Alumni and friends will gather at Thornton Academy this weekend to mark a significant anniversary: It has been 200 years since the school was founded by an act of the Massachusetts Legislature.
The bicentennial will be observed through the year, with major events in June, October and December, as well as Saturday’s Founding Day Celebration. It will be a continuing celebration not only for the school, but for students and the communities it serves.
“Fireworks in February” is the theme for Saturday’s events, which indeed include a fireworks display and bonfire from 6:30-9 p.m. The schedule also includes sleigh rides, ice skating and an ice sculpture competition. There will be music in the afternoon and evening, and a community supper.
The academy has evolved considerably from its early days on School Street. It took its present form in 1889, when local communities first contracted with the school to provide public education. In its continuing role as both a public school and private academy, Thornton Academy is a hybrid that combines the best of both systems. It educates students from Saco, Dayton and Arundel, while its free-enterprise instincts have led it to build dormitories and open a middle school.
Headmaster Carl Stasio, who has been in charge since 1986 and is contemplating retirement in 2012, said the academy draws energy from its continuing evolution. “It’s a dynamic place,” he said recently.
The idea of a continuing celebration is well-conceived. The next event will mark the arrival of summer, followed in the fall by Homecoming. As the year draws to a close, the bicentennial will conclude with a look “Into the Future.”
Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Nick Cowenhoven at nickc@journaltribune.com.
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