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What's in a Name?
Elementary School Names (H-N)

Harris Elementary School
Constructed 1922
Named in honor of Malana A. Harris (1842-1904)
Originally part of Portage Township Schools
Annexed by Akron Public Schools 1916
Harris School is located on the site of the former Caldwell School, built in 1906 by the Portage Township Schools. In 1916 the Akron Board of Education annexed Caldwell, and it became part of the Akron Public Schools system. A four-room annex was added shortly afterward.

In 1921 the Akron Board of Education razed the original 1906 building and built a major addition to the school. Apparently, the school board intended to retain the name of Caldwell for the Dayton Street school; however, a controversy concerning school names began to brew which ultimately involved the Dayton Street school and the proposed school on Merriman Road now known as King School.

The end result was that the Dayton Street school was renamed for Malana A. Harris, a former Akron teacher who was instrumental in the growth of the kindergarten program in Akron. Harris began her teaching career in Akron Public Schools in September 1875.

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Hatton Elementary School
Constructed 1957
Additions 1961, 1965
Named in honor of Otis C. Hatton (1886-1957)
In 1917 Otis C. Hatton came to Akron to teach at Central High School. During the ensuing years, he served successively as principal of Glover Elementary School, Mason Elementary Teachers' College Observation School and East High School. In 1934 he was appointed assistant superintendent, a post he held until 1942 when he was named superintendent.

During his 13-year superintendency, Hatton guided the Akron school system from the curtailments of the depression years. Among his more important accomplishments were the reopening of kindergarten, the reestablishment of the full-length school day for high school students, and the launching of an extensive building construction program.

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Heminger Elementary School
Constructed 1905
Addition 1964
Named in honor of McClelland C. Heminger (1862-1945)
McClelland C. Heminger taught school for more than 20 years and, for several years, served as a member of the Coventry Board of Education.

In 1900 he entered the lumber business. By 1901 he had become very involved with the incorporation of Kenmore and so joined the Akron Realty Co. where he served as secretary, treasurer and general manager.

It was while he was general manager of the company that Heminger donated land for a school in Kenmore – a school which would proudly bear his name.

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Highland Park Elementary School
(renamed Sam Salem Elementary School)
Constructed 1922
Additions 1956, 1963
Originally part of Coventry Township
Annexed by the city of Kenmore 1920
Highland Park School is located in an area which originally was a part of Coventry Township and was served by the old Tamarack School near Nesmith Lake. This area – also referred to as Oakwood – was annexed by the city of Kenmore in 1920.

Largely through the efforts of A. R. Ritzman of the Heminger-Ritzman Realty Co., a residential allotment was opened called Highland Park.

Shortly after the allotment opened, a school was constructed to serve the children of this new area, children who has been attending school in portable buildings and children from the old Tamarack School. The new 14-room brick building took its name from the residential allotment which had spawned it, Highland Park.

Highland Park was renamed Sam Salem Elementary School in January 2000 in honor of retiring school board member Sam Salem, the longest-serving member (28 years) in the board's history.

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David Hill Elementary School
Constructed 1928
Named in honor of David E. Hill (1825-1901)
In 1851 David E. Hill joined with three other men to become manufacturers of water pipe. Two years later, one of the partners invented a machine to make vitrified sewer pipe, thus making this company the first sewer pipe factory in the United States. By 1871 the company was incorporated as the Akron Sewer Pipe Co.

In 1873 Hill formed another pipe company – the Hill Sewer Pipe Co. – with himself as president. In 1900 the two companies merged to form the American Sewer Pipe Co.

Besides founding the sewer pipe industry, Hill also served as the first president of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., a member of City Council, a county commissioner and as a member of the Middlebury School Board.

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Jackson Elementary School
Constructed 1928
Named in honor of Andrew Jackson (1833-1905)
In 1864 Andrew Jackson – no relation to the president after whom he was named – began a career in the lumber business which enabled him to become very prominent in Akron's commercial circles.

Jackson was active in community affairs and served two terms as a member of the Akron Board of Education.

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King Elementary School
Constructed 1923
Named in honor of Leicester King, David L. King and Henry W. King
King School was named for three members of the King family. Leicester King served as an associate judge of Trumbull County for seven years before coming to Akron. In 1834 Judge King was deeded a third interest in north Akron by General Simon Perkins and Dr. Eliakim Crosby. Later, Judge King purchased Dr. Crosby's interest. In 1840 Judge King helped to build the Cascade Mill. He was a key promoter of the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal, and it is said that he was responsible for changing the plan of the canal route so it would come through Akron instead of Middlebury.

