Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1895-06-11
ST. JOHNS ACADEMY.

nounced, the adjournment was sine
die. it having been determined te
and the labors of this institution Will
the termination of this session-for The
present at least. st. Johns Academy
has for many years been an Alexandra
institution and the announcement that
il ls soon to be numbered among the
things of the past is regretted by the
entire community. The following
awards were presented at this evening q
closing exercises
Diplomas to ]. V. Reddy, Richmond,
and Il. E. Sweeney, Upperville. -
Certificates of proficiency to b. r
Renshaw, Philadelphia, Pa; W. d. De-
laney, Alexandria, and A. B. Carr, AL
exandria.
Prizes-Gold medals to ]. V. Reddy,
Richmond, and R. E. Sweeney, Upper
Vile. Silver medal. F. S. Beattie, Fair
fax. Premiums, A. B. Carr, Alexan-
dria; Geo. Rodgers, Alexandria; Mas
tiers Harry Quackenbush, Alexandria
Eddie Ramsay, Alexandria, and Eu-
gene Igo, Alexandria.
The Dubuisson Memorial Medal for
Christian Doctrine, competitive. award
ed equally to J. V. Reddy, r. E. Swee'
ney and W. D. Delaney. Drawn by
R. E. Sweeney. Judge, Rev. II: J.
Cutler, of St. Mary's Church, this city.
St. Johns Academy is, or was, the
oldest secondary school in Virginia re.
ceiving boarders. II was established
on the Sth of September, 1888, by Rev.
John Smith. S. j., then pastor of ST.
Mary's church, and its first teacher was
Brother Joseph Brigden, of the same
order. Whilst the neat frame school
house, which stood so long at the north
west corner of Duke and Royal streets,
and is now, in different form, on south
Columbus street, where it is used for
the voting place of the Fourth ward,
was being erected. it was kept in one
OF the frame houses on the south side OF
Prince street, between Fairfax and Lee
streets. In 1884 classical department
was added under the direction of Hugh
C. Mclaughlin, now emeritus professor
of ancient languages at Rock Hill Col
lege, Md, and it was removed to the
new building, where it Immediately be-
gan to flourish, attracting pupils from
the neghboring counties of Maryland
and Virginia, from Baltimore, PhiIadel-
phia and Boston, and even from Ireland.
These were accommodated in the old
PASTORAL residence of st. Mary's. In
1887 Father Smith gave place to Rev.
Stephen l.. Duboisson, S. j., French
gentleman born in st. Domingo, but
reared and educated at Marsei)les, who
was twice president of Georgetown Col
lege. He had been, when young,
hussar officer under Napoleon Bona.
parte and was very able instructor
and manager OF boys. The different
teachers during this period were Rev.
William Grace, S. j., Nicholas Gahan,
John Fl. Kellenberger, Joseph M.
Entegart and Peter Smith. In 1888
Father Duboisson, considering his
house too small for the accommodation
of boarders, ceased receiving any.
though some remained in the school,
boarding in private families. In the
following year he turned over the
academy to Mr.. Kellenberger. who, in
1910, associated with himself Prof. Nc
Laughlin and soon after resigned the
ncipalship to him exclusively and
went back to Georgetown. Prof. Mel.
was an ardent politician, and, being ap-
pointed to Office by President Harrison,
closed the school for the time. In the
autumn of 1871 it was opened by Mr..
McEntegart, who was graduate of
Trinity College, Dublin, but he did
not obtain much patronage. Then a
Mr.. Doyle took it, but was not q sue
cess, and it was again closed, apparent
ly forever. In 1917, however, Mr..
Richard L. Carne, who had been edu-
Gated in the school, was persuaded by
Rev. John F. Aiken, S. j., to reopen it.
BE was then q very young man, not
having quite attained his majority, but
he had the quality of perseverance,
and though there were then four excel
lent male academies in Alexandria,
one of them of more than national
reputation, he had good school by
1852 and had begun to attract students
from abroad. The assistant teachers
up to the war period were VIM. F.
Carne, Norman F. Moore, Norval e.
Foard, Arthur G. Kell, Joseph II. Car.
YER, J. Randolph Bushby, Charles G.
Mortimer, jr, and Aaron nj. Trimmer.
On the 10Th of April, 1861, there were
over ninety students in attendance, af-
ter the Oath of May there were but
twenty and when school reopened
in September only eight appeared.
Soon, however, the numbers began to
increase, until the Eclectic Academy |
building, on north Columbus street,
to which St. Johns had been removed
in the autumn of 1860, was too small
and the attendance during the war was
very large, that for 1868 81, being a |
hundred and fifty.four. A more regu-
lar curriculum mad now been adopted
and the first graduating class went
out in 1865. VIM. F. Carne, VIM. B.
Price, Lycurgus E. Uhler and VIM.
81. Greenwich assisted the principal at
the same period during the war.
In 1865 students from abroad began
to come in again and the academy en-
tered upon period of great prosperity. |
In the following year it was removed |
to The Odd Fellows Hall, on Columbus
street, and 1868 the large houses on
Prince street near Columbus were pur-
chased and the boarding department
removed to them. In the following
year the cadet corps was organized and |
equipped, and in 1872 the first great |
outing, to Harper's Ferry, by canal
was taken. From that time until last |
year the St. Johns Cadets were never
absent from any public parade in Alex
andria and from few in Washington,