[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 54 (Wednesday, April 30, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E798-E799]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING ABINGTON FRIENDS SCHOOL

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JON D. FOX

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 30, 1997

  Mr. FOX of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an 
outstanding school which began educating our youth even before our 
Founding Fathers brought forth this great Nation. Founded in 1697, 
Abington Friends School has the distinction of being the oldest primary 
and secondary education institution in the United States to operate 
continuously at the same location and under the same administration.
  Abington Friends School is an independent, coeducational, college 
preparatory day school, founded by and administered under the care of 
the Abington Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends--The 
Quakers.
  Mr. Speaker, Abington Friends School has been dedicated to teaching 
the values of peace, community service and commitment to society for 
three centuries--long before this week's Presidents' Summit for 
America's Future in Philadelphia attempted to deliver the same message.
  It is a basic Quaker tenet that all conflicts can be resolved 
peacefully. The strength and success of Abington Friends School is that 
while certain elements have remained the same throughout the past 300 
years, the school has shown the ability to adapt to the changing times 
while still providing a quality education and remaining true to their 
motto--``Commitment, Community, Character.''
  In 1697, John Barnes, a wealthy tailor, donated 120 acres of his 
estate and 150 pounds in currency to construct a meetinghouse and 
school. The school was the first educational institution in the 
Abington area and the first classes were conducted in the Meetinghouse.
  To put the history of Abington Friends School in perspective, a 
chronicler once noted that ``when the marching troops of General 
Washington and General Howe kicked up the dust of Old York Road in 
1777, it was not the first pupils of the schools who watched with 
alternating emotions from the hedgerows, but the grandchildren of those 
first scholars.'' The school's address--Washington Lane--is a tie and a 
tribute to that past.
  From the beginning, Abington Friends School was ahead of its time, 
starting as a coeducational school. George Boone, uncle of Daniel 
Boone, was the popular headmaster from 1716 to 1720. The current 
caretaker's building next to the Meetinghouse served as the school 
beginning in 1784. Boys met on the first floor; girls on the second. 
The present School Store is believed to have been built between 1690 
and 1710. The building was either a farmer's residence or a storage 
cottage.
  Over the last 15 years, seventh-grade students have been involved in 
an archaeological dig around the store and have uncovered 10,000 
artifacts many of which are on display at the school. Among the finds 
are Colonial artifacts that give credence to the fact that Washington's 
troops did pass by the school and may have even stopped there.
  Abington Friends School was also a leader in the movement to abolish 
slavery in the United States. Benjamin Lay who lived across the street 
from the grounds during the 1700's was a Quaker and an ardent 
abolitionist. He made his distaste for slavery known to the Friends. 
One day, he detained some students on their way home from school and 
told the distraught mother: ``How do you think those poor mothers in 
Africa feel when their children are torn from them, never to be 
returned again?'' This family freed their slaves. By 1760, there were 
black students at Abington Friends. This was 16 years before the 
Quakers abolished slavery in their ranks and the outset of the American 
Revolution; 100 years before the American Civil War and 200 years 
before integration and the Civil Rights Movement. In fact, the earliest 
school picture from 1869 shows black students.
  The abolitionist fervor carried on 100 years later. Lucretia Mott, a 
local Quaker woman and frequent attender of Abington Monthly Meeting 
from 1857-1880, often spoke to students about her experiences as a 
conductor on the Underground Railroad. In fact, it is likely that the 
Meeting and school may have been a stop on the Underground Railroad. 
Today, third-grade students culminate their study of the Underground 
Railroad by participating in a simulation on the grounds around the 
Meetinghouse. It is fitting that civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks 
appeared at Abington Friends this past October.
  Abington Friends School operated as a boarding school from 1887-1914 
when a Quaker minister, Edith Atlee, saw the need for secondary 
education. The result was a school from kindergarten through 12th 
grade. After the close of the boarding school, the high school was 
eliminated. In the mid 1920's ninth grade was added. Due to the 
increase of public schools in the area by the early 20th century, 
enrollment at Abington Friends began to drop, particularly among boys. 
In 1931, Abington Friends became an all-girls college preparatory 
school. Boys were readmitted in 1966 with the first co-ed graduation in 
more than 40 years occurring in 1975.
  In 1959, the school committee which establishes policy for the school 
directed Headmaster Howard Bartram to ``expand the number of students 
and teachers whose racial, religious and cultural backgrounds would 
help us better understand the world in which we live.''
  The school continues to actively pursue students of various 
backgrounds. There are students from Bolivia, Bosnia, England, Israel 
and the Ukraine and faculty from Ghana and Sweden. This adds a rich 
international and diverse flavor to the school. A student-run 
multicultural organization plans such celebrations as Black History 
Month, Chinese New Year, and a December program which recognizes all 
the different cultural holiday. A lower school Spanish program exposes 
students to the values of being multilingual and teaches them to have 
respect for other cultures.
  While Abington Friends School celebrates three centuries of 
education, it is prepared for the 21st century. Students use computers 
to access information on the Internet, to write or

[[Page E799]]

compose art or to communicate with students in other cities, states and 
countries. Strong arts, theater, music and athletic programs enable 
students to find that they have talents in multiple disciplines.
  From the first September nearly 300 years ago, Abington Friends 
School has been a special place for children. Quakers and non-Quakers 
and children of all races, nations and economic backgrounds have 
received rigorous academic training in an environment which empowers 
them to create, question, challenge and explore. Students are taught 
the value of peaceful conflict resolution and are required to perform 
community service. With these powerful guiding principles, Abington 
Friends School has been able to help children grow into productive, 
responsible adults committed to improving their communities and the 
world.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to honor the students, faculty, 
administrators, and parents of Abington Friends School as they 
celebrate their rich history, the dedication to the community, their 
commitment to peaceful resolution of conflict and their respect for all 
members of the human family without regard to race, color, creed or 
social standing. I praise their efforts to raise generation after 
generation of American children dedicated to working for the common 
good and I wish them prayers and good wishes for the next 300 years and 
beyond.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________