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Creator
Wadleigh High School (New York, N.Y.)
Call number
Sc MG 746
Physical description
3.12 linear feet (8 boxes)
Language
English
Preferred Citation
[Item], Wadleigh High School collection, Sc MG 746, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library
Repository
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.

Wadleigh High School, located in Harlem, was founded as a high school for girls and moved to its current landmark site in 1902. It is now known as Wadleigh Secondary School for the Performing and Visual Arts. The Wadleigh High School collection provides some documentation about Wadleigh High School, and the two schools (Wadleigh Junior High School 88 and Wadleigh Secondary School) later housed in the same building. The bulk of the documents deal with the time period when students and staff were predominately Black.

Biographical/historical information

Wadleigh High School, located in Harlem, was founded as a high school for girls and moved to its current landmark site in 1902. Beginning in the 1920s, Wadleigh High School began to accept Black students and hire Black faculty. By 1945, the student body was predominately Black and by 1948, all the students were Black. Reflecting the general shift towards co-education, Wadleigh was converted to a co-educational junior high school in 1954. The school underwent some renovation and alteration and reopened in 1956, as Wadleigh Junior High School 88. By 1995, the school was transformed to include grades six through twelve. The new entity incorporated three separate and specialized schools as the High School of Communications, Media and Technology with separate vice principals for its schools of writing and publishing, the arts, and science and technology. Later, Wadleigh focused only on the performing and visual arts.

An African American, Doris Brunson taught English at Wadleigh Junior High School 88 from 1957 to 1990. She also served as chair of the 100th Anniversary Steering Committee, which planned and celebrated the school's anniversary in 1999. Today, the high school is known as Wadleigh Secondary School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

Scope and arrangement

The Wadleigh High School Collection provides some documentation about Wadleigh High School, and the two schools (Wadleigh Junior High School 88 and Wadleigh Secondary School) later housed in the same building. In addition, there is information on the Wadleigh Alumni Association, mostly regarding its 100th anniversary. The bulk of the documents deal with the time period when students and staff are predominately Black.

The Wadleigh High School collection is arranged in four series:

  • Wadleigh High School
    1927-2008

    The Wadleigh High School series includes information about the history of the school and building, a literary journal from the French Department (1939), a yearbook (1942), programs, biographical information and obituaries about the alumni and staff, and documentation regarding the building's designation as a landmark site by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1994.

  • Wadleigh Junior High School 88
    1957-2004

    The Wadleigh Junior High School 88 series includes information about the Wadleigh Scholarship Program, an organization established in 1964, which identified and provided assistance to minority students (then the majority of the student body) pursuing scholarships to preparatory schools throughout the country. One can find printed material about its alumni and staff; programs and skits of the Faculty Follies (1967-1969); the yearbook, Wadleigh Way (1967-1990); literary journals; and a memoir written by an alumnus. Most of the series consists of lesson plans, tests and grade books (1959-1987) generated by Doris Brunson, long-time English teacher at Wadleigh.

  • Wadleigh High School Alumni Association
    1987-2005

    Wadleigh High School Alumni Association series incorporates material from three of the incarnations that the school has taken on in its more than one hundred-year history, and is primarily concerned with the planning of the 100th anniversary luncheon in 1999. There are also minutes from 1987, programs from other reunions (1980-2005), and a scrapbook containing news clippings, programs, and related printed material for the Alumni Association's annual luncheons and other events (1980-1984).

  • Wadleigh Secondary School
    1986-2007

    The series Wadleigh Secondary School discusses the establishment and renovation of the school, including information from the New York City School Construction Authority, graduation programs, and a yearbook (1996).

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Gift of the Wadleigh High School Archives Committee, 2004-2008.

Processing information

Processed by Janice Quinter, February 2008.

Separated material

Transferred to the General Research and Reference Division: books and periodicals

Transferred to the Photographs and Prints Division: photographs

Using the collection

Location

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, NY 10037-1801
Second Floor

Container List

Wadleigh High School
 1927-2008

The Wadleigh High School series includes information about the history of the school and building, a literary journal from the French Department (1939), a yearbook (1942), programs, biographical information and obituaries about the alumni and staff, and documentation regarding the building's designation as a landmark site by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1994.

b. 1 f. 1-2
History
Students
b. 1 f. 3
Senior cap cardboard
 1939
b. 1 f. 4
Diplomas and honor roll certificate
 1941-1944
Printed material
b. 1 f. 5
"The Wadleigh Girl" song sheet, words and music by Hazel Epstein
 1927
b. 1 f. 6
La Petite France, French Department's literary journal
 1939 January
b. 1 f. 7-8
Owl yearbook
 1942 June-1943 June
b. 1 f. 9
Programs
 1939-1947
b. 1 f. 10
Alumni biographies
 1938-2007
b. 1 f. 11
Alumni and staff obituaries
 1988-2008
b. 1 f. 12
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
 1984-1994
Wadleigh Junior High School 88
 1957-2004

