Celebrating our history - Harrisburg Academy

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MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL Dear Academy families and friends: Four years before George Washington took his presidential oath, John Harris, Jr. hired a Lancaster schoolteacher to instruct children in his South Front Street home. From this vision and commitment to education was born Harrisburg Academy, one of the oldest independent schools in the nation. In 2009-10, Harrisburg Academy is celebrating the 225th anniversary of its founding in 1784, 200th anniversary of its chartering by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 2009, and 50th year on its current site in East Pennsboro Township. (Be sure to read about our festive Charter Day celebration and kickoff of the triple anniversary year this past April.) While I’m proud of the longevity of the Academy, I’m equally proud of our commitment to being a progressive school community committed to academic excellence and to providing tools and teaching skills that will prepare students to thrive and succeed in college and in their future endeavors. We are progressive in our teaching methodologies and in the positive social environment we help our students construct for their learning. Harrisburg Academy is young at heart. That’s why our theme for the triple anniversary year is 225 YEARS YOUNG. The fun has just begun. Our anniversary year will be a proud time for everyone, from our youngest students to our eldest alumni. You’re invited for all of the special events, including: • August 30, 2009: All-School Picnic & Ice Cream Social “Can for a Cone” to benefit the Central PA Food Bank (5-6:30 PM) • HOMECOMING WEEKEND, October 2-3, 2009: “225 Trees for 225 Years” Community Service Day, 6th Annual Academy Golf Classic, and Athletics Hall of Fame Induction. • December 17, 2009: Holiday Concert, The Forum (6:30 PM) • April 6, 2010: Charter Day, Harrisburg Academy • April 17, 2010: A Toast in Time Anniversary Gala • June 11, 2010: Commencement In addition, a number of our classes are planning special activities to commemorate these significant milestones in the life of our school. Be sure to check our website throughout the year for details about all of our events. We look forward to seeing you often! Best wishes, COVER STORY Celebrating our history .................................... 1-3 DEPARTMENTS Academy News .....……………………………. 4-9 Academy Sports ..…………………………….10-11 Class Notes .. …………………………………12-14 Alumni News ....... ……………………………….15 EDITOR Linda Whipple PRODUCTION Tony Hassinger, Wheatstone Productions, Inc. CLASS NOTES EDITOR Stephanie Otto CONTENTS PROOFREADERS Dr. Leslie S. March, Stephanie Otto A publication of Harrisburg Academy, 10 Erford Road,Wormleysburg, PA 17043-1109 Phone: (717) 763-7811; Fax: (717) 975-0894 www.harrisburgacademy.org To submit photos and news, please contact alumni@harrisburgacademy.org © Harrisburg Academy The Harrisburg Academy logo is a registered trademark of Harrisburg Academy.
Celebrating our history continued In 1947, under the leadership of Headmaster Raymond Kennedy, the Harrisburg Academy merged with The Seiler School for Girls to become a coeducational institution. The Academy opened for classes in its current location, at the corner of Erford Road and Routes 11/15 in East Pennsboro Township, on September 28, 1959. Presenting and accepting a Senate citation are, from left, Head of School Jim Newman, State Senators Jeffrey E. Piccola and Patricia Vance, and Board President Robert Caplan. “Mr. Harris’s initial concept has survived for 225 years – what an amazing accomplishment,” Caplan said, “especially when one considers what transpired during this time period: a civil war, two world wars, depressions, recessions, and multiple floods. “Harrisburg Academy has proven itself to be integral to the greater Harrisburg community over the years,” he said. “We have had a positive impact on many lives in the past 225 years, and our alumni, in turn, have touched and improved the lives of countless others. We have been and continue to be the safe haven for growth and discovery – the school where students are challenged in a diverse environment that nurtures and inspires. This atmosphere gives our graduates and student body an advantage. We are the school that encourages students to work harder, dig deeper, and reach further so that they can achieve their fullest potential.” A matter of the mind Steve Stewart, a 40-year veteran teacher, said the word “vision” conjures up an infinite number of possibilities. “To a land developer, it may be the dream of a hundred new homes situated around a community park with ball fields and tennis courts. However, to a rural land owner it may simply be protecting the sight lines of his pastoral view. “For many of the westward bound adventurers that used the Harris Ferry in the mid-1700s, the Susquehanna River was the line of demarcation separating the last pockets of civilized life from the raw, untamed wilderness. These early pioneers were eager, wide-eyed optimists who were ready to take hold of the unsettled lands west of the Alleghenies. Their vision of the future rested with their ability to use a gun, horse, axe, and plow to tame the land.” Meanwhile, Stewart said, John Harris, Jr. had his own vision of the future. “To him the enterprising spirit was a matter of the mind – an empire unto itself. Where an idea was as important as the plow; where reason and logic could offer peace through contract and government; where a mathematical equation represented infinite possibilities and language studies would introduce global awareness. Harris’s vision for the future lay back East – not West.” Harris hired a schoolmaster from Lancaster, PA, and using a room in his Front Street mansion, he introduced “something more valuable than gold – an education.” “So, in 1784, before the town of Harrisburg was ever laid out, before there was a courthouse, a town newspaper, a theatre, or a library, even before the establishment of the U.S. Constitution itself, Harrisburg Academy was born,” Stewart said. “The Academy has changed its locations at least nine times. But, evident throughout its history, there has been one enduring factor – the school’s vision of offering students a chance to learn in a supportive academic environment that helps them to develop their individual talents. “Having spent 40 years teaching at the Academy, I can tell you I just don’t educate students. In the process, I also find myself being challenged to learn and grow more each day. The same can be said of my Academy colleagues. We are all professionals, but we are linked together in our common purpose to bring out the best in each student.” 3 Cover Story High expectations Head of School Jim Newman said the community expects Harrisburg Academy will continue to develop students who have achieved a high degree of academic success, can analyze complex problems, and pose practical and creative solutions. “In addition, the expectation is that Academy students, because of their own experience in playing a significant role in a small school community, will understand the initiative and commitment required to make Central Pennsylvania productive, vibrant, inclusive, and committed to the benefit of all. “Those are high expectations for a school community, but we willingly embrace the challenge,” he said. “But, for a student to become a productive stakeholder in his or her local community requires something more.” That something is the ability to “both think and act, both locally and globally.” “This means the Academy must continue to partner with other schools and community groups in the greater Harrisburg region; our students must provide ever-increasing amounts of community service; and we must share our best educational practices with other school communities.” State Representatives Glen R. Grell, left, and Sheryl Delozier present a House of Representatives citation to Board President Robert Caplan Finally, Newman said the Academy will animate our core values and continue to fulfill our mission to encourage each student to reach his or her full potential. Photos by Michael Barrett
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