|
About APS Links
|
|
About APS
– History
What's in a Name?
Elementary School Names (O-Z)
|
Pfeiffer Elementary
School |
|
Constructed |
1917 |
|
Addition |
1960 |
|
Named in honor of |
Jacob (1861-1945) and William Pfeiffer |
|
In the early 1890s, brothers Jacob and William Pfeiffer, along
with three others, opened a company called the Miller Rubber
Co. By 1896 Jacob had bought out three of the partners. In
1900 he was president, and William was secretary-treasurer
of the company. During the late 1920s, the company ran into
financial difficulty; and in 1930 it was purchased by the B.
F. Goodrich Co. The two Pfeiffer brothers donated land for
the building of a school which was originally called
Overlook after the allotment surrounding the school site.
The name was later changed to Pfeiffer to honor these two
prominent Akron citizens. |
(Back to Top)
|
Portage Path
Elementary School |
|
Constructed |
1908 |
|
Additions |
1916, 1973 |
|
The Cuyahoga River was a major link in travel among the
Indians who journeyed from Lake Erie to the Ohio River.
Another important link was the Tuscarawas River.
In Summit County, these two rivers were separated by a
distance of only eight miles, with a trail connecting them.
This trail was known as "Portage Path." It ran from Old
Portage (five miles north of Akron) one-half mile west,
rising more than 300 feet in one mile. It followed the
present Portage Path south to Copley Road, through Perkins
Woods, dropped near Manchester Road and then ended at a
landing near Long Lake.
By 1850 a small stone building known as the Chestnut
Grove School served as the first school in this district. By
the early 1900s, the growth of the city and continued
westward expansion led to the building of a new school which
took its name from the famous Indian trail of so long ago. |
(Back to Top)
|
Rankin Elementary
School |
|
Constructed |
1925 |
|
Additions |
1926, 1953, 1968 |
|
Named in honor of |
George T. Rankin (1843-1927) |
|
George T. Rankin worked in Akron Public Schools for over 40
years. He served as superintendent of construction and was
later a member of the Akron Board of Education.
The first unit of Rankin School consisted of eight rooms. The
following year 15 classrooms, an auditorium and a gymnasium
were added. The school accommodated pupils in kindergarten
through eighth grade. |
(Back to Top)
|
Judith A. Resnik Community Learning
Center (formerly Fairlawn Elementary School) |
|
Constructed |
1929; new building opened December 18, 2006 |
|
Originally part of |
Portage Township |
|
Annexed by the city of Akron |
1931 |
|
Additions |
1949, 1952, 1954, 1958 (primary unit), 1972 (LRC) |
|
In 1931 the city of Akron extended its western boundary to
include Fairlawn School, once a part of Portage Township and
named for the village of Fairlawn.
This area can trace its "school" to the 1920s. The "new,
modern building" constructed in 1929 contains, in its
cornerstone, the names of the children and teachers of the
school and a history of Portage Township.
Under the Imagine Akron Community Learning Centers
construction program, the new Judith A. Resnik Community
Learning Center (renamed for astronaut and former Firestone
High School graduate Judith A. Resnik) was constructed at 65
Meadowcroft Drive. Groundbreaking took place on November 12,
2005; the ribbon-cutting ceremony was December 16, 2006; and
the school opened to students on December 18, 2006. |
(Back to Top)
|
Rimer Elementary
School |
|
Constructed |
1928 |
Annexed by the city of
Akron |
1929 |
|
Named in honor of |
William F. Rimer (1870-1947) |
|
William Frank Rimer moved to Kenmore in 1919. At that time, a
one-room school – Allenside – was located at the corner of
Foust (now Wilbeth) and Manchester roads.
In 1924 seven acres of land were purchased from Herman Camp,
and a portable building was placed on the site.
When bonds were sold in 1927 for a new building, Rimer
was principal of Kenmore High School. A. R. Ritzman, a
member of the Kenmore Board of Education, said, "Why wait
until a man is dead before honoring him? Mr. Rimer, although
he has lived here a short while, can never be sufficiently
reimbursed for the work he has done in the schools."
In 1929 all of Kenmore was incorporated by the city of
Akron. |
(Back to Top)
|
Ritzman Elementary
School |
|
Constructed |
1891 (as the original Ellet High School, subsequently
demolished) |
Annexed by the city of
Akron |
1895 (subsequently demolished), 1916, 1921, 1952, 1964 |
|
Renamed in honor of |
John Curtis Ritzman (1875-1963) |
|
John C. Ritzman went to work for the Ellet Township Board of
Education in 1913. From 1929 to his retirement in 1944, he
served as custodian for Ellet High School.
Shortly after the new high school was constructed, additions
were made to the old building. The Ellet community decided
to show their admiration for the many years of loyal service
which Ritzman had provided the district by renaming the
building in his honor. |
(Back to Top)
|
The Academy at
Robinson |
|
Opened |
1912 |
|
Additions |
1916, 1924, 1985 |
|
Decommissioned |
1979, reopened in 1980 |
|
Renamed in honor of |
Henry Robinson |
|
Henry Robinson was a pioneer manufacturer of clay products,
banker, civic leader and one of the original benefactors of
Akron City Hospital.
Robinson opened in 1912 and was decommissioned in 1979. The
building reopened in 1980 as the result of a federal court
suit filed by parents. Students from Fraunfelter were
reassigned to Robinson with the subsequent closing of
Fraunfelter School. The building was almost completely
remodeled, and additional land was purchased to enlarge the
playground. |
(Back to Top)
|
Schumacher
Academy |
|
Constructed |
1929 |
|
Opened |
September 1929 |
|
Additions |
1950, 1953 |
|
Named in honor of |
Ferdinand Schumacher (1822-1908) |
|
In 1856 Ferdinand Schumacher – known as the Cereal King of
America – started an oatmeal processing plant on Howard
Street. His business grew rapidly. By 1880 he was the
foremost miller of the world.
