Aerial View of Original Andrew Warde High School Illustrates Innovative House Plan

Andrew Warde High School opened in the Fall of 1956 and was lauded for its innovative original house plan, which included Wolcott, Smedley, Barlow, and Mason houses. It wasn't until the early 1970s that the Fitts/Hale house was constructed on the East side of the campus adjacent to Melville Avenue.

This is an aerial view of Andrew Warde High School as it appeared in the 1960 Flame yearbook. Click the photo to see a full-screen view. According to the yearbook, "Andrew Warde is a pacesetter. Like the modern thruway, it is the tangible, practical result of progressive thinking. The unique house plan, dividing the school into four smaller units, provides an intimate atmosphere in which close relationships among pupils and teachers can thrive.

"Through personal association with pupils, the purposes of the high school --- instruction, supervision, guidance, and administration --- are more easily achieved while, at the same time, the student becomes an individual, not just a tab on a seating chart. Yet, because certain facilities and equipment are shared, each house enjoys the advantages of a big school. Thus, as a stop on the road to tomorrow, the house plan is entirely our journey."

Paul