Student Records, 1911 - 1978

The student records of the Annville Institute are the official, confidential files on graduates of the school 1930s-78 and non-graduates 1950s-78. Some records on elementary school students are also included. 9 Revised: November 25, 2015 The elementary school files are not a separate or complete school record, but rather are the records of some grade-school students who went on to high school in Annville. Also included in this series are miscellaneous files of disciplinary actions) (1968-78) and demerits (1973).

The Cards Files (1911-78) are a concise record of basic information—name, address, birth date, parent’s names, date entered, grades, date left—but the other student records are also comprehensive. The files on the students of the 1930s-40s differ from the other student records in that the materials they contain are more peculiar to their time and place than to a standard method of evaluating and record keeping. During those years, student were asked to write brief autobiographies which provide information about their home lives, previous education, and religious affiliation. These and the detailed, although somewhat subjective evaluations filed each year by the staff describing students’ personal and academic progress, are perhaps the records of most importance during these years. Most of the other forms, such as school papers, personality development forms, demerits, and “I Get Acquainted with Myself” sheets, are of lesser importance.

The files from the 1950s through the closing of the school are more uniform in content and format, containing such standard forms as admission applications, references and transcripts, personal and student labor rating sheets. They are the official record of the students’ grades and graduation status, and in some cases included information on schools to which the non-graduates transferred. Like the files from the earlier years, some of these files include records of demerits.