Dedham Public Schools

On January 2, 1643, the town meeting set aside land for three public purposes: a school, a church, and a training field.

[2][3] Two years later, on January 1, 1645, by unanimous vote, the Town of Dedham authorized the first taxpayer-funded public school in the United States,[4][5][6][3] "the seed of American education.

[9] The early residents of Dedham were so committed to education that they donated £4.6.6 to Harvard College during its first eight years of existence, a sum greater than many other towns, including Cambridge itself.

[11] Residents were content to allow the minister to be the local intellectual and did not establish a grammar school as required by law.

[12] Initially held in the village center, the school began travelling around town as families moved to outlying areas.

[7][8] On June 25, 1894, the Great and General Court passed a Resolve to erect a monument commemorating the site of the first public school.

Governor Roger Wolcott led a committee that heard the claims of several cities and towns, including the presentation made by Dedham's Don Gleason Hill and Rev.

[17] Hill gave an address in which he noted the school stood in proximity to several important religious, civil, and historical buildings and monuments.

[21] The building likely resembled contemporary schools in the English countryside with a raised platform, wooden wainscoting, and high windows.

[28] Each winter, the schools would hold a sleighing party for the children, led by Alden Bartlett's "Naiad Queen" which featured a high dasher on which was painted a mermaid.

[28] Students would occasionally go on field trips to exhibitions in Boston, at Temperance Hall, or at the Town House.

[30] After the Commonwealth mandated that drawing be taught in 1870, Henry Hitchens was hired to teach Dedham's teachers how to instruct in the art form.

[32] In 1877, May Flagg Taft, Hitchen's future wife, was hired as a drawing teacher in the high school.

[14] She was replaced in 1887 by Anna Rebecca (née Bullard) Slafter[14] who previously taught in the village school.

[14] A program of physical education was introduced in 1893 when Olive F. Moakler began teaching the Ling System of gymnastics.

[34] Margaret Warren and Emily Ames visited the Avery and Quincy Schools once a week for several years.

[34] A state law passed in 1911 explicitly allowed schools to do this and a program was set up with the Dedham Institution for Savings.

[34] The bank would later set up a branch for students that was open during lunch hours in the high school cafeteria.

[25] As early as 1827 the Commonwealth of Massachusetts required all towns with more than 500 families to establish a free public high school.

[12] As they had their own farms to manage in addition, their pay was not docked unless they missed an entire week's worth of classes.

[39] His successors through 1936 include Abner J. Phipps, Henry E. Crocker, Guy Channel, Oscar S. Williams, Roderick W. Hine,[b] and John C.

[13] Records show that teachers were given the honorary title of "sir" at a time when most men were not even referred to as "mister.

The Dr. Thomas J. Curran Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) is located at 1100 High Street and serves children in pre-school and kindergarten.

[50] The current Avery School, located at 336 High Street, was opened in 2012 and serves children from East Dedham and some from Oakdale.

[57] The original block of the 1902 school building was designed by the Boston architectural firm of Hartwell and Richardson in the Queen Anne style popular between 1880-1910.

[63] In recent years the school has seen tremendous growth in both the number of students taking Advanced Placement courses and in qualifying scores on the exams.

[64] The schools athletic program offers 26 varsity sports with a mascot known as the Marauders,[65] and 26 co-curricular clubs and activities.

[67] As the number of pupils grew, the 1822 school room was divided in half to make an additional classroom.

[71][78] The Dexter School in Upper Dedham for many years was leased out to private companies and The Education Collaborative.

Funds have been provided for student performances including live theater productions, drama club, and both the middle and high school choruses.