Discover the rich history of Sandy Pond School with us

A teacher in the 19th century would have been very familiar with this word. It denoted those young students whose immediate task was to learn the alphabet. Its origins can be traced back to the 17th century, and it was in common use as late as 1880.

Single room school students, who were known as "scholars," had one hour off from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. to eat and play. In good weather, they would bring their "dinner pails" outside and play for most of the hour. They could play anywhere they wished as long as they could hear the school bell calling them back to classes at 1:00 p.m.

This word, with which some of us may be familiar, is simply another word for outhouse. For us, it's a word. For Sandy Pond School students, it was an everyday experience.