“ROOTS OF EXCELLENCE”: An immersive exhibit celebrating 125 years of Miss Fine’s School and 100 years of Princeton Country Day School commemorates the rich histories that led to the formation of Princeton Day School (PDS). It opens on April 1, with a public reception on April 9 from 3 to 5 p.m. (Archival imagery courtesy of Princeton Day School)

By Wendy Greenberg

On October 2, 1899, 30-year-old May Margaret Fine opened Miss Fine’s Day School at 42 Mercer Street. She taught about 40 students of varying ages, for an annual tuition of $80 to $100.

In 1925, the Princeton Junior School for Boys was founded at 10 Bayard Lane, serving 28 boys in grades six through eight. By 1930, having expanded to grades five through nine, it moved to a new building on Broadmead, and was renamed Princeton Country Day School (PCDS). Students attended six days a week, with a half day on Wednesday and Saturdays.

The rich history of two of Princeton’s legendary schools — forerunners of the current Princeton Day School (PDS) — is the subject of an exhibit, “Roots of Excellence: 125 Years of Miss Fine’s School and 100 Years of Princeton Country Day School,” opening in PDS’ Anne Reid ’72 Gallery on April 1, with a public reception on April 9 from 3 to 5 p.m. All are welcome.

The exhibit goes beyond the history of the two schools, showing the Princeton students’ relationship to the community, and to the world. The artifacts and information connect to U.S. presidents (Miss Fine corresponded with alumna Jesse Woodrow Wilson, President Wilson’s daughter, who joins Grover Cleveland’s daughters as offspring of U.S. presidents who attended the school), and the timeline-based exhibit shows how the school curriculum reflected broader trends (community gardening for example), science research (a PCDS student’s question to Einstein), the effects of World War II, and more.

As part of the anniversary year, a special alumni weekend is planned for Friday, May 16, featuring a celebratory luncheon with Head of School Dr. Kelley Nicholson-Flynn, guided tours of the former sites of the two closed schools and downtown Princeton, and tours of the current PDS campus.

“Roots of Excellence” is based on a history timeline that ran in a special edition of the fall alumni Journal put together by Director of Publications Ashley Stenger, and visually organized by Gwen Shockey, PDS Upper School visual art faculty and director of the Anne Reid ’72 Gallery, working with Amy Gallo, Class of 2003, director of alumni engagement and strategy.

Artifacts in the exhibit — such as student journals, photos, and letters — had been stored on campus. “We found so many incredible documents,” said Stenger. “It was a treasure hunt.”

Wanting to add dimension and become more interactive, they added objects like Miss Fine’s desk, which had been in storage; school jackets; glee club recordings; an old typewriter; a film of a maypole dance circa 1934; and other memorabilia that signified past decades.

While the main focus, said Shockey, “was to teach our student body the history of the school,” they found that connections were made in different ways, and that the history of the school was tied to the history of the country, and to Princeton in general.

After its founding, Miss Fine’s School continued to grow: by 1907 the enrollment doubled and the school moved to 38 Stockton Street. Soon the addition of a first grade allowed students to begin school at an earlier age. By the end of a decade at 38 Stockton, plans were made to collect funds for a new building, and an endowment.

In 1918 Miss Fine’s was able to move to a larger space, the original Princeton Inn, at the corner of Nassau Street and Bayard Lane. Girls enrolled from kindergarten to 12th grade, while boys were there until third grade. Despite lacking proper athletic facilities, the school mirrored the nation’s penchant for sports, and baseball, basketball, and field hockey were introduced. In 1931 PCDS went undefeated in its ice hockey season, starting a long tradition of excellence in the sport.

Miss Fine died in 1933 at age 64. The New York Times published a poem in her honor. The exhibit chronicles the subsequent headmistresses and headmasters of the two schools. By 1947 a teacher, Henry Ross, was appointed PCDS headmaster, and women were hired to teach there for the first time. After World War II, both schools embraced the American Field Service and a long-term commitment to global education.

By the mid-1950s, Princeton’s population was growing, and there were discussions about merging the two schools. An opportunity arose when the Georgian mansion Colross became available, and investment banker Dean Mathey helped acquire land contiguous to the Colross property and adjacent to his own property: 20 acres each to each school. The Matheys bequeathed additional land later on.

On June 14 1960, the two schools merged, originally two separate, parallel entities. On September 17, 1965, students were welcomed to 650 Great Road. In October Doug McClure became the first headmaster of both schools, now Princeton Day School.

Many of the deeds, letters, and photographs depicting the history are in the archives, which have grown organically, said Stenger, from attics and photo albums. The exhibit, adds Shockey, a 2006 alumna, also shows the importance of women’s education through Miss Fine’s legacy of excellence. The new school, PDS, said Stenger, kept a lot of the old traditions, as well as an emphasis on a “dynamic education and strength of character.”

For example, as part of a community service project, Miss Fine’s students made wreaths in the lobby, with sales donated to various charities. This tradition lasted until 1982, and today, lower schoolers spend a day sustainably wrapping gifts for underserved populations.

“We want students to see that while things may look or feel old, they have so much in common with their predecessors,” said Stenger. “People will be really surprised to see what they have in common,” said Stenger.

Wrote Flynn, head of school, in an introduction, “It is because of the leaders, innovators, and creators of long ago that we stand here at present.”

Roots of Excellence runs through April 25, with gallery hours Monday through Friday, 8 a.m., to 4 p.m. or by appointment at annereid72gallery@pds.org. The campus is at 650 Great Road.