Norwich bulletin., 1916-11-27

1886. It could not have been a very interesting session for only one little girl could be persuaded to attend, but I am glad that one came and I am sure all the girls of our school are glad that it was a girl who wasn't afraid to come. And we owe it to this same little girl, Ellen Williams. now Mrs Douglas, that w1 are celebrating our 50th anniversary today, for we did not even know that we were f1f- ty years old until she old us so. We are very grateful to her for the in- formation and pleased that she is able to be here wiSa us.
 Some of you may have noticed on the clock in the Sunday School room, Tn merory of Deacon Edward Hunt ington," and may have wondered just what it meant and who he was. MT. Huntington lived at Norwich Town and was active in the work of the church and Sunday school over
 there. After that first Sunday with it's
 one pupil, MT. Samuel Prentice. who
 was the first superintendent, walked over to Norwich Town to ask Mir. Huntington to come and assist in or ganfzing a school. Which he gladly did. Ten pupils were enrolled as charter members, which number increased during the wnter to forty.
 might say here that the speaker
 at the last meeting of the, Mems League, the Rev. Edward Huntington
 Smith of Inghok, China is a grandson
 of the Deacon Edward Huntington who helped to organize this Sunday school. The clock in the Sunday, School room was given by Deacon Huntingtons wife, who also came over and assist ed.
 Three years later in October. 1869 the meetings of the church and the Sunday school were removed to the school room which the company had provided in the building now known as No. ? and No. 4 South A street. There was noe large room with four windows on the north and four on the south and two doors near the west
 end of the building one facing south, the other north, as at the present time.
 At the west end, also, there was
 small room partitioned off for library and cloak room, also a stairway to the cellar. At the eastern end was a platform on which stood the teachers desk or table which served as a pull pit and a small cabinet organ. Bencs-
 es served as pews.
 During the year 1871, the school house known now as the old school
 building was built, with a nice large assembly room up stairs. about where the Second Grade room is now. Church and Sunday school moved to these new quarters and doubtless thought they. were very fine. We have some with us today who attended both there and the house on South 4 street
  l was growing and too much cannot be said in praise of those early officers, l teachers and pupils, who by their faithfulness made our present school possible.
 About two years later in 1873. the present brick building, occupied by stores and offices was built and the company generously ofe>ed the use of the new hall on the second floor for church services. so on Jan. II, 1874, we moved again and this time we remained for thirty-two years. At that time low platform two or three steps high ran entirely across the north end of the hall. The pulpit black walnut, while the seats were the same benches we now use over there. Here it was that I first at tended Sunday school and I well re- member how all the primary class had seats in the front rows for the open ing and closing exercises and then passed into the small room at the north end of the building for the les son study under the charge of Mrs. Samuel Prentice.
 What an event it was when we were promoted to the main school and had our own seat and our own teacher! will remember just where we sat and of course I remember my teacher of whom I was very fond.
 In course of time the primary class outgrew the small room and was moved into the small hall over the .of- | fees where it was organized into a separate department under one leader but with several teachers.
 The school at this period had one | advantage over our school today. There were many adults among it's | ing several classes under the leader ship of some of the finest men and women this village has ever known. I think it was in the fall of 1898 that 1t was decided to start kindergarten department which was held in the I the dentist. This department of the school has always seemed to be pepu- | lar with the little ones. for, if I re- member rightly, we started with about But still better things were in store | for eur school When the church was completed ands dedicated nearly II years ago, of course we moved again l into our first real school home and we felt that 1t really was our home be- pense of it to the extent of $500. You all know the history of the last ten years. At first we seemed to have sufficient room, but now we seem to need the whole building to aecommo- date us. During the past two: years two new departments have been ada ed-the Home Department and the Cradle Roll-with a combined enrill- ment of about one hundred, bringing our total enrollment to over three jubilee year, we have attained the standard set by the Connecticut State Sunday School associatfen-we have won the pennant. so to speak. Isn't that fine record for our Sunday
 school? and ought not each one to
 be proud that we ca nand do belong | to such a splendid school? Let us keep right on for the next fifty years.