A LOOK BACK
A Successful Community Undertaking by Mark Macrides, Archivist he arrival of Country School’s centennial year has provided wonderful opportunities to reflect on the early years of the school’s history. Much of this reflection has centered on the founding of the school. The school’s first organized capital appeal in 1939 was titled “A Successful Community Undertaking,” appropriately describing the school’s early years. For those of us today, it is difficult in many ways to imagine a time when there was no Country School. As Country School’s story was told time and time again, in a variety of venues, this year, I became fascinated by this concept of how a school begins—how something that today seems so incredibly enduring could have at one time felt somewhat ephemeral. Two questions immediately came to mind.
What does it take to start a school?
It takes motivation. A group of New Canaan parents with a desire to provide their children with a thorough primary education and fit them well for preparatory school.
What, then, does it take to sustain a school?
It takes collaboration.
A visit by Mrs. Raymond Streit and Mrs. Clarence Holmes to New York City’s leading educational employment agency to hire competent educators, Edith Dudley and Effie Dunton, to run the new school.
In the early years, the school lacked the finances to staff a full administration, as all of the resources were put toward hiring great teachers. Parents and trustees supported the school by managing the financial affairs, organizing and outfitting facilities, and handling most of the admissions work.
It takes facilities.
It takes resourcefulness.
A small, leased bungalow on Seminary Street for the first three years and then, in 1919, as the school incorporated as the Community School, the purchase of
During the first three years on Seminary Street, in order to raise capital for books and school supplies, the bungalow was sublet each summer. This enterprise
It takes expertise.
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a larger Greek Revival-style home on the corner of Park and Seminary Streets.
NEW CANAAN COUNTRY SCHOOL BULLETIN // Summer 2016
required school parents to move all the school furniture and supplies to the basement and attic and loan furniture from their homes to set the house up for summer tenants. As the school’s programs grew, parents also lent their homes and fields for dramatic performances, recesses and athletic events.
It takes vision. These founding families had the vision to understand the parallel needs of the school and the community, and recognized, by 1936, that in order to appeal to their market, new facilities were essential. Their vision was achieved in May 1936, with the purchase of the Grace House in the Fields property and the name change to New Canaan Country School. Country School’s early history speaks directly to the strength of community. That word was the guiding force in the minds of that small group of people back in 1916, so much so that they used the word to name their school. Today the word community continues to resonate in everything we do here. In this centennial year particularly, as we look back and forward, “A Successful Community Undertaking” still provides a very accurate description.