Sheridan History
Sheridan Elementary School
Erected: 1985
Renovations/Additions: None
Sq. Footage: 66,800
The original school, known as the Sixth Ward School, was designed by Gustavus Adolphus Ashbach, a prominent Allentown architect and engineer. It housed twelve classrooms, a central hall and four wooden stairways. A high board fence separated the boys from the girls and an iron fence was built in front of the property.
In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, Mrs. Elsie Heckman, Marion Ruhe and Mary McDermott conducted a social center at the school that was the forerunner of the present Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs. Sheridan was ASD’s first sixth grade center and was used as a continuation school for dropouts who, because of age, were required to attend certain classes. The Baum Art School was housed on the first floor of the original stone building, and an Americanization School was inaugurated at the building that offered night classes to help hundreds of immigrants become naturalized citizens. During World War II, the Sheridan Library served as an induction center for those entering the armed forces.
The original school housed grades 1-8, and the school’s peak enrollment was a record 1,204 students! The original buildings were demolished in July, 1986 and the new Sheridan Elementary School opened that August. A “Freedom Shrine” was installed and dedicated on May 17, 1988, consisting of 28 laminated plaques mounted in the school’s main foyer, each representing an important event in American history.
In spring 1998, Sheridan dedicated the first elementary science laboratory in the Lehigh Valley in support of its “Growing with Science” curriculum. Through its “Closing the Gap” (CTG) initiative during the 2000-2001 school year, Sheridan served as a model for the district and provided the cornerstone of the district’s state mandated empowerment plan. In 2001, Sheridan Elementary School was selected as a Property of Merit for Allentown. In 2002, the school was given the honor of Lifetime Property of Merit for being the anchor for the community in which it is located.