834 Pennsylvania approved the Common School Law. It was then necessary to erect a common, or as we now term it, a public school. In 1835 such a school was opened in a log building. Gradually this school expanded as the population increased, and new buildings were added until in 1873 there was a total attendance of five hundred and thirty pupils. This increase showed that enlarged facilities were imperative, and that the only relief would be by the erection of a large additional building. As early as 1860, with a foresight which has always marked the plans of all Wells- boro enterprises, the school district had purchased property upon which they antici- pated the construction of a building. In 1873, meetings were held in the Court House, papers were loud in their appeal, and public opinion was awakened, all toward a school building which would satisfy the demand made by the large and increasing number of pupils. The school board purchased a new lot and erected upon it an edifice for that day large, substantial, and imposing. This cost, with furnishings, thirty-three thousand fave hundred dollars. After its dedication in 1875 the enrollment increased and was noticeably augmented each year until about five years ago when the building became inadequate for the large numbers which were enrolled therein. If for no other reason it would have to be abandoned now because the school population has outgrown it. At the time the school was constructed it was nearly out of proportions to the size of the group it housed, despite the fact that high school activities were confined to the third floor while grade instruction occupied the first two floors. This is proof of the foresight of our ancestors. They looked ahead and foresaw the increasing number of students enrolled each year and planned accordingly, and their prophecy has come true, passing beyond even their flight of immagination, for now there is not room in the building for the high school students alone. The school board under, whose administration the building was constructed was: President, John W. Bailey: Treasurer, William Bacheg Secretary, James Bosardg and the following members: Jerome B. Potter, Hugh Young, Chester Robinson, Jerome B. Niles, and the principal at the time, P. M. Edick. To these men must go much credit for the work which they accomplished for such a noble and honorable enterprise. This building has served its purpose. Stately even in old age, impressive because of the fact that it is an institution of learning, revered by all of its alumni and wor- shipped by all who have entered its portals as students, it will forever hold a hallowed lace in the memories of those who have felt its influence. his understood now that the building is to be torn down soon and the under- are looking forward eagerly to the new building which is to take the place 111777 ' as had in the community. Thus The Old Order Changethf'-Q. L. W. '32. 9 U! X f?'- VN iff? ' Nxggxl. , if v 3 f -.g -- fg agree-. . at ,Q ESR- QQ9.e2 Page Fourteen

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THE NESSMUK A DREAM COME TRUE There was no doubt about it, the old building DID shakeg even the footsteps of babies could make it rattle, and when chapel assembled or the parent-teachers gathered, everybody held his breath. The state architects may have declared the building safe but parents and students even from the generation of Noah felt it an unstable ark. They dreamed, scolded, wrote letters to the papers, and held indignation meet- ings: but most of all they dreamed, and dreams have a way of being fulfilled. The teachers wished proper equipment and quiet classrooms. The students wanted something more than standing room. Also 400 students a year are great publicity agents and when enough people want them, things really happen. Under the leadership of Professor Butler the various groups and classes backed up their prayers by action. The Parent- Teacher Association in 1923, supported by the Alumni and citizens, started a building fund with the great fair which brought in 310,000. 1 The Board of Directors were certainly sympathetic, but they had to consider a new school in terms of cash and a period of hard times. They found a way and courageously arranged for the legal issue of bonds. Their next problems were a build- ing site in the center of town and an architect. The first was solved by finding a large tract of level ground on Nichols Street overlooking the trees of town and the hills be- yond. The architect appeared in the person of John Roy, a talented graduate of the class of 1923. It was the general feeling that there should be a fine auditorium and gymnasium instead of two rented halls in the heart of town. The board and the faculty wanted the opportunity for real junior and senior high schools, with an enlarged and richer program. Thanks to the wisdom of the directors, the vision of the principal and the faculty, and the financial support of the community, a beautiful building will soon be open for the boys and girls of town. It is built of red brick and ornamental stone. At the left end facing the street and approached by a series of cement steps is the auditorium with a seating capacity of seven hundred. The stage for which the Dramatic Club has been gathering money is large enough to accommodate plays or pageants. Behind this is a full sized and finely equipped gymnasium with baths, lockers, etc., beneath. The classrooms adjoin on two floors on either side of long corridors. These are scientifically lighted and will be cleaned by a vacuum process. They are all equipped with radio, bells, and clocks. Indeed, nothing has been omitted to make the school the best in this part of the state. A real junior high school will be put in operation and on the second floor the senior high will have several new departments including manual training. It seems almost as though a fairy had waved her magic wand. The seniors feel nothing but happiness that they are permitted to graduate in the new Assembly Hall. They celebrate it in their invitations. The inscription found on the front of the gymnasium Knowledge Is Power is to be used as the class motto. Every member of the Senior Class supports Mr. Butler in his plan for a higher d nd and is satisfied that he will continue to be the same inspiring leader and the I f all the students who will have the privilege of studying in this dream come f'-'W7 F '7v,, w. c. '32. J' X' Z i Q X 7-L Q 2 I +1 7 ----,-1.-. C, . V Q - Page Sixteen N, Q