Early Education in Magnolia

Early Education in Magnolia. . , The history of education in Camden County commences with the first permanent settlement. This was a settlement of a group of Irish Friends in the year 1682. They had fled from religious persecution in Dublin, Ireland and came to America. They settled on a section of land that came to be known as the Irish Tenth, named after those first settlers heritage. The land of West Jersey had been divided into tenths and the Irish Tenth was within the territory of Newton Township. A young surveyor named Thomas Sharp had been the surveyor of the Newton Township lands. He was directed to lay several acres of land to be set aside for the construction of a meeting house and a school building. Because he was a man of good education, well versed in arithmetic, surveying, astronomy and literature, also a poet and writer, he was chosen as the first teacher of the Newton School., From the year 1682 to 1855, the year that Greenland Township, (later to become Magnolia), built its first school, some forty-six schools were built in service with at least sixty-six teachers in place in the area of Camden County. In 1852 the Federal Government passed the Tenth Amendment, which created the public school system. New Jersey was one of the first to make it a State Law. Camden County had been created in 1844 and school districts had been assigned by number to the various towns and villages. Greenland school was in school district 15, and built in 1855, on a lot donated by Charles L. Willits, it was used until 1882. It is recorded in Prowell's History of Camden County as the first school in our area, yet a map from 1850 shows a school house located on the south east side of Evesham Road. Prowell's History also lists a Miss George as the first teacher of the Greenland School. This one room schoolhouse accomodated children from Audubon to Ashland. Charles Willits was the first Superintendent of Schools of Greenland and he served until a county superintendent was named. It was later replaced by the Acorn Inn and in this year 2001 the Inn has been demolished., It is known by local citizens, that children were taught in various homes in the area, one was the Albertson home, on 610 Evesham Avenue. It is said that there is evidence of classrooms on the third floor of the home. There are local citizens who claim that the two Albertson sisters also taught in their home which is still standing on Evesham Avenue. It is also noted that many who were financially able, sent their children to Philadelphia to be taught at Quaker schools., It could be said that the Albertson Family were the initial leaders of education in Magnolia. Both sisters and their brother Charles spent their lives dedicated to teaching. Charles Albertson became the first Superintendent of Schools in Camden County and before that he and his sisters taught in the old Greenland School. Charles taught at Greenland for thirteen years and in 1890 became the first Camden County Superintendent of Schools. He held the position to his retirement in 1930. In 1927, Charles had been instrumental in getting the first Camden County Vocational School established in Pennsauken., The First Schools in Magnolia , The Greenland School was the first school in Magnolia. When Magnolia became incorporated as a Borough, Greenland was separated from Magnolia and became part of Lawnside., The need for a school was satisfied by the construction of the Lincoln Avenue School in 1894. It was constructed with two floors, each with four classrooms. Children who lived on the north side of Evesham Road attended this school. Those who lived on the south side of Evesham Road had to travel to Clementon until 1911 when Center township built the Adams Avenue School. The two school buildings resided in different townships and two different school districts. The dividing line was Evesham Road. This difference lasted until 1915 when the Adams Avenue School was placed in the domain of Magnolia Borough. Adams Avenue School was a brick building that went to the fourth grade. Sometime in the late 1930's or early 1940's it was declared unsafe to be used as a school and was closed. Later, with improvements made it became a Machine shop and then later it became a dance studio, today it is a Korean Church., In 1937 the Lincoln Avenue School burnt to the ground in a spectacular fire. Prior to the fire the residents had approved the construction of a new eight room schoolhouse. The school board lost no time in putting the approved plans to action. The construction costs was $70,000.00 half of which was provided by Government aid, (W.P.A.). The building was completed in 1938. By 1956 Borough population was increasing and the school was expanded to accomodate four more rooms, a bond issue was approved by the citizens to build ten more rooms and administration areas, these were completed in early 1958. Even with the added rooms there was not enough room for all of the students, so the First Baptist Church was rented and used for additional classrooms and the use of the auditorium. But there still was need for more space, so the school board elected to hold half sessions in 1959 and again in 1962. As Magnolia kept growing, the need for more classroom space grew with it and eventually yet another bond issue was approved in 1967. Eight additional classrooms were added and finally Magnolia School went on full sessions. However in 1990 as times and needs changed, another bond issue was put before the public to build additional classrooms and a gymnasium. This was turned down several years in a row until finally in 1995 it passed and the construction began., High School Education , Until 1960 when children finished the eight grade in Magnolia school they had to travel to Haddon Heights High School to finish their education. In that year a bond proposal was placed on the election ballot to build a regional high school. Sterling High School was built and opened in 1960. Located in Somerdale Borough, on Warwick Road, it originally served Somerdale, Stratford and Magnolia Boroughs. In recent years Hi-Nella and Laurel Springs have joined the region., Once again, in 1964, the rapid growth of the new Sterling Regional Area caused another bond issue to be proposed. It passed and addition was added to Sterling High. Population and educational needs have led the Tri-Borough group to constantly maintain and improve the complex. In the year 2000 with another bond approval the Sterling High School was again pressed to improve itself with a major construction and renovation program to enable it to maintain the high standards of education that has always prevailed in this area., Research by James Hannold