A History of Pashley ELementary & Education in Glenville, NY
1815: Glenville was divided into eight common school districts. Throughout the years, these original districts were subdivided into other new districts until there were 14 in the town.
1815: District #8 was created on the corner of Route 50 and Gleason Road, and later was the Administration and Business offices for the BH-BL District.
1843: There were 64 pupils enrolled in District #8 school. The bell that once stood on top of the schoolhouse was housed in the courtyard at Pashley
1845: A newer school was built on the site for the cost of $250, and was 24 by 30 feet.
1915: Three one-room schools joined to form the “Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Union Free School District,” New York State’s first “consolidated” school district. The dream of a unified school district began at French’s Corner School, shown in the picture from 1906.
1916: The Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake School of Agriculture and Homemaking opened on Lakehill Road on the site of the current Stevens Elementary School.
1925: The Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Central Rural School District was created.
1931: Students in the school District 8 paid a $25 a year tuition to attend the BH-BL Central School for each grade 6-8 student due to overcrowding.
1938: The District 8 school became a part of the BH-BL Centralized School System.
1947: Fueled by the end of World War II, the “baby boom” and a huge wartime and post war expansion at General Electric Company in Schenectady, overcrowded schools became a major problem. Students had a half-day session of classes at the BH-BL School, now known as Stevens Elementary.
1948: The residents of the district approved a bond issue for $10,000 to purchase 30 acres of land on Pashley Road.
1949: The district voters approved a bond issue for $565,000 to build the new Pashley Elementary School, after voting against it two previous times. Residents were split between the Pashley site, favored by the new young families in suburban Glenville, and a location closer to Lake Hill Road, which was favored by the established farming families in the northern section of the district.
1950: The cornerstone of the building was laid. Pashley Elementary School was in honor of Thomas Pashley, who owned a farm on the site that extended west to Hetcheltown Road and south to the Birch Lane area and the creek. The original farmhouse was thought to have been built in the 1700’s.
1951: Pashley Elementary School opened in September. Harmon Wade, Supervisor of Elementary Education for the BH-BL District, had his office at Pashley, and Emily Speer was the Assisting Teacher.
1951: There were 20 teachers, a school nurse, a music teacher and a physical education teacher. Enrollment was 560 students, with first and second graders on a half-day schedule. Kindergarten students were not at Pashley, but at the Grange Hall, Little Troy and the Baptist Church in Ballston Lake. Grade 3 students were in the Glenville School #8 building.
1952: School lunches cost 25 cents per day, and milk was 20 cents per week.
1953: A commencement was held on June 18, with awards, performances by the mixed chorus and junior band, an invocation by Reverend Ortlund from the East Glenville Church, and a presentation of certificates.
1955: Brownie Troop 10 met at Pashley Elementary.
1956: Emily Speer was named the principal of Pashley.
1956: The schools were overcrowded, and schools improvised classrooms in storage rooms, faculty rooms, and the nurse’s room. Classrooms were also temporarily established in community buildings.
1957: The kindergarten wing, three classroom quads, and a gymnasium were added, with a courtyard centrally located.
1958: John Trombly became principal of Pashley, when Emily Speer moved to Charlton Heights as their first principal. Joe Buckley was the assistant principal. At the time, there were 925 students at Pashley, and a faculty of 38 teachers. The students in this picture were from Mrs. Gustin’s third grade classroom.
1959: First graders from Mrs. Glindmyer’s classroom.
1963: Joe Buckley was the third principal, when John Trombly became the new Glenhaven Elementary School principal. The assistant principal for five years was Joseph Ricciotti.
1963: The Pashley Polar Bear was created and donated to the school by artist Bruce Crandall. The statue weighed 350 pounds.
1968: A library was added to Pashley Elementary School, with an outside entrance so that the community could use it during the summer months.
1970: Back-to-School Night evenings held.
1971: Walls between some classrooms in fifth and sixth grade were torn down to accommodate open classrooms and team teaching situations. The district had a peak enrollment of 5,467 students.
1975: Faculty and staff endorsed a program for students to return back to Pashley after being educated in segregated classes sponsored by the Capital Region BOCES. Students were mainstreamed into classroom sections under the supervision and guidance of special education teachers and assistants.
1977: Fifth grade team teachers produced a daily television program using the format of the Today Show. The fifth graders also traveled to Sturbridge Village for a grade level field trip.
