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75th Anniversary
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Anniversary Posts 1-15
- 1: Monroe Academy: Henrietta’s First Famous School
- 2: First Schools: Uphill, Barefoot, Both Ways
- 3: 1938: Voters Reject Creation of Rush-Henrietta Central School District
- 4: Schoolhouse Records Give Glimpse of Life 100 Years Ago
- 5: 1946: Given Second Chance, Voters Embrace New District
- 6: A Different Time: When Rush Had More Kids Than Henrietta
- 7: Choosing a Mascot: Why We're Not the Royal Falcons
- 8: Meet the Board: Rush-Henrietta’s Original Fab Five
- 9: Late 1940s: The Beginning of a Population Explosion
- 10: Breaking Ground: Rush-Henrietta’s First New School
- 11: 1952: R-H’s First New School a ‘Splendid Dream’
- 12: First Meeting of the New Board of Education
- 13: 1959 R-H Grad Still Gets on the Bus Every Day
- 14: Humble Beginnings: Two School Buses to Start
- 15: 1954: Sudden Need for a Second New School
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Anniversary Posts 16-30
- 16: 1954-1955: Two Votes for a Second School
- 17: The Story of Gillette Elementary School
- 18: 1950s: Building a New School Each Year
- 19: 1957: Residents Press Pause, Reject Two New Schools
- 20: 1958: Fourth New School Helps District Keep Pace
- 21: 1950s: Curious Visitors Flock to New R-H School
- 22: Bill Farrell: ‘Architect of the R-H Sports Program’
- 23: 1961: Rush-Henrietta Gets a Junior High School
- 24: 1963: A New School Called Wedgewood
- 25: Elmer Gordon: A Rush-Henrietta Trailblazer
- 26: Remembering Jack Gaffney
- 27: Jack Gaffney's Incredible Connections to Our R-H Past
- 28: Remembering Wilma Jean Milhouse
- 29: 1964: West Henrietta Gets Its First New School
- 30: 1965: Fyle Elementary Named to Honor Respected Teacher
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Anniversary Posts 31-45
- 31: R-H Family History Revealed in Historic Records
- 32: Dr. John W. Parker: Devoted to District’s Early Success
- 33: 1966: Amidst Housing Boom, R-H Opens Sherman Elementary
- 34: 1968: Rush-Henrietta Opens Its First High School
- 35: Richard TenHaken: Superintendent Who Looked Controversy in the Eye
- 36: 1970: Vollmer Becomes R-H’s Last New School
- 37: The Dome Arena: R-H and Other Legends
- 38: The Lion in the Room - Senior High School Pride
- 39: Artists in Residence
- 40: Providing an Even Start
- 41: Paul McKee: Humility Meets Great Success
- 42: Raymond Delaney Had ‘Unshakeable Belief’ in Public Education
- 43: Roger Eckers Strikes Up the Band
- 44: 1982: R-H Denies West Brighton Request to Secede
- 45: George DesMarteau: One - Make That Two - of a Kind
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Anniversary Posts 46-60
- 46: Recognizing 75 Years of Music Excellence
- 47: Senior High School Mural Depicts 'Community of School'
- 48: 2006: Rush-Henrietta Alumni Council Established
- 49: A Bird's-Eye View of 1951
- 50: 1945: Preparing for the First Day of School
- 51: R-H is Where ‘The Rock’ Calls Home
- 52: 1974: Rush-Henrietta Takes to the Airwaves
- 53: Glory Years of WRHR: A Student’s Perspective
- 54: 1969: R-H a Trailblazer in Embracing Student Voice
- 55: 1975: Rush-Henrietta’s High School Reaches Capacity
- 56: 1975 to 1986: A Decade of Dual High Schools
- 57: 1987: New High School Name Helps Community Heal
- 58: How We Became the Royal Comets
- 59: Extracurricular Highlights
- 60: Spotlight on Bob Sagan, Act I
- 61: Spotlight on Bob Sagan, Act II
- 62: 1991: R-H Hires First New Superintendent in 20 Years
- 63: Werner Kleemann: More Than a Sports Legend
- 64: 2000: R-H Loses ‘Wonderful Mentor’
- 65: 2000: R-H Legend Returns to Stabilize High School
- 66: A Surprise Boost for Student Athletes and Musicians
- 67: Adventures of Ping: Restoring a One-of-a-Kind Painting
- 68: Dr. Ken Graham: Two Decades of Strong Leadership
- 69: R-H’s History of Putting Safety First
- 70: Girls Basketball Team Becomes Stuff of Legends
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Anniversary Posts 1-15
- Did You Know?
- Distinguished Alumni
- First Administrators
- Norm Miller: Portrait of a Rush-Henrietta Life Well Lived
- School Namesakes
- Superintendents
- Who Was Elmer Gordon?
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75th Anniversary
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Rush-Henrietta History: Did You Know?
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The pursuit of a quality education can be traced in Rush-Henrietta for some 200 years. Although buildings, students, and staff members have changed, a focus on student learning remains the priority. Here are some interesting facts regarding local education:
• The first school in Henrietta opened in 1809 on Wadsworth Road (now Pinnacle Road) near Stevens Corners. The first school on Henrietta’s west side was built on River Road near Maple Street (now Bailey Road) in 1810. Both schools were built of logs.
• Early settlers, including James Sperry, namesake of the Senior High School, raised money to build Monroe Academy, a boarding and day school opened in 1826. In 1870, Monroe Academy became a public school and operated until 1952. The building burned in 1974.
• The original Rush-Henrietta Board of Education included members from Rush and Henrietta. They were Raymond Bock, of Rush; William Gillette, of Henrietta, first president of the board; Jasper Howlett, of Henrietta; Eldred Koehler, first vice president of the board; and Charles Roth, of Rush. Prior to centralization, Bock served as president of the school board in Rush.
• John Parker, a district forefather who served as principal and vice principal during Rush-Henrietta’s formative years, also taught math, social studies, and coached multiple sports. The Parker Administration Building is named for him.
• During the 1946-1947 school year, the final year that Rush and Henrietta operated as independent school systems, more children were enrolled in Rush (109) than in Henrietta (69).
• Rush-Henrietta’s first graduating class was the Class of 1948. Its motto was: "Not the end, but a beginning."
• Rush-Henrietta adopted the school nickname "Comets" when 56 percent of students voted for it in 1951. With 23 percent of the votes, "Falcons" was a distant second.
• The school district has managed dramatic changes in student enrollment. After an impressive period of sustained growth in the 1960s and 1970s, the district had nearly 11,000 students. Although some estimates showed enrollment would soar to 25,000, the pace slowed. Today’s enrollment is stable at about 5,400 students.
• With the decline in enrollment in the 1970s and early 1980s, the district closed and sold Crittenden Elementary School and Gillette Elementary School based on task force recommendations. Two junior high schools were consolidated in 1985, and two senior high schools were consolidated in 1987.
• As proof of the district's growth, consider this: The Rush-Henrietta Class of 2006 had more graduating seniors than the first 10 graduating classes in the Rush-Henrietta Central School District did combined.
Our community has come a long way since the early days of Monroe Academy. The Rush-Henrietta Central School District thanks you for your continued support. Together, we are guiding student success … one child at a time.