Gary Brown: Celebrating the 'old days' at the 'Academy'
I just learned that the high school I attended in western New York is the oldest secondary school in that state, and it's the eighth oldest in the whole country.
Yes, I just found out that I went to a high school – not the same building, but the institution – that is way more than two centuries old. In fact, it's 232 years old.
"Canandaigua Academy ... has a proud history stretching all the way back to its establishment as a private boys school in 1791," the "About Us" page on the school's website notes. "It became a public school in 1900 and retained the beloved 'Academy' name."
Suddenly I feel the need to note that I wasn't a member of any of the early graduating classes at the "Academy."
In fact, I was one of the students in a class that didn't graduate until three quarters of the way into my school's history. And I say that with a certain amount of hesitance, knowing that we all apparently got through four years of education without ever learning that we were going to a school that had existed for that long.
None of us knew that our old school had been around long enough for a lot of its early students to really be daughters of the American Revolution. They didn't have to trace family trees through generations to discover that relationship. For those early grads, dad really was a colonist who beat back the Redcoats.
Oh, there likely was one arm-raising member of the Latin Club who figured out what the Roman numerals "MDCCXCI" might have meant on the class rings or the school seal or wherever such numbers appear. But, if he or she ever was called on in class and expounded on the school's history, the rest of us must have been busy passing notes or watching the clock inch toward lunchtime or dismissal because none of the classmates I am in contact with seemed to be aware of the school's milestone.
Personally, I never heard anybody rank our hallowed Academy halls on a list of oldest schools in America. If I had known, I might have tried to show off by slipping that fact into my college application essay.
Historical significance verified
How I learned about my school's historical standing was I saw it on social media.
Technically, it was an online article that was reposted on Facebook.
The facts of the article appeared verified. The 1791 founding as a private school and the 1900 change to a public school status was attributed to the history at the school's website, which I later sought out and read. Its ranking at the Empire State's eldest school and a top 10 oldest in the U.S. was confirmed by WorldAtlas.
"Originally a private boy's school, the educatiolnal institution has since been converted into a co-ed public school for grates 9 to 12 and has previously received the Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education," the article added as a quote from the website FamilyMinded.
OK, so as it turns out we probably shouldn't have spent so much time complaining about something as insignificant as the school's lunch food when I went there a few decades ago. What did we know about that anyway? We gobbled down our food and spent half the lunch period playing "football" by pushing a folded up paper triangle back and forth across the table, scoring touchdowns and kicking for extra points through the goalposts formed by our opponent's fingers.
What's in a name?
But, that was the old days. Currently, Canandaigua Academy apparently is garnering a good reputation. Most of us love our old alma mater, and have fond memories, which we cherish. But it's nice to find out that others think highly of them, as well.
"Newsweek Magazine recently named (Canandaigua Academy) one of the top 1,500 U.S. public high schools," said the online article.
So, I'm not bragging because I haven't had any impact on the school's success for more than 50 years now, but you can see that this recognition goes beyond the point where the school just sounds like a fine scholarly institution by still having the "Academy" in its name.
"Academy? You one of those stuck-up private school punks?" one college classmate later asked, semi-good-naturedly when I told him the name of my high school.
"No, but I may still be a public school punk ..." I answered, in all honesty.
High schooler and academian, we bonded and became friends. Neither the names nor the histories of our respective high schools ever came up in our conversations again. I've been sort of proud of my school lately though.
Reach Gary at gary.brown.rep@gmail.com.On Twitter: @gbrownREP.
This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Gary Brown: Celebrating the 'old days' at the 'Academy'
