By Melanie Lust ’19 & Zach Horowitz ’19

Staples High School will be celebrating Founder’s Day this year for the first time since the early 1900’s. Taking place on Jan. 31, the celebratory event will focus on recognizing the unsung founder of the school, Horace Staples.

“It’s a day to celebrate Staples a little bit, which would be fun,” Principal James D’Amico said.

All activities will center around the school’s history,  including musical performances and an exhibit hall outside of the auditorium. D’Amico is hoping to play a variety of music during each passing time and put up games in the hallways or lobby.  It will be considered a winter spirit day for all students and faculty.

D’Amico added that Jan. 31, Horace Staples’ birthday, is both a meaningful and convenient day to have the celebration. “We do a lot of things around homecoming and the beginning of the year, but January’s kind of a grey time — right out of midterms, and everyone’s just sort of stressed,” D’Amico said.

Rho Kappa, the social studies honor society, is spearheading the effort to reestablish Founder’s Day, as they want to emphasize the importance of remembering our history.

For Staples alumni and Westport historian, Dan Woog, the issue of remembrance is pressing.

“We are called Staples High School but nobody knows who Horace Staples was,” Woog said. “You know, they think we’re named for an office supply store.”  

Founder’s Day will be focused on giving students an opportunity to fully understand the history of Staples High School, which is unique, according to Woog.

“[Staples] has a great history. A lot of high schools don’t have a real history. This place has really developed and evolved,” Woog said. “Some amazing people have been part of it. As a history major, I just think it’s really important that history be preserved and passed down.”

Woog is not the only person in the Staples community interested in where our school came from. A variety of other students are interested and appreciative of the upcoming celebration.

“I think that Founder’s Day will enable students to learn about and appreciate the history of our school,” James Gikas ’19 said.  “I have always been an avid history buff, so I am especially looking forward to learning about the history of Staples High School and how it was founded.”

Depending on the success of this year’s Founder’s Day, it may become an annual tradition.

“It’s funny, once you present an idea, people make it bigger and bigger and bigger,” D’Amico said.  “In the future maybe we could bring back successful or notable alumni to do speaking or things like that, or have a different theme to it each year.”

As for this year’s celebration, Staples students can expect a day’s worth of activities that teach the school’s history. “If you don’t know where you came from,” Woog said, “you don’t know where you’re going.”