Aliquippa School District - History

History

The present Aliquippa School District, originally the Woodlawn School District, was organized on June 7, 1909. The borough of Woodlawn was incorporated from Hopewell Township in 1908. Its population drawn to the area by the establishment of the Aliquippa Works of Jones and Laughlin Steel Corporation along the Ohio River.

According to historian Ivagean Ferry, from whose "Brief History of Education in Aliquippa" much of the information in this account has been taken, two districts had been in operation in the area - the Logstown Independent District and the Aliquippa School District. In 1928 Aliquippa was renamed West Aliquippa when it consolidated with the town of Woodlawn, the larger borough, which at that time took the Indian name of Aliquippa."

The Woodlawn District in 1909 elected its first Board of School Directors: H. J. Johns, president; John T. Bell, secretary; W. G. Cochran (a non-member), treasurer; and members, C. H. Dinsmore, G. Walter Prosser, G. W. Gray, and J. H. Robb.

The challenge to the district, headed by Calvin Springer, was finding classrooms for its 225 pupils. They were housed in the Woodlawn Academy, the old Logstown School, and a room in the Dinsmore house on Hopewell Avenue. The ten-room Highland School was the first neighborhood school erected. In 1911 the eight-room Logstown School was constructed. Woodlawn High School, a two story building of twelve rooms, opened in 1913. Laughlin School was built in 1917; Jones School was erected in 1919 by that time the student population was 2,000.

The first high school students of Woodlawn had been housed in elementary schools or sent to Beaver for senior classes and graduation. In 1913 the first senior class was graduated from the Logstown Building: Lehman Howard, Elvira Davis, Carol Howard, Eleanor Calhoun, Edwin Davis, and Ruth Scott. The first class to be graduated from Woodlawn High School was the class of 1914: Dewitt Baker, Rose Eberlie, Helen McGaughy, Alda Johnson, Ruth Stevenson, Orie Cochran, and Joseph Cochran.

In 1921, Woodlawn withdrew from Beaver County supervision and became an independent district, headed by Superintendent 0. H. Locke.

Less than ten years after the construction of Woodlawn High School, a new high school was erected on a hilltop overlooking Franklin Avenue. With its 34 classrooms, laboratories and offices, the high school was completed in 1925. A second building phase followed: the construction of a gymnasium-auditorium and the first part of a vocational shop on the hill above the school. Named Harding High School, in 1930 it was renamed the Aliquippa High School. A two-story wing was added to the high school in 1929.

In 1925 the borough annexed New Sheffield from Hopewell Township. The ten-room New Sheffield School was constructed in 1931. At the other end of the town, the McDonald School was built in 1940.

One of Aliquippa's most innovative and successful administrators was H. R. Vanderslice, who became superintendent of the schools on May 6, 1926. Mrs. Ferry writes that he believed "the basic philosophy that life and education are inseparable; that school life should be vitalized by tying it directly to the things people see and do outside of school." Based on John Dewey's philosophy, progressive education characterized the Aliquippa elementary schools.

For the secondary grades, Mr. Vanderslice encouraged "purposeful activities of a recreational and aesthetic nature ... that would cultivate talents and social skills for better living." A high school band was organized under A. D. Davenport in 1926. In 1928, Director Davenport composed the music and Clifford J. Smith, a high school teacher, wrote the words of "Wave Red and Black," which became Aliquippa's almamater. In 1930 Joseph Marchetti created a four-year art course. An outstanding teacher, he was awarded the Silver Award of the Eastern Arts Association.

The school population had grown to 6,600 students by 1929. Because the district could not provide new schools immediately, in 1928, all-year-round school was the district's answer to the problem. As Mrs. Ferry explains, the all-year round plan "set up four quarters of twelve weeks each ... The distribution of enrollment was made so that three-fourths of the children were in school and one-fourth on vacation each quarter."

When Superintendent Vanderslice resigned in 1937, Lytle M. Wilson was chosen to succeed him in a post he held until 1955. Named assistant superintendent was Archibald D. Dungan. Robert Crawford became the high school principal and Dr. C. Earl Shank, the Franklin junior High School principal. Elementary principals included Mrs. Elizabeth S. Lesquin, Leotta Caldwell, Herbert E. Scott, and Mrs. Elvira K. McDonald. Mrs. Olive Tschippert became curriculum coordinator for the elementary grades.

Named school psychologist in 1949, Mrs. Lesquin held that position until June, 1958, when she resigned. In 1958, Dr. Anne K. Davies was appointed school psychologist and elementary supervisor.

Since enrollments were still increasing in the elementary grades, an addition was made to the New Sheffield building in 1954. In 1956 a junior high school was constructed with a capacity of 1,200. The principal of the school was Dr. C. Earl Shank.

Every school district has outstanding teachers; to list them all is impossible. However, when a community publicly honors its educators, the historian must take note. The Aliquippa Chamber of Commerce presented Man of the Year Awards to Lawrence Blaney in 1958, to Clifford J. Smith in 1963, and to Samuel Milanovich in 1964. Coach Carl Aschman was named Man of the Year in Sports in 1959. Mrs. Olive Tschippert was awarded the Woman of the Year Award by the Chamber in 1966. Roger Jones and Donald Adams were presented the Brotherhood Award in 1952 and 1965, respectively. Honored as Woman of the Year in 1965 by the Aliquippa Business and Professional Women's Club was Caroline Theil. Mrs. Charlotte M. Bacon was named Woman of the Year by the Aliquippa Branch, American Association of University Women in 1980. Mrs. Elizabeth Carver was elected to the Aliquippa Hall of Fame in 1980, honored for her organization of Play Day for county girls and for leadership in girls' sports.

With the sixties came serious challenges. Late in the decade, racial unrest led to upheavals in the junior and senior high schools and to the temporary closing of the schools in 1970. A comprehensive survey of the community and its schools was made. The district set up a study team of members of the National Education Association and the state and Pittsburgh chapters of the N.A.A.C.P., which met with the mayor's bi-racial Human Relations Committee to try to find solutions. Lawrence M. Maravich, elected superintendent in 1966, reported on policies being put into practice to promote equality of opportunity. It was found imperative to put the child first, not the curriculum. To desegregate the schools, Aliquippa changed its organizational structure and grouped classes into three units: for elementary school, K–4, for middle school, 5–8, for high school, 9–12. Buildings used were the high school, the former junior high school, which became a middle school, and the New Sheffield Elementary School. In 1987–88 only the high school and the New Sheffield School were in use.

Rather unexpectedly, in the eighties came the collapse of the industry that had created and nourished the community. The Jones and Laughlin Steel Corporation met economic distress by making plant-wide lay-offs and at last by selling out to LTV. The schools suffered devastating effects. Unemployment continued for years, and many left the area. Student enrollments dropped through the decade. In October 1987, only 1,779 students were enrolled in a district that had once enlisted more than 6,000 students. Today only three of the original 11 schools stand, New Sheffield Elementary School is now the newly renovated Aliquippa Elementary School, Aliquippa Junior High School is now the newly renovated Aliquippa Junior-Senior High School, and Laughlin School is now Beaver County Headstarts Aliquippa School.