Consolidated School Chronology

Talk of consolidating Southwick's rural schoolhouses dates back to 1897 when the superintendent briefly mentioned it in his report; the superintendent in 1911 did the same.

There was a lot of opposition to consolidating; however, the vote to build a centralized school passed on March 31, 1924.

After much debate, voters officially chose the five-acre Goddard property along the college highway as the site for the new consolidated school. (It was selected in a vote, 152 to 55, during a special town meeting on April 9, 1928.)

Other sites, including the Healy lot and the Jackson farm on Depot Street, were previously voted down because they needed to be deemed centrally located, a key requirement. Additionally, the Healy property required extensive grading, which would have driven up costs considerably. And the Jackson farm, priced at $12,000.00, was $5,000.00 more than the Town of Southwick was willing to pay for a site.

Architect Malcolm B. Harding, born in Southwick, designed Consolidated School. The school had a central auditorium (seating capacity: 400), which could double as a gymnasium. Four classrooms lined each side of the auditorium. Each of the eight classrooms contained a wardrobe that revealed a useable blackboard when closed. In the rear of the auditorium were boys' and girls' bathrooms, each with running hot and cold water. The library and some staff offices were on the first floor facing the front of the building, with a balcony and committee room above them. Also on the ground level was a book storage room and first aid room. The boiler room was in the basement, as were a couple of playrooms and the cafeteria.

Southwick's famed Gillett's Hardy Fern and Flower Farm provided and planted the trees and shrubs in front of the school. 

Consolidated School was dedicated on May 10, 1929 (although some sources incorrectly list the 9th). The dedication ceremony included prayer, an orchestra, and the singing of "America." A flag-raising ceremony followed on the 24th. Six first-graders carried a flag to Miss Eliza E. Vining, who raised it. (Eliza's father, Jasper, raised the first flag years earlier at Southwick's Dickinson Grammar School and the town flag in the Center in 1917.)

The school's 315 or so students sang the "Star Spangled Banner," saluted the flag, then went into the auditorium where the story of "Pandora's Box" was presented.

One of Consolidated's Upgraded Buses

In the same year Consolidated opened, a tragedy occurred near the school when Florence Johnson (6) and her brother, heading home for Thanksgiving recess, were struck by a passing automobile as they got off their school bus. Florence was killed, but her brother survived. (Interestingly, Southwick Inn owner Amos Beahn was struck and killed on the same day and the same stretch of road as he crossed College Highway in front of his hotel). Following the accident, Consolidated had all four of its school buses outfitted with what is believed to be the first-of-its-kind safety equipment.

Overcrowding was a constant problem at Consolidated, especially following World War II. To help combat the problem, school officials temporarily converted the auditorium into two large-size classrooms. They also held classes on the balcony.

Consolidated Through the Years

1929: Southwick's infamous Dr. Carr buys the South Longyard schoolhouse at a public auction on May 29. Accepting a job to become teaching principal at the new consolidated school, Dana C. Maynard moves to Southwick in September. He gets assigned to teach eighth grade. That same month, Southwick taxpayers receive word that their tax rate will increase, effective October; the new rate is $28.00 per $1,000.00. Town officials point their finger at Consolidated School, which shoulders most of the blame for the $6.00 increase. 

1930: Eliza Vining dies on February 21. Kenneth E. Gillett, chairman of the building committee, places the cornerstone at Consolidated during a ceremony on June 19. Highlights include unveiling a portrait of the recently deceased Eliza Vining and a drawing of Consolidated School surrounded by the rural schoolhouses it replaced. Dr. Carr, Consolidated's school physician, conducts a vaccination clinic at the school with school nurse Esther McCormick.

1931: Author Merle Dixon Graves (Oct.13, 1887 - September 9, 1961) is the keynote speaker for Consolidated's graduating class. Voters approve the sale of the Southwick Municipal Light Department. The sale of the plant, built in 1919, will help pay some of the debt the Town acquired from the construction of Consolidated School and the installation of some water mains. Voters elect Kenneth Gillett to the school board. An arsonist burns down Dr. Carr's rural South Longyard schoolhouse, built in 1886.

1932: Kenneth Gillett (b. March 25, 1885) dies following a heart attack in his Southwick home on November 7; Consolidated closes in his honor the next day.

1933: Following expenses paid in 1932, the school department's ledger in February shows only $2.18 remaining.

1938: The school department installs a large screen and sound projector in Consolidated's auditorium; the school opens to the public as a movie house showcasing recently featured films for a nominal fee on Friday nights, starting November 11.

1939: Mark Hopkins Training School Principal, Roger F. Holmes, addresses Consolidated's graduating class on June 15 with his subject: "Education Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow."

1942: Accepting a position with Colt Firearms Company of Hartford, Dana Maynard tenders his resignation as principal of Consolidated in January. Due to the war, the school board votes in December to temporarily allow the employment of married teachers, but only until the end of the school year in a year in which a peace treaty gets signed.

