Silver Springs High School


		02/12/06


	In the fall of 1929, the present Silver Springs School was opened. Prior to this, the Silver Springs High School was held in a small wooden school located in front of the 'new' school. In addition, for more room, two double class-classrooms were in a part of the building which is now Del's store. During the change the Principal was Mr. Bruce Williams. In the spring of 1929 Mr. Daniel Hint became the new principal, and Floyd Brown was the president of the Silver Springs Board of Education. The arrangement of the classes, and the teachers are as seen on the floor plan.	It seems interesting that, at this time, all final tests beginning in first grade, was made by the state and run similar to regents now. The tests had to be given at the specified time, the results sent to the state, and the tests filed for a certain length of time. This test was the only thing that determined if the child would pass or repeat the class. Report cards were marked, but only to show parents the achievement of their children. For the first six grades of the school, the district boundaries took in all of Broughton Road (toward Gainesville), 19A to and including Barber Road (toward Castile), a mile north on Silver Springs Road,
	1929 First Floor	1929 Second Floor


	and a half a mile east of the village on Perry Avenue. Anyone near the Silver Springs District that was in eighth grade or above attended the Silver Springs High School. The district schools didn't have Junior High or Senior High, and wasn't allowed to give regents. In 1922, the School Board supported a number of policies on teachers. At this time the teachers had no tenure. The board 'suggested' that all the teachers lived in Silver Springs, so many people roomed in Silver Springs less than seven miles from their own homes. The board also encouraged all trade and banking to be done in Silver Springs. One teacher was reprimanded for having a picture from the Castile Bank Calendar hanging in her room. Also, any teachers that were married during the school year didn't get a renewed contract. In 1935, the first 'school bus' was put into use. Actually, it was a nine-passenger car, owned and driven by Melvin Richards, traveling a short route to the Oak Hill area. In 1944 George Brown took the job of principal. During the same period of time, Merritt Broughton Sr. was president of the Board of Education. In 1946, under the direction of Mr. Harold J. Harrison, the district superintendent, the Silver Springs School was united with several nearby districts forming the Letchworth School District. By this time all of the rural schools were closed and were sending their children to the village schools. The district school on 19A (Reynard's present house) was converted into a Kindergarten for Gainesville, Silver Springs and Castile. This class was taught by Mrs. Shirley Marcy. At one time she had forty-two kindergartners, had no phone for an emergency, and even had to carry water in a milk bucket for the children. Also, at this time the district bought a bus for the use of the kindergarten children. The district school in Hardys was also used for the kindergarten at on time.	In 1947 Mr. Robert Porter became the principal of the Silver Springs School. He held this position until 1949. Also in 1947, George Barrett was elected president of the board. After an extended sickness, Mr. Harold Harrison resigned, and the job of Superintendent of Schools was filled by Mr. Victor Blom. Mr. Blom had worked with Mr. Harrison, but instead of getting a replacement, Mr. Blom was put in charge of all Wyoming County Schools. In the late 1960's, the Wyoming County District was divided and parts put into the Livingston, Steuben, and Wyoming School Districts. After Mr. Porter, Mr. Loren Williams received the job of principal. He held this job until 1952. During this time, the Junior High classes were put into rotating schedule. Some teachers were hired half days on this schedule, and better use could be made of the available rooms. Also during this time, the library books and shelves were placed along the Study Hall's North wall. This made the library open for some small classes. Between 1952 and 1955 Mr. Richard Eden was the principal of the school. It was during his term that the Letchworth Central High school in Gainesville was opened. Many changes took place in the staff and arrangements of the school. One of the first major changes in Silver Springs was to take out the science lab, which was no longer needed, and convert it into a classroom. The library books were moved to the High School library, since the reading was more suitable for the older students. In 1955 Miss Edalyn Everett was put in charge of Castile, Silver Springs, Pike and Bliss schools as Elementary Supervisor. This was later divided into two jobs, one of the positions being filled by Mr. Don Lockwood in 1967. In 1966 the new wing of the Gainesville School was finished, and the sixth grades were moved from all the elementary schools to the Gainesville School. Another change was converting Miss Kane's former first grade room into a cafeteria with a small kitchen to meet state requirements.
	During the summer of 1969, the small library was enlarged to about twice its size. A teachers' work room was built in the opposite end of the 'study hall', and the rest was converted into a new classroom. At the same time the two special classes previously held in 'Miss Brown's' and 'Mr. Kemp's' classroom were moved. Those three front classrooms were changed into two large classrooms (as shown on the floor plan). In the fall of 1969, the bus routes were changed, bringing Gainesville and Hermitage children to Silver Springs. For the first time, there were now two classes of every grade, first through fifth, and a full time kindergarten in the elementary school. This filled all the classrooms, and for a long time there was no music room. During this time, Mr. Don Lockwood was in charge of Silver Springs and Bliss schools.	In 1975, the fifth grades were moved to the Gainesville School this made two 'free' class rooms. One was used as a music room, the other for reading and speech lessons. Some remodeling jobs have been carried on since then. Last summer, the septic tank had to be renovated, but general the school has had no large changes. Based on interviews with: Mrs. Thelma Anderson Mrs. Laura Granger Mrs. Shirley Marcy Mrs. Verna Whitmore Mrs. Thelma Hume Mr. Don Hume Miss Edalyn Everett Mr. Maynard Rogers By Randy Hume, 10th grade Social Studies 1977.
	1975 Second Floor	1975 Second Floor

02/12/06