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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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Dr. Ken Graham: Two Decades of Strong Leadership
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Finding a new superintendent is always a challenge, and no district knows precisely what it is getting in such a hire. A review of Dr. Ken Graham’s application from 1999 is fascinating because the letters of recommendation accurately reflect the successful leader he became.
Among the insights:“His personal strengths include intelligence, perception, a strong work ethic…”“In the public eye, our community sees an intelligent person who cares about children and the mission of our school district.”“He is a holistic thinker and has an uncanny ability to see the big picture.”
Graham was brought onboard in 1999 and served as Rush-Henrietta’s superintendent until his retirement in 2018. Our community is fortunate that it got the person the selection committee hoped for when it made its final selection.
“Dr. Graham's tenure as superintendent was a remarkable run,” says Greg Lane, principal of Burger Junior High School. “It's rare to have a superintendent work in the same role for nearly 20 years. He was a strategic thinker who understood all aspects of running a successful school district. He was a mentor and friend who enriched my life and, I am sure, many other lives, too.”
Known for outstanding fiscal leadership, Graham helped put Rush-Henrietta on solid financial footing. As a result of careful, conservative budgeting, and his insistence that the district produce a budget that is educationally sound and fiscally responsible, every budget vote under his watch was approved.
The community also approved three major facilities projects that Graham envisioned and championed. These projects led to a new Transportation and Operations Center, provided significant improvements to our junior high schools and high school, and delivered a needed replacement for a dilapidated administration building that housed his first office here. The “new” gymnasium at the Senior High School, which opened nearly 10 years ago, also was opened during his tenure.
Even in the twilight of his long and successful career, Dr. Graham’s work ethic was strong. He devoted an incredible amount of time and effort to a comprehensive overhaul of our school district that took effect in 2018. He also advocated for full-day kindergarten, which became a reality one year earlier.
Of course, none of this mattered without a strong emphasis on sound instruction for students. Under Graham’s leadership, Rush-Henrietta instituted a successful small-class-size initiative early in his tenure, offering more personalized instructional time for our youngest learners. Graham also helped the district become a leader in the use of instructional technology in the classroom.
“Many folks would say Dr. Graham was great with managing the money, and I would agree,” Lane says. “However, he was equally passionate about building a safe and caring culture for all stakeholders in the district and unwavering in his desire to have a well-defined and measurable instructional program.”
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