Celebrating our history - 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