The Helen E. James School was constructed in early 1914 and dedicated on September 4 of that year. Mrs. James was at the ceremony. The last high school class in the James School graduated in 1971. It regained life as an elementary school when it housed pre-school through grade 3 students. The James School rounded out 100 years serving students in town in 2014, when all grades moved to the new Anne T. Dunphy School in September.
Looking back at its time as an elementary school, the last major renovation was completed in 1987. Joseph Mattel was the architect for the renovation that added a handicapped accessible entrance, a stair tower, and an elevator. The June 2, 1986, traditional “groundbreaking” occasion was captured in this photograph of school Principal Dorothy Ladd purposefully taking a scoop from the big pile of dirt with her shovel. Members of the Building Committee surround her as she takes the first ceremonial shovelful: L-R: Jeanne Hemenway, Peter Shumway, Lloyd Warriner, Gordon Allen, Roger Bisbee, and Thomas Kress. The memorial plaque with this photograph and a certificate of appreciation for Principal Ladd are part of the Meekins Library Local History Collection. Daria D’Arienzo, Archivist. throwbackthursday; #tbt.
