Old Trail School celebrates 100th anniversary after two-year delay

by Laura Bednar

Old Trail School reached its 100th year of existence in 2020, but the pandemic postponed the celebration until this spring, when students, educators and alumni gathered on the Bath campus to recognize Old Trail’s history and look to its future.

The school has moved away from traditional academic formats like memorization to focus on play, creativity and student experience, according to Associate Head of School Joe Vogel.

“It’s progressive education,” said Vogel, adding that students learn the “ability to communicate effectively with friends, peers and adults.”

According to the school’s website, “We immerse your child in the curriculum through activities, projects and places that stoke their curiosity and encourage them to learn deeper.”

This experiential learning does not include standardized tests. Instead, the curriculum includes 30 academic and arts electives, 20 field trips a year and six overnight experiential learning trips for middle schoolers.

The centennial celebration, which drew almost 250 guests, was held at the end of May next to the school’s Merryweather outdoor classroom. Attendees viewed yearbooks and school memorabilia, ate dinner and enjoyed live music.

Throughout campus were displays of historical items from the school with photos, such as a hammer from the 1930s that a student used during a crafting class. The school was also open for tours.

During the event, Laura Preston, co-chair of the celebration, said the plan for the centennial kept changing as COVID-19 protocols evolved. Four different versions of the event were proposed, including black tie, before the celebration committee settled on an outdoor gathering on campus.

Co-Chair Chip Preston ’75 said three generations of his family attended Old Trail, adding, “The individual attention to learning is in contrast to the experience at public schools.”

To honor the milestone, Old Trail constructed a centennial poem bench that rises and lowers in a semi-circle at the front of the school building to mimic the Cuyahoga River.

David Hassler, director of the Wick Poetry Center at Kent State University and parent of an Old Trail student, formatted the poem based on responses from over 400 Old Trail community members about the school’s centennial. People responded from classes spanning 1948 to 2029.

One line from Susan Thomas Ryan ’49 read, “The few of us who are left remember Old Trail fondly as the place we began to grow into responsible adults.”

Josh Novak ’22 wrote, “I am from the booming, joyful, never-ending chatter in the halls, to the focused, determined minds in the classroom.”

After narrowing down the responses to roughly 40 lines, the poem, titled “Raise Our Voices,” was etched into the steel and white oak bench.

Also added was a centennial hallway in the school with archived history and photos spanning the years. Vogel said these focused on the five facets of the school: founding, academics, athletics, visual arts and the school’s place in the valley.

Many attendees served on the school’s executive board, sent their children to Old Trail and see their grandchildren at the school. A parent of alumni and volunteer at the school, Michelle Fair, said the school “teaches [kids] how to be good human beings and not be narrow-minded going into the world.”

History

The school was founded in 1920 by Drs. William C. Geer and William A. Parks, who wanted to create a new learning environment. The model attracted teachers from Columbia University and others outside of the Akron area, according to Vogel.

The school struggled early to stay afloat financially; some teachers weren’t paid for a year, and the founders sought donations door to door. The school eventually gained a foothold.

Old Trail has had several locations, beginning with the basement of an Episcopal church on West Market Street in Akron. A campus was later built on Covington Road in Fairlawn Heights.

Alumna Marilyn Buckey said she graduated from the Covington Road location with 13 students in her class. Old Trail had an all-girls high school, which was later eliminated to focus on pre-school through eighth grade.

“It’s history and I love it,” Buckey said. “I have a lot of fond memories.”

Vogel said at one point kindergarten through third-grade students temporarily used the third floor of Stan Hywet Hall for their studies. Old Trail moved to its location on Ira Road in Bath in 1967.

“At the time it moved, [the school] had no idea what would happen to the Cuyahoga Valley,” said Vogel.

Old Trail is the nation’s only independent school located in a national park. It is surrounded by 62 acres within the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and includes hiking trails and an on-site farm.

Expanding campus

In the school’s 102 years, there have been many additions to the curriculum and the campus. Students use the farm for an apprentice program in which they grow fruits, vegetables and learn about agriculture. Much of the farmed food is served in the school cafeteria.

In 2020, the school opened its Merryweather outdoor classroom, a structure that included classroom space, a grass roof and a patio with fire pit.

“It’s an incredible space where the director of nature-based and experiential education is housed,” said Vogel.

According to documents of the classroom’s rendering, the space is meant to have students engage with the outdoors.

Old Trail’s primary building has one of the largest solar arrays in Summit County, according to Vogel, and produces electricity for the school. This addition accompanied others, like the Harrington-McLaughlin Athletic Center. Old Trail fields sports teams in cross-country, track, swimming and basketball, among others.

Student electives include band, farmhand, pottery and robotics. Much of the hands-on learning includes community service projects like making blankets for those in need; fundraising for a cause and volunteering at the Emergency Assistance Center.

Emma Miklos ’21 said her favorite part of attending Old Trail was the community. “It’s a space that feels like home,” she said.

Vogel’s hope for the school’s future is to “stay true to who we are and who we’ve been for the last 100 years.” ∞