West Carthage School
The first school house in West Carthage was built about 1832 on a plot of land on the corner of Champion and Jefferson Streets conveyed to the district by A. Champion. At that time the school building was in the center of the district which comprised quite a section of the farming land located beyond and toward the hamlet of Champion.
In 1856 the residents of the West Carthage area decided to have a school of their own and accordingly purchased a lot on the corner of Jefferson and Vincent Streets. This was in April 1858 and during that year the schoolhouse was built. Twelve years later the building was enlarged and remodeled. This former school building later became the village hall and fire station until it was torn down in 1990 when the new municipal complex was built across from P&C Plaza.
When this was used as a school, the building was divided into
two stories, the lower being made into two rooms and the upper would be
comparable to a high school. There were three teachers employed; two for
the elementary grades and the principal, Mr. H. C. Gouldin, taught the high
school. One former student informed a local historian that there were no
definite grades. A student was really passed "by his reader". When he
finished his first reader he advanced to the second reader, and so on. In
the school year 1903-04 West Carthage School secured the right to have regents
examinations. Before that time anyone desiring to take regents had to go
to the Carthage High School. There were no electric lights in the
building. There was practically no use for them anyway, since there were
no extra-curricular or social activities. Nor was there a running water
system. Outside the building a small playground was located, but without
the equipment we have today.
As early as 1900 there was talk of having a new building to accommodate the overflow in the old school. In 1905 it was decided to pay $28,000 for a new building and to sell the old site to the Village of West Carthage for $2,000. That same year the new building was opened for use, equipped in a very modern fashion with electric lights and other conveniences. Classes were started in the fall of 1905 and the first graduating class to have the honor was the class of June 1906, which consisted of one member, Robert A. Hughes. Graduates up to this time had their commencement exercises in the church. There had been one member of the class of 1904 and three members of the class of 1905.
In 1913 the first new department, chemistry, was added to the school curriculum. In 1919 a kindergarten was added and it was divided into two sections, morning and afternoon. Cooking was added to the sewing, thereby completing the home economics department. 1919 was also the first year dancing by high school students during social gatherings was granted by the Board of Education (provided the dance was supervised by the principal and teachers).
In 1921 the Parent Teacher Association was organized and commercial courses were added to the school curriculum.
In 1929 an addition to the school was voted on and a building twice the size of the old one was erected at a cost of $140,000. The building was fully equipped with a combination gymnasium and auditorium, home economics department with kitchen and dining room and work shop. Link showing floor plans
In the early morning hours of April 29, 1954 fire destroyed the old 1905 portion of the school. The new part of the school, including the auditorium and gymnasium, was protected by a fire wall although there was considerable water and smoke damage there, School was closed for a week until arrangements could be made to continue some classes at other locations. 50 children in grades 2 to 7 were bussed to Great Bend, some went to the second floor of the Village Hall , and some to Carthage High School. High school seniors in the class of 1954 had only a few weeks left before graduation so they finished their studies in the gymnasium.
1954 was the last graduating class of the West Carthage High School. There were 43 graduates and Wilfred Rushman was principal. Graduation exercises were held in the gymnasium of the West Carthage School.
1954 Graduating Class
First Row left to right: Richard Fahsel, Sally Redmond Thompson, Adell Shampine Bennett, Rita Waters Souva (d), Joan Hall Clark, Nany Nicholl Rogers, Marlene Hulbert Monteau, Barbara McIllroy Easton (d), Jane Evans Bell (d), Sandra Stone Scoville, Barbara Goodridge Dobransky, Jeanette Cook Mosely, Don Hall.
Second Row: John Bennett, Elaine Blackwell Schloeder, Joyce Clark LaQuay (d), Patricia Shampine Kepler, Kay Egnew Ashcroft, June Henderick Strader, May Low Crowner Lees, Gail Stafford Erwin (d), Donna Spencer Lunquist, Doreen Dalton Larkin, Gail Kitts, Anne Stoffel Perrin, Catherine Sinicropi, George Waite.
Third Row: Robert Hunkins, Robert Brotherton, Carl Brown, David McDonald, Roger Hadley (d), Owen Hutt, John McFall, Mathew Hynes, Richard Muir, William Weatherwax, Darwin LaQuay, John Stoffel, Gerald Hadley, Daniel Martin, Lesile Thompson
West Carthage High School became a part of Carthage Central School in 1954 and, after rebuilding the burned section, the school became an elementary school covering kindergarten and grades one through six. The school playground, 1.3 acres in size, is located across from the school on Madison Street. This playground is well equipped with slides, swings, and open land for sports practice.
In 1989 there were 355 pupils enrolled in the school. It
was the first to have a computer laboratory which was started as a pilot project
in 1986.