Glynn Academy

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The Glynn Academy is the second-oldest high school in Georgia, older than all except for the Academy of Richmond County in Augusta.

Contents 1 Founding 2 The Old Glynn Academy Building 2.1 The Liberty Bell 3 The Current Campus 4 Notable Alumni 5 External links

[edit] Founding

On February 1, 1788, Glynn Academy was created by an act of the General Assembly of Georgia, making Glynn Academy the second-oldest high school in Georgia. For more than a century, the name "Glynn Academy" embraced all grades of the public school from beginners through graduation. In 1888, one hundred years after the founding of Glynn Academy, the records show a graduating class consisting of four girls and two boys.

[edit] The Old Glynn Academy Building

The first recorded building was built in 1819 on a five-acre tract of land known as Academy Range and cost $10,000 to construct. A new building was erected in 1840 on Hillsborough Square, the present location of Glynn Academy. For more than fifty years this building served as the only public school building in Brunswick and may be seen today in Sterling, where it was moved around 1915. When rebuilt in Sterling, the building required very little new material since the original timbers were found to be in excellent condition.

The next location of Glynn Academy was the present Annex building, which was erected in 1889. The Annex Building was severely damaged as a result of a fire on August 19, 2005 and is currently in the process of repair. Much of the building's interior, as well as the roof, is being replaced and the building is expected to be completely repaired by the second half of 2007.

At the end of World War I, it was decided that a new school building should be erected as a memorial to the men of Glynn County who participated in the war. Funds were raised through a bond election, and the present Glynn Academy Building was completed in September 1923 and recent renovation was completed in 1999. The architect, Hendrik Wallin, carried out the memorial idea by using as his motif the architectural design of the celebrated Louvain Library in Belgium, whose destruction by the Germans infuriated the civilized world.

[edit] The Liberty Bell

The bell, which stands in front of the Glynn Academy Building is mounted on a red brick base. This base was designed by a mechanical drawing class. It weighs about 2,000 pounds and is a close replica of the Liberty Bell in Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This bell which was cast in bronze in 1897 by McShane Foundry in Baltimore, Maryland, was first used as a part of a bell system in the clock tower of old City Hall until the 1930's.

The Glynn Academy Student Council of 1968-1969 began efforts to find and erect a Liberty Bell on campus found the bell in the City Garage on Bay Street. With the help of the Brunswick Fire Department and numerous businessmen, parents and students the project was completed during the 1969-1970 school year. The plaque on the base of the bell stand reads: "Erected by the Student Councils 1968-1969 and 1969-1970".

[edit] The Current Campus

The campus has changed drastically over time. Currently there are 6 permanent buildings that house classrooms, two gyms, a weight room and a cafeteria. The campus spans across two blocks and includes the Sidney Lanier building(previously an elementary school dating back to around 1937), The Prep building, (previously Prep Junior High School, constructed in 1890), the Annex Building (built in 1889 and struck by lightning in 2005---being remodeled), Wood Gym, (the original gym of Glynn Academy, named after a man in the community who donated money to the high school for physical education), the Admin Building with its Memorial Auditorium and classrooms (1923), and The Science Building, (built in the 1960s as a result of President Kennedy's push for education in the sciences), and the New Gym, completed in the 1980s as a result of the growing student population.

[edit] Notable Alumni

• Kwame Brown - NBA Player; Los Angeles Lakers
• Adam Wainwright - MLB Player; Saint Louis Cardinals
• Davis Love III - Professional Golfer
• Steve Melnyk - won U.S. Amateur & British Amateur in golf, Georgia Golf Hall of Fame
• Omeed Behmardi - Tennis Player; US Open Semi-Finalist
• Michael Putnam - Soccer player, Gayland

[edit] External links

• History of Glynn Academy