“Kindergarten babies, stick their heads in gravy,” shouted the first grade class at us as we passed them in the hall of Second Ward School.

This is one of my first and most poignant memories of attending the landmark school on Congress Street in Bradford back in the 1960s. The 50 year old memories came flooding back in recent months when it was announced the vacant school building, that had once been a vibrant part of the community, had been acquired by the YWCA Bradford for its new home. Vanessa Castano, executive director of the YWCA, had stated the renovations planned for the building will help the agency downsize its administrative space and better meet the needs of both the non-profit organization and its participants. The $3.3 million project, which includes the acquisition of other nearby properties to serve as shelters, will need the financial help of the community through a capital campaign launched in January.

In looking back at the history of the building, Sally Costik, curator of the Bradford Landmark Society, said Second Ward School and a number of other elementary and secondary schools were built with funding provided by President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal of 1933. Architects and contractors of that period apparently built structures to last — as can be attested to by other buildings from the Roosevelt program that are still intact and include Bradford Area High School and School Street Elementary School. Both are sound structures that have withstood renovations, additions and the test of time — and continue to operate.

For this reason, as well as for sentimental ties held by many in the community, it was nice to see Second Ward School saved by the YWCA.

My flashbacks from the “kindergarten babies” stage through sixth grade comprised memories of a neighborhood school where children walked to and from campus, no matter what the weather.

If there was a couple of feet of snow on the ground, you were pushed out the door for school in jackets, snow pants and boots by parents who didn’t give it a second thought. Springtime was the best for the daily treks from school that took us past the Dorn mansion on Congress Street. We often slowed down our pace to drink in the beauty of hundreds of brilliant purple and white crocuses dotting the huge front lawn of the mansion.

At the time, Second Ward, as we referred to the school, was a half a block away from the Bradford Area School District offices located in a large, brick house. It was a big deal when I, or other older students, were selected to deliver a zipped canvas bag to the district office.

While the “library” in our school consisted of a small room with books that were brought around on a cart to the classes, the former Carnegie Public Library was just a block away for our frequent after-school visits.

Another big deal for students was to be selected to serve as a crossing guard for other children.

We wore our shoulder harnesses adorned with badges, and carried flags attached to bamboo or wooden poles. Lunch was bit sketchy, however, during patrol duty. Those in my family who served as patrols had to cross the other students, run and put our flag poles inside the school door, run home nine or 10 blocks, gobble down a sandwich or soup, run back, grab our flag poles and stand panting and sweating at our post to cross students returning at a leisurely pace. Funny, but we never thought of complaining about the setup, it was just part of the job description. Our reward for two hard years of work came in the form of a two-day trip to Washington, D.C., that was chartered by the AAA agency, also located less than a block away from the school. The event was a district-wide trip for all elementary patrols and was a huge deal for us.

There were plenty of other memories of Second Ward shared by former students in a recent historical account by Costik that recently appeared in The Era.

Without a doubt, those former students are pleased that a part of Bradford’s past will be restored and used for a good cause by the YWCA.

And for their part, YWCA officials hope that financial contributions, both large and small, will help the former school building become a vibrant part of the community once again.

—

(Editor’s note: Kate Day Sager covers a variety of news stories for The Bradford Era and Olean (N.Y.) Times Herald)