APW Alumni

TIME LINE OF PARISH SCHOOLS

The first school that served the town of Parish was located in the southwest corner of the town of Mexico. Students from Parish, Hastings and Mexico attended this school.

The first school in the village of Parish was located where the Mills and Petrie Memorial Gymnasium is today. It is believed to have been a log cabin. It was built in 1808 at a cost of $15.00. Samuel Phileo was the first teacher.

1814: The town was divided into districts, of which Parish was number 1. Eventually 13 districts were formed: #1 Parish, #2 Fritts, #3 Churchill, #4 Searles, #5 Bidwell, #6 Laing, #7 Getman, #8 Jennings, #9 Old Dutch Hill, #10 Devendorf, #11 Miller, #12 Red Mills, #13 New Dutch Hill.

1816: The log cabin was torn down and replaced by a frame house that served as a school building.

1878: At the annual meeting Edwin Palmer was elected the sole trustee. Several meetings had been held to discuss a new school. Mr. Palmer was instrumental in having the Parish Union Free School built.

Four educators taught at this school each receiving a salary of $350. Two teachers instructed the primary grades, and the other two taught the high school grades. The building consisted of four rooms and a hall. Farmers took turns in drawing wood to heat the building.

1883: The school was organized as a Union Free School and Academy. A board of education was elected consisting of five members: James Luddington, C.S. Talcott, Hosea Pickens, H. A. Mosher, and Edwin Palmer.

“The first transportation began bringing students to Parish with horses. Ad Murphy had a contract for some time. In the winter he had a sleigh with a cover like a prairie schooner. The boys would tease and not get in when they should. He would take his lash whip out and they would dive in the back entrance. Usually the last one in would get a crack with the whip.”

Robert J. Harter

1898: The school is changed to a high school under the laws of the Board of Regents of New York State.

1928: The modern village school was dedicated. This was a very modern building for that time. It included a gymnasium in the basement, well equipped laboratories and classrooms and a ventilating system.

1917-1942: Altmar and Parish were separated school districts.

July 1, 1942: Altmar and Parish centralized to form District #2.

October 12, 1943: Union Free School District #4 located in the Towns of Albion and Orwell, and Districts #1 of Parish, Hastings and Mexico were combined with Altmar-Parish Consolidated School District #2.

August 9, 1944: District #6 of the town of Amboy and Williamstown were combined with Altmar-Parish Consolidated School District #2.

May 8, 1945: Land lying east of County Route 11 was accepted into the Altmar-Parish Consolidated School District #2.

October 26, 1945: Common School District #7 in Parish dissolved.

May 25, 1950: The Searles District #4, Town of Parish dissolved.

1952: The Altmar-Parish District discussed the idea of building a Junior-Senior High School.

July 13, 1954: The Board accepted Williamstown, called District #4 upon the Commissioner of Education’s approval to dissolve and annex territory to the Altmar-Parish School.

April 26, 1955: The Board received a petition from Parish residents requesting an addition be added to the Parish School.

May 10, 1955: A committee was formed made of representatives from Altmar, Parish and Williamstown, to investigate a site for a new Junior-Senior High School.

June 27, 1955: The Altmar-Parish Board passed a resolution to change its name to Altmar-Parish-Williamstown Central School District effective July 1, 1955.

March 9, 1956: A special meeting of the Board was held to discuss plans and specifications for a new building to be presented to the Board of Regents on March 13, 1956.

April 1, 1956: The Board passed a resolution to acquire additional land at the present site for an elementary school in Williamstown. The Board also passed a resolution to approve plans and specs for the proposed construction projects for a sum of $1,803,176.00.

May 15, 1956: The Board passed a resolution to adjust the building project to a sum of $1,706,000.00 and that a special district meeting be held on June 9, 1956 for the purpose of voting to acquire land for the new Junior-Senior High School. It was 29.8 acres at a cost of $9,500 on County Route 22. They also voted addition for the Altmar and Parish Schools for use as K-6 schools and purchase additional property to the site at the existing Williamstown School. The vote was defeated in June, 1956.

August 21, 1956: Resolution passed by Board to have grades; 9-12 of the APW district be held in Altmar during school year 1956-1957 and students in grades 7-8 attend school in Parish.

March 25, 1958: Board passed a resolution to hold a vote for construction of a new Jr./Sr. High School on land already owned by the district for a sum of $1,098, 800.00. The vote was passed on May 10, 1958.

June 1960: First graduating class from APW.

“I started school in 1961. Our classes were held at the Masonic Temple while the elementary school addition in the village was being built.”

Between July 1, 1942 and March 1960 gradually the one room school houses throughout the district were dissolved and declared closed.

1968: An addition was added to the Jr./Sr. High School.

November 13, 1985: An advisory referendum was held in the Mexico and APW School Districts and both schools defeated the idea of the two schools merging.

June 17, 1986: Residents of APW School District approve the construction of new middle school and renovations to the existing schools in the district.

September 6, 1989: Students in grades 6-8 attended their first day of school in their own building and students in grade 9-12 attended their first day in the newly renovated Jr./Sr. High School; the elementary students in the newly renovated schools.

As of 1999 five school buildings exist in the district.