The Swain School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Swain School is a coeducational, independent day school for students in preschool through 8th grade. It is located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania.
Founded in 1929 by D. Esther Swain, the school has moved several times, eventually settling on its current location in the mid fifties. Its current Head of School is Todd Stansbery.
History
Mrs. Swain started the school in 1929 with eight kindergarten students - four girls and four boys. They met in the bedroom of a neighbor's house. Due to a whooping cough epidemic the school was forced to close early, but Swain reopened the school at a new location the next year with 19 youngsters.
Over the next 15 years the school grew quickly and grades were added as the children grew. During this time Mrs. Swain taught, created the curriculum, and ran the business affairs of the school.
In 1945, the school moved again this time to the Masonic Temple. During the school's time at the Masonic Temple it grew to include a Middle School. Due to space limits at the Masonic Temple, the school was forced to move again and in 1951 opened in its present location in what was then a 22-acre "alfalfa field." The most recent addition came in 2002 with the opening of the The McCann Center Gymnasium and Auditorium as well as additional class rooms.
Today the school has an enrollment of about 320 students and employs more than 80 staff and faculty.
