Feature on schools. Topic: EDUCATION
Written by Linda DeVelvis in
August, 1994
SCHOOLS EVOLVED FROM EARLY DAYS...Pg 2 |
For many years, black residents were educated at the ‘colored school', located where the National Guard Armory was later situated (now home to the Monarch Community Center Cameo Theatre). In 1887, this school was discontinued when the city schools opened to both black and white students. The Catholic Church also started a school for catholic students, beginning with a partitioned area of the church in 1858. A school building was erected on the church grounds in 1876. Because of the influx of people and the growth of industry, the schools in Sidney needed to grow also. In 1903, the third floor of the Union School was condemned. A rally was held in downtown Sidney, and a committee was formed to plan a new high school and junior high school. By 1909, a proposal was made to secure the no-longer-used Presbyterian Cemetery for part of the school grounds. This was one of the cemeteries set aside in the original Starrett land. Work was begun on relocating the graves to the new cemetery at the south end of town.A donation by Miss Julia Lamb allowed the school to purchase a large area of land near the Miami River, which became the high school football field. The first class graduated from the new high school in 1914. The junior high building was not added until later. This building is now called Bridgeview Middle School. Less well known is the fact that Sidney had a college in the early 1900s, known as the Buckeye Business College. The classes of 1904 and 1905 graduated together in 1906, then it closed. During the 1920s, voters approved a tax levy for construction of Central School, Parkwood School and the addition of a junior high school to the existing high school. Parkwood came about with the annexation of a community called Jimtown to the north of Sidney. It was built to accommodate students living in the northern part of the town and Central School was built to replace the old building on the site. During the 1930s, Port Jefferson became a part of the Sidney school system, and later Maplewood also joined. Orange Township then became part of the system and the bussing of students to school became a familiar sight by the late 1930s.[ Back ] [ Next ] [ Up ] [ New Search ] |