Henry W. King

David L. King, son of Judge King, shared his father's interest in business. David King was secretary and treasurer of the Akron Sewer Pipe Co., a leading manufacturer of vitrified sewer pipe.

The most important member of the King family in the history of Akron Public Schools is Henry W. King (pictured to the left). King was secretary of the citizens committee which drafted the bill embodying the Akron Plan of free graded public schools passed by the state legislature in February 1847. The Akron Plan became the model for tax-supported schools in Ohio and throughout the nation.

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Lawndale Elementary School
Constructed 1912
Opened 1913
Additions 1916, 1922
Originally part of Coventry Township District
Annexed by Akron Public Schools 1929
The first Lawndale School was a one-room frame building on Wilbeth Road. The school was named for an area of Kenmore known as the Lawndale Allotment.

In 1912 a four-room brick school was erected on 25th Street. Because of the rapid increase in enrollment, additions were added to Lawndale in 1916 and 1922. In 1929, when Kenmore was annexed to the city of Akron, Lawndale became part of Akron Public Schools.

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Leggett Elementary School
Constructed 1889
Additions 1914, 1921
Named in honor of Mortimer D. Leggett (1821-96)
 Mortimer D. LeggettMortimer D. Leggett (pictured to the right), Akron's first superintendent of schools, served from  1847 to 1849. In addition to his duties as superintendent, he was principal of the grammar school at an annual salary of $500.

During his short tenure, he was responsible for the formal organization of the Akron school system. When the new school board was unable to honor his request for additional compensation, he resigned his post.

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Lincoln Elementary School
Constructed 1910
Opened September 1910
Addition 1919
Named in honor of President Abraham Lincoln (1809-65)
Lincoln School was named for Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States (1861-65).

Construction of the school was started in 1909, the 100th anniversary of Lincoln's birth. The school opened in September 1910. The original building had 12 rooms including a kindergarten. In 1919 a major addition provided 12 additional classrooms, a kindergarten room, a combination auditorium/gymnasium and a swimming pool.

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Margaret Park Elementary School
Constructed 1917
Opened Spring 1918
Additions 1920, 1928, 1930
Named in honor of Margaret Barnhart (1874-1913)
Margaret Barnhart, a leader in the establishment of public playgrounds, moved to Akron in 1898. She believed supervised playgrounds would help eliminate juvenile delinquency and took the lead in establishing public playgrounds in Akron. The city named the park along the northeast shore of Summit Lake in her honor.

Barnhart was also instrumental in the establishment of the new Children's Home and the Juvenile Court.

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Mason Elementary School
Constructed 1913
Opened September 1913
Addition 1919
Named in honor of Frank H. Mason (1852-1931)
Frank H. Mason, Akron industrialist and philanthropist, came to Akron in 1879 and took a job in the millroom of B. F. Goodrich Rubber Works, Akron's first rubber company. He rose through the ranks and, in 1907, was elected vice president. In 1912, when Goodrich and Diamond Rubber Co. merged, he became vice chairman of the board of directors.

In September 1910, Akron Public Schools suspended medical inspections in the schools due to lack of funding. Concerned about the curtailment of health services, in 1912 Mason offered to underwrite the cost of employing visiting nurses in the schools for one year. In recognition of his generosity, the Akron Board of Education named the proposed school on Beaver Street the "Frank H. Mason School."

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McEbright Elementary School
Constructed 1920
Named in honor of Thomas McEbright (1824-94)
Dr. Thomas McEbright


In 1864, Dr. Thomas McEbright (pictured to the left) came to Akron and soon became one of the area's prominent surgeons.

For many years, Dr. McEbright served as a faithful and interested member of the Akron Board of Education.

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Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts
Constructed 1956 (South High School
Opened September 1956, closed 1980, reopened as Miller South in 1993
Additions Lakeshore Annex 1971, 1975
Miller South School for the Visual & Performing Arts opened in the fall of 1993, following a parent, student and staff interest survey which indicated community support for a visual and performing arts school.

The former South High School was closed in 1980. The school then became the South Education Center. In honor of Akron's first African-American principal, George C. Miller, the building was renamed George C. Miller South Education Center.

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