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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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- District Overview
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- District Priorities
- District Progress Update
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1987: New High School Name Helps Community Heal
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This much was clear to Rush-Henrietta leaders by the mid-1980s: Declining student enrollment made it unsustainable for the district to operate two high schools.
That is why discussions began regarding the possibility of combining both high schools into a single building that would serve high schoolers from throughout the community - the way it had been before two high schools were created to alleviate a serious space crunch in 1975.
While Roth High School and Sperry High School served their student populations well, having separate buildings came with several downsides. While both schools rightly developed their own building culture, those distinctions made the schools quite different from the start.
In addition, in the academic and athletic arenas, these neighboring schools were set to engage in spirited competition that could have led to hard feelings within the community.
“We did play a Roth vs. Sperry football game,” recalls Rick Page, a retired administrator and football coach who worked in the district from 1968 to 2005. Quickly, it was decided the two schools would not compete against each other in sports moving forward.
“Roth won and the powers that be felt right away that it was not in the best interest of the students or the staff to potentially divide the district with unnecessary sports competitions,” Page says. “The two schools - as well as members of the coaching staff - had recently split up and were very close both in and out of school. I think it was a wise decision that allowed us to support one another and root for one R-H family.”
After much public discussion, the Board of Education decided to consolidate high schools. Both Roth High School and Sperry High School ceased to exist in 1987. That year, all students who attended these schools began attending the newly named Rush-Henrietta Senior High School. As part of this decision, the district also created a single junior high school for grades 7-8 at Roth.
Understanding the importance of continuing to honor James E. Sperry, for whom Sperry High School was named, the district kept the physical building named in his honor. That is why the front of the high school notes that Rush-Henrietta Senior High School is located in the James E. Sperry Building. Sperry was a local surveyor who provided needed leadership in fostering local education two centuries ago. He lived in Henrietta from 1811 to 1861. In 1825, Sperry was part of a group devoted to building an educational academy. Their efforts resulted in the creation of Monroe Academy the following year.
Since the challenging merger in 1987, the school has been referred to as Rush-Henrietta Senior High School. The straightforward name signifies the level of schooling that happens there, while providing a strong name that, 35 years later, continues to welcome students from throughout the district to a high school dedicated to serving the entire community.
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