Following a disastrous fire in 1886 which destroyed an
eight-story Jumbo Mill, Schumacher merged his business with
that of the Akron Milling Co. In 1891 this concern was
consolidated with the American Cereal Co. which, in 1901,
became the Quaker Oats Co.
Schumacher was an ardent prohibitionist. He owned various
temperance hotels in Akron and was a generous contributor to
church organizations.
His wife, Mary L. Schumacher, continued the tradition of
philanthropy through generous gifts to Schumacher School.
When the school opened in 1929, she gave the school a baby
grand piano; and, in her will, she established a trust fund
of $5,000. |
(Back to Top)
Sam Salem Elementary School
(formerly Highland Park Elementary School) |
|
Constructed |
1922 |
|
Additions |
1956, 1963 |
|
Originally part of |
Coventry Township |
|
Annexed by the city of Kenmore |
1920 |
|
The original
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. |
(Back to Top)
|
Seiberling
Elementary School |
|
Constructed |
1921 |
|
Opened |
September 1922 |
|
Named in honor of |
Franklin Augustus Seiberling (1859-1955) and Charles Willard
Seiberling (1861-1946) |
|
F. A. and C. W. Seiberling were looking for a new investment
opportunity when they realized the potential of the infant
rubber industry. Rubber tires for bicycles and buggies were
just then becoming popular. They organized the Goodyear Tire
and Rubber Co., named to honor Charles Goodyear, inventor of
the rubber vulcanizing process.
The success of the new company was due in large measure to the
inventive genius and skills of the Seiberlings. F. A. was
known as the "brain" and C. W. as the "heart" of their
various enterprises.
The Seiberling brothers lost control of Goodyear in 1921.
Six months later, they launched the Seiberling Rubber Co.,
which grew to be one of the largest rubber companies in the
United States.
C. W. Seiberling donated countless hours to community
activities. He was responsible for the organization of
Akron's Community Chest in 1919 and helped launch both the
Girl Scout and Boy Scout movements.
F. A. Seiberling and his wife Gertrude built one of the
finest homes in Akron, Stan Hywet Hall. Seiberling's imprint
also is visible in Goodyear Heights, a model community which
he helped plan for his factory workers.
In November 1919, F. A. Seiberling donated a 10-acre
tract in Goodyear Heights to the Akron Board of Education on
the condition that the site be used for public purposes and
plans for any school building would be subject to his
approval. In March 1921, the school board moved ahead with
plans to construct a new school in Goodyear Heights and
voted to name it "Seiberling School." |
(Back to Top)
|
Smith Elementary
School |
|
Constructed |
1918 |
|
Addition |
1955 |
|
Originally part of |
Coventry Township District |
|
Annexed by the Akron School District |
1929 |
|
Named in honor of |
Fred E. Smith (1857-1940) |
|
Fred E. Smith was a leader in the early development of the
town of Kenmore. The town of Kenmore was developed by the
Akron Realty Co. The founders of the company laid out the
town along the street railway line of the Northern Ohio
Traction and Light Co. between Akron and Barberton.
The original town plat included 1,500 lots, 1,000 of
which were owned by the Akron Realty Co. The first lot was
sold in 1901.
In 1908 Fred E. Smith purchased the entire holdings of
the Akron Realty Co. In the same year, Kenmore was
incorporated.
Smith donated the site on which the school bearing his
name was built. |
(Back to Top)
|
Stewart Elementary
School |
|
Constructed |
1968 |
|
Opened |
September 1968 |
|
Named in honor of |
Horace St. John Stewart (1897-1968) |
|
The life-long avocation and vocation of Horace St. John
Stewart – a well-known African-American leader in Akron –
was photography. He came to Akron and established a
photography studio here in 1932. He was a member of the
Professional Photographers Association of America.
Stewart made significant contributions to the public and
social welfare of Akron through service on various boards
and committees, including the Community Service Center, the
Urban League, and the Glendale Branch of the Welfare Board.
He also was a life-long member of the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). |
(Back to Top)
|
Voris Elementary
School (renamed Voris Community Learning Center) |
|
Constructed |
1930; new building opened January 10, 2007 |
|
Named in honor of |
General Alvin Coe Voris (1827-1904) |
|
General Alvin Coe Voris served as a lawyer and legislator.
However, his political career was interrupted by the Civil
War. In September 1861, he entered the army as a lieutenant
colonel of the 67th Regiment and became its commanding
officer the following March. In 1865 he was promoted to
major general for distinguished service in the field.
After the war, General Voris resumed the practice of law. He
was later elected to the Constitutional Assembly and served
as judge of the Court of Common Please for Summit, Medina
and Lorain counties.
Under the Imagine Akron Community Learning Centers
construction program, the new Voris Community Learning
Center was constructed at 1885 Glenmount Ave. Groundbreaking
took place on October 21, 2005; the school opened to
students on January 10, 2007; and the ribbon-cutting
ceremony was January 20, 2007. |
(Back to Top)
|
Windemere
Elementary School |
|
Constructed |
1924 |
|
Opened |
September 1924 |
|
Additions |
1948, 1952, 1954, 1972 (LRC) |
|
Originally part of |
Springfield Township Schools |
|
Annexed by the Akron School District |
1929 |
|
Windemere was originally part of the Springfield Township
District. The school – which is located on the top of a hill
– was named for its location. Over the years, students and
teachers have claimed that it is the windiest spot in Summit
County. |
(Back to Top) |