1944: Summer resident, Julian Friede of Congamond Heights, beats three other bidders, buying the old Dickinson Grammar School (Southwick Academy,  est. 1828) for about $300.00 at a public auction on April 12. Friede, a greeting card company owner, reportedly strips the school of its wood to build a barn for housing turkeys; the barn later burns.   

1945: Dana Maynard (b. December 25, 1904) dies at his Southwick home on October 21; the flag at Southwick Center is lowered half-mast. To honor him, Consolidated closes at noon on the 24th. The superintendent's office relocates to the Granville Village School for the upcoming school year.  

1947: In September, Charles H. Minnich Jr. becomes Consolidated School's new principal. There are 279 pupils enrolled for the upcoming school year. 

1950: Citing poor dental health among students, a new dental service opens at Consolidated School on January 20. Malcolm Harding (b. March 29, 1885) dies on February 1.

1951: More than 400 pupils are enrolled to attend Consolidated. To help ease crowding, Consolidated gets a six-room addition. In a surprise announcement in April, Principal Minnich says he accepted a job at the West Springfield Junior High School. He starts his new position in September. 

The proposed expansion to the rear of Consolidated School (1950-1)

 

1952: Forty-one students in Consolidated's graduating class, principal Joseph Porter, and two teachers board a Southwick school bus bound for Boston's Fenway Park to watch the Red Sox win 5-to-2 over Detroit Tigers on June 7.  

1953: Consolidated installs a 21-inch television so that students can watch President Eisenhower's inauguration.  

1954: Southwick Junior High School opens in October.

1958: Woodland Elementary School opens in September.

1960: Southwick Junior High School expands, becoming a junior-senior high school.

1964: Overcrowding continually plagues Consolidated; the school committee recommends to the Board of Selectmen that the Town purchase the Griffin property, which borders the school.

1966: Woodland School gets a 4-room addition.

1967: Citing costs, construction of a new high school fails to pass at a special town meeting on March 20.

1968: The school board appoints Herbert C. Pace Jr. to replace Edwin Harrington as principal of Consolidated School.

1970-1: Southwick schools undergo reorganization when the newly built high school opens; Consolidated School principal, Herbert C. Pace, transfers to the newly named Powder Mill Middle School.

1972: Vandals cause considerable damage by breaking the windows at both Consolidated and Woodland schools during the summer break.

1975: Principal of Consolidated School, Raymond P. Cummings, who co-founded the Willie Ross School for the Deaf, dies after getting ejected from his car in a three-car accident in Westfield on April 15.

1980: Proposition 2½, one of six initiatives, is presented to Massachusetts voters on the November 4th ballot. The measure passes, leaving a $184,000 deficit in its wake and the future of Consolidated in jeopardy.

1981: Consolidated School closes.

Dr. Josselyn

Richard Hamann

1982: Proposition 2½ goes into effect. Controversy swirls when the school committee unjustly fires Southwick High School Social Studies teacher Mrs. Bazyk. The move follows what many call an unfair 2-to-2 vote as the committee, acting with one member absent, denies a leave of absence extension to former Consolidated School Principal Richard Hamann, who they need to place in an administrative position, one which does not currently exist. Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Louis S. Josselyn Jr., favoring Southwick High School Vice Principal J. Paul Meagher's performance, fuels the committee's action when he recommends demoting Consolidated School Vice Principal Frank Vallon to Bazyk's teaching position. An upset Vallon obtains legal counsel. In a scathing letter to Dr. Josselyn in August, Hamann assails the school committee for not voting with the entire five-member board. Taking the high road, Hamann tenders his resignation. In a surprise move, the school board, in a lengthy closed-door meeting on September 7, unanimously votes to allow Hamann to retire and restore Mrs. Bazyk. To generate much-needed funds, the Town of Southwick considers renovating Consolidated School so they can rent it commercially. 

1983: Track News Service Network Inc., a subscription-based 24-hour national horse racing news outlet, receives approval from the Southwick Planning Board to relocate to the vacant Consolidated School; lease negotiations occur between the company and selectmen. Even though they have yet to sign an agreement, the Council on Aging threatens to abandon plans to move from their small Point Grove Road facility to the basement of Consolidated School after the Southwick Historical Society attempts to take a piece of their space.

1985: The new Senior Center at Consolidated distributes approximately 1,500 pounds of government surplus cheese and 360 pounds of butter at no charge to unemployed residents, disabled individuals, and families making $7,400.00 or less.

1986: With Woodland School experiencing overcrowding, the state allows the temporary re-opening of three kindergarten classrooms at Consolidated for no more than two years.

1995: Once the town's pride, Consolidated is showing its age; residents and selectmen press the Historical Society to act to protect the crumbling school.

1998: Consolidated School becomes home to the Southwick Town Hall.

2019: Popular principal Herbert Pace (b. November 19, 1921) dies on March 6.

More from the Southwick Time Machine's chronology series

Pioneer Dairy Chronology

Southwick Inn Chronology

Sunnyside Ranch Chronology