The Wadleigh Junior High School 88 series includes information about the Wadleigh Scholarship Program, an organization established in 1964, which identified and provided assistance to minority students (then the majority of the student body) pursuing scholarships to preparatory schools throughout the country. One can find printed material about its alumni and staff; programs and skits of the Faculty Follies (1967-1969); the yearbook, Wadleigh Way (1967-1990); literary journals; and a memoir written by an alumnus. Most of the series consists of lesson plans, tests and grade books (1959-1987) generated by Doris Brunson, long-time English teacher at Wadleigh.

b. 2 f. 1
Correspondence
 1975-1989
b. 2 f. 2
Faculty rosters
 1975-1989
b. 2 f. 3-4
A Better Chance Scholarship program
 1966-2004

Includes correspondence and publicity.

b. 2 f. 5
Staff notices
 1972-1990
b. 2 f. 6
Wadleigh alumni and faculty in the news
 1981-1999
b. 2 f. 7
Administrative notices and graduation platform seating
 1981-1990
b. 2 f. 8
School letters and notices
 1983-1988
b. 2 f. 9
Redesign plan
 1988
b. 2 f. 10-11
Faculty Follies
 1967-1969
b. 2 f. 12
Class play, "Reunion: Class of 1973"
 ca. 1973
Printed material
Wadleigh Way yearbook
b. 2 f. 13
 1975
b. 2 f. 14
 1980-1982
b. 3 f. 1
 1984-1985
b. 3 f. 2
 1986-1990
b. 3 f. 3
Creative writing
 1984-1988
b. 3 f. 4
The Tale of the Mighty Warriors
 1989 February
b. 3 f. 5
Student Parent Handbook
b. 3 f. 6
Graduation and events (programs and tickets)
 1965-1990
b. 3 f. 7
Anderson, Mamie-Louise (alumnae). The Shuttle: A Biomythographical Memoir
 2001
b. 3 f. 8
News clippings
 1984-1986
Brunson, Doris
b. 3 f. 9
Biographical information
 1987-2007
b. 3 f. 10
Letters and poem by Brunson
 1973-1984
b. 3 f. 11
Student letters to Brunson
 1977-1988
b. 3 f. 12
Administrative evaluations
 1957-1990
b. 3 f. 13
School rules
 1981-1984
Lesson plans
b. 4 f. 1
 1959-1962
b. 4 f. 2-5
 1970-1972
b. 4 f. 6
Required reading
 1973-1974
b. 4 f. 7
Administrative lists
 1973-1976
b. 4 f. 8-9
 1974-1975
b. 4 f. 10
 1978
b. 4 f. 11
 1980-1984
b. 5 f. 1
 1983-1985
b. 5 f. 2
 1985-1986
b. 5 f. 3-4
 undated
b. 5 f. 5
Readings
 1960s
b. 5 f. 6
Teaching English notes
 undated
b. 5 f. 7-9
Tests, lessons, and plans
 undated
b. 5 f. 10 b. 6 f. 1
Tests and notes
 1978-1985
Grade books
b. 6 f. 2
 1964-1973
b. 6 f. 3
 1973-1978
b. 6 f. 4
 1981-1987
b. 6 f. 5
Plan book
 undated
Wadleigh High School Alumni Association
 1987-2005

Wadleigh High School Alumni Association series incorporates material from three of the incarnations that the school has taken on in its more than one hundred-year history, and is primarily concerned with the planning of the 100th anniversary luncheon in 1999. There are also minutes from 1987, programs from other reunions (1980-2005), and a scrapbook containing news clippings, programs, and related printed material for the Alumni Association's annual luncheons and other events (1980-1984).

b. 8
Guest book, 50th year graduates
 1942-1993
Box 8 replaces box 6, folders 6-7.
b. 8
Scrapbook
 1980-1984
Box 8 replaces box 6, folders 6-7.
b. 6 f. 8
Minutes
 1987 January-May
b. 6 f. 9
Luncheon programs
 1980-2005
b. 6 f. 10
Anniversary journals
 1986-1996
b. 6 f. 11
Printed material, correspondence
 1988-2001
100th Anniversary Celebration
b. 6 f. 12-13
Correspondence
 1998-2005
Steering Committee
b. 7 f. 1
Correspondence
 1999
b. 7 f. 2-3
Agendas, minutes, and financial reports
 1998-1999
b. 7 f. 4-5
 1998-1999
b. 7 f. 6
Students and establishment of archives
 1999
b. 7 f. 7
Luncheon program
 1999
b. 7 f. 8
Guest book
 1999
Wadleigh Secondary School
 1986-2007

The series Wadleigh Secondary School discusses the establishment and renovation of the school, including information from the New York City School Construction Authority, graduation programs, and a yearbook (1996).

b. 7 f. 9
Establishment of school
 1991-1999
Renovation
b. 7 f. 10
 1987-1994
b. 7 f. 11
New York City School Construction Authority
 1990
b. 7 f. 12
Memorandum of understanding
 ca. 1993
Printed matter
b. 7 f. 13
The Originators: Walianza
 1996
b. 7 f. 14
 1986-1996
b. 7 f. 15-16
 1993-2007