1980: The Pashley Players, which was formed in 1960, performed “Jack and the Beanstalk,” at the BH-BL High School stage. The group later became known as the BH-BL Theatre for Children.
1981: Glenhaven Elementary was closed, and new students and teachers were brought to Pashley, which created a new sense of enthusiasm and community. A plaque and school bell from Glenhaven were mounted in a place of honor in Pashley.
1982: Sixth grade students participated in a science fair.
1984: Second grade students collected over 100 pairs of mittens for students at Albany’s Arbor Hill Elementary School.
1987: School became a K- 5 building as the Junior High (gr. 7-9) became the Middle School (gr. 6-8).
1988: James Denney became the fourth principal at Pashley, after serving as a reading teacher with the school.
1989: Weathering caused the polar bear to crack into pieces, so after more than a year’s work, Bob Crandall reconstructed the bear and it was placed in the courtyard.
1991: A Building Council was established.
2000: Diane Kilfoile was the fifth principal at Pashley.
2000: Teacher Sylvia Collins retired. An avid pianist, she wrote the Pashley School Song.
2004: Jill Bonacio became the sixth principal at Pashley Elementary School.
2012: Students and staff participated in the Burnt Hills Flag Day Parade.
2013: Pashley fifth grade students visited State Senator Hugh Farley at the Capitol and learned about the New York State government.
2014: Pashley students learned about empathy and anti-bullying during the Sweethearts and Heroes presentation.
2014: Pashley students participated in a fire safety poster contest, sponsored by the East Glenville Fire Department.
2015: Celebration of the district Centennial.
2015: Fourth graders visited Senator Farley at the New York State Capitol; First graders learned about gratitude during the Thanksgiving Feast; Children at Pashley learned about computer science through Hour of Code activities; Students participated in the Holiday Concert assembly for the school.
2016: Matt Tavares, author of Crossing Niagara, visited students at Pashley; Children learned about the principles of yoga and relaxation; Pashley Student Council members visited the Ronald McDonald House, where they sorted toys, and cleaned the inside and outside of the house; Fourth graders performed scientific experiments with high school students as part of the first Science Demo Day; Students researched science topics and presented their findings to the community; Children gave the playground a fresh look with new paint.
2017: Fourth graders in Ms. O’Rourkes class researched Native American history and presented a Living Museum; Students from Pashley participated in the Charlton 5K Fun Run as part of the Girls on the Run Club.
2018: Brownies from Troop #2424 spread messages of kindness for all to see in the form of wall quotes; Pashley fourth graders turned pumpkins into famous people as part of a biography project; Senator Jim Tedisco spoke to fourth graders about living healthy, exercising, and being a good teammate as part of “Get New York Moving Day.”
2019: The Drama Club presented the musical Jungle Book Kids featuring 40 fifth graders; Some Pashley students created a village in the hallway to spread holiday cheer; Second grade students from Mrs. Hyland’s classroom read the most minutes for the annual Parents as Reading Partners program; Pashley kindergartner Rory Darling completed the 1001 Book Program, which began in 2007; Fifth grade students in Mrs. Sala’s class “rocked their math” skills by reviewing place value, writing numbers in various forms and using math vocabulary to solve problems. Afterwards they starred in their own rock concert.
2020: Schools all around the country held classes remotely due to the Covid-19 outbreak. When students and staff arrived back to school, educators creatively met the academic needs of students.
2021: An all purpose track was installed in the back field. Money was raised through events like the Run For Fun, and events like the Halloween Parade and Field Day utilized the track.
2022: Fifth grade students moved up to the Middle School and thanked the Pashley staff for a wonderful six years; Kim Ferrie won the NYSAHPERD Elementary Physical Education Amazing Person Award; Fifth graders participated in a dance residency from professionals at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, learned about artists and music from the 1980’s and performed for the school and community.
2023: Pashley staff won the “Kick Cancer” Kickball Tournament, which raised funds for a fellow Spartan battling Leukemia; The community supported a referendum to update district spaces, including a four classroom addition, a facade renovation, and a reconfigured bus loop and parking lot at Pashley.
Thanks to Tim Sinnenberg, Rick Reynolds, Jill Bonacio, Robert Sharpe, The Bob Speck Room at O’Rourke Middle School, Town of Ballston Historian’s Office, Town of Charlton Historical Society, Town of Glenville Historical Society