Quincey Reese, Managing Editor
History of any kind serves as a reminder to current society of how much people have grown and where they have come from. This concept is no different for the Penn-Trafford history museum display at the front entrance to the high school.
Created by P-T alumnus Jake Santo for his senior project last year, this history museum contains around 150 items such as yearbooks, trophies, commencement pamphlets, sports memorabilia and pictures from both the Penn Joint and Trafford high schools before they combined to form P-T in 1972.
Currently studying sports journalism at Arizona State University, Santo began this project to leave a lasting impact on P-T and bring the school’s past into the view of the present.
“I was hoping the display would be a place where alumni and current students and faculty members would be able to learn of the origins of Penn-Trafford and where the roots of the school district came from,” Santo said. “I did not want the past to be forgotten to time and have past achievements go uncelebrated. I felt this could be an area where people of all Penn-Trafford backgrounds could learn about the schools prior to P-T.”
Santo added that he hoped to show equal representation of both the Penn Joint and Trafford high schools in order to present both schools in a united fashion and brush past any perceived previous tensions between them from the days of their separation.
In total, the organization and construction of the museum took approximately six months. To obtain all necessary information, Santo interviewed the principals of both the Penn and Trafford middle schools, members of the school board, teachers from the high school and P-T alumni. He also went to local libraries to learn more about the school’s history.
Santo said he talked to about 65 people in order to gain enough insight for the project. He added that Principal Tony Aquilio, Assistant Principal Amy Kelly, English teacher Gigi Manuppelli, art extensions teacher Jen Haberberger and robotics teacher Jeff Newsom were particularly helpful to him.
He explained Aquilio and Kelly helped him with key logistics of the project, such as the location of the display, and Manuppelli, as his AP English two teacher, provided him with guidance throughout the whole process. Haberberger and Newsom assisted by constructing the banners and signs surrounding the display.
Beyond assisting with the organization details of the project, Kelly was also able to donate several of the items in the display from her father and grandfather. She and several of her family members were also able to talk to Santo and give him further insight into the history of P-T for his project.
Kelly’s great grandfather was the superintendent of Penn Township Schools and a part of P-T’s first school board. Her father was also the school’s athletic director early on for several years. Because of both of their close connections to the school, Kelly was able to provide Santo with several items from P-T’s history for the museum.
Kelly’s mother and aunt were also of help to Santo in this project. Having recently written a book about the church she attends, Denmark Manor Church, Kelly’s aunt had learned a lot about P-T and the area’s history. With their combined knowledge of the school, they were both able to provide Santo with information on what the school was like at the time, the Penn versus Trafford relations, where certain traditions came from and numerous other topics.
Kelly said she knew this project would be special for alumni and current students and staff, but she did not realize how much of an impact it would leave on the area.
“I thought it would be very meaningful for people like my mom and new people moving into the area, but I didn’t even understand the whole magnitude of it,” Kelly said. “The older people of this community love it, and I didn’t even understand how much.”
Although Santo has not been able to see many people’s reactions to the museum upon moving to Arizona for college, he said he did receive high praise for the final product.
“When I was putting up the display, I received tremendously positive reactions to the piece from staff members and others who walked by,” Santo said. “I can remember one of the last days of my senior year, Mr. [Philip] Moses said the museum ‘was the best project ever done at this school.’”
Additionally, Santo’s work has been recognized in the “Penn-Trafford Star,” “Penn Franklin News” and in front of the school board.
In the early stages of the organization process, Santo said he struggled to find objects for the display. He wanted to focus the museum on the years prior to the joining of Penn and Trafford, making it a challenge to find enough items while equally representing both schools.
Santo kept the project quiet from the community during its creation, which he said may have made it harder for him to find objects. He added that finding items in school administration buildings was also challenging, because objects had been thrown away through the years during renovations. Despite these difficulties, Santo said he was able to track down numerous artifacts through consulting more people and sources.
The main construction of the museum may be complete, but the project is still open for additions. Materials technology teacher Eric Crompton, for example, will have some of his students create shadow boxes for the laminated pictures taped to the walls of the display.
Santo said the project will always be a work-in-progress, and if anyone has any items they would like to donate to the display, they can contact Kelly or Manuppelli for more information on the matter.
“The museum will never be finished…I am still involved in the project and will be for a long time to come. It is a connection I made at my school that can always bring me back to PTHS,” Santo said.