"Campus school?"

Yes Virginia, there was once a "campus school" at Brockport. Campus schools (or "Training," or "Demonstration" schools, the name varied over the years,) were once common on many college campuses. The campus school was just that, a school, attended by local children, and not only served to instruct the children but to provide a teaching opportunity for those learning to be teachers, and teacher training was the primary goal at Brockport during the Normal School era. The student teachers taught the children under the watchful eyes of the "teacher critics," who were the primary teachers of the children and supervised the student teachers.

Our campus school here started in 1867, the same year as Brockport moved from its previous status as a private "academy" and became a state Normal school. The campus school lasted up to about 1980, so it had a very long run! As a matter of fact, Cooper Hall was built originally in the 1960s to house the campus school - ever wonder why there were all those little lockers etc. in there?

This summer, Friday July 22, there will be a campus school reunion for alumni and former staff of the school. If you were part of the campus school, know someone who was (as a boy our president, Dr. Halstead, attended the campus school at Cortland!), or are just interested in this part of our history, do consider attending the reunion! Pictured here is the earliest class picture of campus school kids, ca1890.