Bacon Academy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bacon Academy |
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| Address | |
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611 Norwich Ave
, Connecticut
06415
United States
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| Coordinates | 41°34′28″N 72°18′10″W / 41.5745°N 72.3029°W |
| Information | |
| Established | 1803 |
| CEEB code | 070110 |
| Principal | Amy Begué |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 759 (2018–19) |
| Mascot | Bobcats |
Bacon Academy is a public high school in Colchester, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1803 thanks to a generous gift from a local farmer. The school has a long history of preparing young people for college and life. Today, it serves students from grades 9 to 12.
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History of Bacon Academy
Bacon Academy started because of a kind farmer named Pierpont Bacon. When he passed away in 1800, he left a large sum of money. This money was meant to create a school for young people in Colchester. It would teach them reading, writing, math, and languages. This is how Bacon Academy got its name. The school first opened its doors on November 1, 1803.
Early School Days
In its early years, Bacon Academy was known for getting students ready for universities across the country. Local children could attend the school for free. Many important people in the 1800s thought highly of the Academy.
The school year was divided into three parts, called terms. The first term was from September to December. The second ran from January to April, and the third from May to August. Records show that fewer local students attended during planting and harvesting seasons. Many would skip terms or leave early to help their families.
How Students Learned Back Then
Early Bacon students did not get a diploma or graduate after four years, like they do today. Instead, the school had a system with three different learning levels, called branches.
- In the first branch, students learned subjects like languages, English grammar, and mathematics.
- In the second branch, they were taught writing, geometry, and public speaking.
- The last branch was similar to a common or grammar school.
A student's age did not decide their level. Some students finished all three branches and left Bacon at fifteen or sixteen years old. In 1886, the school changed to the four-year system we know today. By 1890, the first modern graduation was held, and each student received a diploma.
Daily Life at School
The school bell would ring early in the morning. In the fall and summer, it rang at 5:30 AM. In the winter, it rang at 7:00 AM for students in the first two branches. Each day, two students would practice public speaking in front of their teachers and classmates. After the speeches, the day would begin with a Morning Prayer. Then, the principal, called the "preceptor," would talk about good behavior and studies. This routine changed after 1846, and the bells only rang to start the school day.
Life as a Bacon student was strict. Students were expected to be honest and behave like gentlemen or ladies. They had to act properly and dress neatly, both in and out of class. If they didn't, they could be punished or even expelled. In class, students sat quietly and studied subjects like Greek or Latin. At home, they usually studied when they weren't working on their family farms or doing chores.
Moving to New Buildings
After its 100th birthday celebration, the school's national fame lessened. Bacon Academy then mostly served students from Colchester and nearby towns. Over time, it became the public high school for the Town of Colchester.
By 1962, the original 160-year-old building on Main Street was too small for all the students. So, they moved to a new school next to the grammar school. In the 1980s, even more students needed space. This led to building a brand new high school less than a mile east. The doors opened at the current location in 1993.
Bacon Academy celebrated its 200th birthday in 2003. The celebration included a special concert by the Bacon Academy Bands. There was also an all-class reunion, a golf tournament, and open houses at all the buildings that had ever been home to the Academy.
Sports at Bacon Academy
The Bacon Academy sports teams are called the Bobcats. They are part of the Eastern Connecticut Conference (ECC).
Football Rivalry
The Bobcats have a big rivalry with RHAM High School in Hebron, Connecticut. The two schools play an annual football game on Thanksgiving Day. The winner gets "The Rail." This is a piece of railroad track that represents the Airline Rail. This old train track used to run between the towns of Colchester and Hebron.
Girls Basketball Champions
On March 17, 2012, the varsity girls basketball team won the Class L State Championship! They beat E.O. Smith 38-34 at Mohegan Sun Arena. Their head coach, Dave Shea, was a Bacon Academy graduate from 1952. This win was his 660th career victory. The girls basketball team also finished third in Connecticut in the final 2012 New Haven Register State Poll.
Famous People Who Went to Bacon Academy
Many notable people have attended Bacon Academy over the years. Here are a few:
- Stephen F. Austin — Known as the "father of Texas" for his role in settling the state.
- William Alfred Buckingham — He was a Governor and a Senator for Connecticut.
- Eliphalet Adams Bulkeley — The first president of Aetna Insurance Company.
- Morgan Bulkeley — He was a Mayor of Hartford, a Governor of Connecticut, a Senator for Connecticut, and is in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
- J. Cleaveland Cady — A famous architect.
- Jonathan Coulton — An American singer-songwriter.
- William J. Johnston — Received the Medal of Honor, the highest military award in the United States.
- Edwin D. Morgan — He was a Governor of New York and a U.S. Senator.
- Lewis E. Stanton — Served as the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
- Lyman Trumbull — A U.S. Senator of Illinois and helped write the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which ended slavery.
- Morrison Remick Waite — Served as a Supreme Court Justice for many years.
- Ron Wotus — A former Major League Baseball player and coach for the San Francisco Giants.
- Arthur Williams Wright — He was the first person to earn a PhD in science outside of Europe while studying at Yale University.
