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Biglerville High School History
The apple industry was rapidly expanding and here was the center of much of its activity. Biglerville-made barrels were being delivered by the thousands to the orchardists in the surrounding foothills, to be packed and hauled back to the railroad for the first leg of their long journey to the overseas markets. Christian H. Musselman, who had bought out a small bankrupt cannery, began canning apples and apple products in 1907, thus providing a market for any surplus apples that could not be absorbed by the export trade. Biglerville discovered that it needed a high school too, and in 1913 the school board rented quarters above Thomas Brothers store on the square and set up a two-year high school course. Its first graduates, the class of 1915, were only three in number. The new venture into secondary education flourished here, just as it had in Arendtsville and in 1917 a new two-story building was built to house both grade school and high school pupils. This red brick structure is now part of the Biglerville High School unit of the Upper Adams jointure. While the new construction was still in progress, four-year programs were inaugurated in both academic and commercial subjects, and the first four-year class graduated in 1920. It was by virtue of these courses that Biglerville became in 1918 an approved first class high school. Menallen and Tyrone townships sent their grammar school graduates in increasing numbers to Arendtsville and Biglerville High Schools; but because of its strategic location and its academic course, Biglerville began to draw ahead of Arendtsville in the number of tuition pupils enrolled from these two districts. Butler Township, however, elected to cast in its lot with Arendtsville, entering into a vocational high school jointure that included Arendtsville borough, Butler and Franklin townships. The jointure agreement, dated March 12, 1917, was for a ten-year period. Its adoption enabled the three districts to participate in federal aid to vocational high schools, authorized by the Smith-Huges Act, in 1916. This plan continued in satisfactory operation for the first ten-year period, and was twice renewed, once in 1927 and again in 1937. Under its operation, the Arendtsville Vocational High School reached the peak of its enrollment in 1938, with a total of 118 students. The withdrawal of Franklin Township on September 17, 1941, presaged the end of the jointure, although Butler Township and Arendtsville continue in joint operation of the vocational high school until the Upper Adams School District was formed in June 1947. https://www.upperadams.org/Page/390 |
Band Directors
2018 - Present - Mr. Rei Phillippi 1984 - 2018 - Mrs. Jamie Cope 1983 - 1984 - Mr. Dennis Cope 1982 - 1983 - Mrs. Lisa Redpath 1981 - 1982 - Mr. Mark Amsden 1977 - 1981 - Mr. Steven Bowman 1976 - 1977 - Mr. Craig Sunday 1969 - 1976 - Mr. Benjamin Jones 1966 - 1967 - Mr. Gary Crum 1961 - 1966 - Mr. Richard Thompson 1949 - 1961 - Mr. Harold Sanders more information will be coming soon... Biglerville Band Boosters - 2018-2019 President - Michael Bellarmino Vice President - Amber Chase Secretary - Kim Presser Treasurer - Kara Cook Fundraising Chair - Kirstine Witherow Alma Mater
BIGLERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL, WE ARE BRINGING OUR GIFTS OF HOMAGE DUE. WITH SONGS AND PRAISES RINGING, OUR DEBTS WE OWE TO YOU, OTHER HIGHS ALL HAVE THEIR COLORS, WHICH ARE LOVED BY YOUNG AND OLD, BUT THE NOBLEST AND THE FAIREST ARE BIGLERVILLE’S BLACK AND GOLD. WHEN WE ENTER LIFE’S GREAT BATTLE, AND HIGH SCHOOL DAYS ARE O’ER, WE WILL THINK OF THEE AND LOVE THEE AS NE’ER WE’VE DONE BEFORE. OUR HEARTS WILL SURELY LINGER, OUR LIVES WILL EVER TELL, WE LOVE YOU, ALMA MATER, TRUE HEARTED BIGLERVILLE. |
