From Twin Elms to WAA
A History of the Worthington Church School
By Allan R. Buller with help from George T. Harding IV
Christian education has been a high priority in the thinking and choices of Adventist parents and families from the very beginning of the Seventh-day Adventist World Church. Establishing church schools has closely followed the building of churches in most parts of the world. In many places the building of a school has preceded the construction of a church. Much credit for the growth of the Seventh-day Adventist Church to more than thirteen million members has been attributed to its world-wide educational system. It is clear that Christian education has been one of the most, if not the most, effective evangelistic programs of the church.
The first Adventist church school began in 1872 in a small frame house behind the Review and Herald publishing building in Battle Creek, Mich. The first known Adventist church school in Ohio was opened in Toledo in 1898. Bessie Stowell of Battle Creek served as its first teacher and classes were held in the home of a local church member. By early 1900 Adventist schools had also been started in Columbus and Cleveland.
The Adventist church in Worthington was organized in 1920. With the arrival of the Weber and Mann families a church school was opened in 1926 with eight students. The teacher was Miss Louise Menchen, a niece of the noted critic, H. L. Menchen.,. The following year Lottie Gibson was employed, and with the assistance of Miss Grace Nicola continued her teaching for the next dozen years. Classes were held in the sun parlor of the nurses’ residence of the Columbus Rural Rest Home which in time became Harding Sanitarium and later was renamed Harding Hospital. Dr. George T.Harding II, J. Henry Mann, Czar Nicola, Orsen Warner, and Fred Weber served on the first school board.
As time went on, the need for a separate school building became very apparent. In 1938 a two-room building was constructed on land donated by Mr. and Mrs. D. K. Nicola. and named the Twin Elms Adventist School. Classes began with 29 students enrolled. By 1948 it was necessary to enlarge the school at which time indoor plumbing was added. It is a reflection of the philosophy and the commitment of the church members to note they believed it was more important to have a school than a church building. Sabbath worship services were held in the parlor of the sanitarium from 1920 until 1951 when the church congregation was able to move into a new facility on Griswold Street.
By 1950 Harding Hospital had grown significantly and was providing health care to over one hundred in-patients. The food company, founded in 1939 as Special Foods and in 1945 incorporated as Worthington Foods, later moved its corporate office from 656 High Street in downtown Worthington to an office building adjacent to its plant on Proprietors Road. As the hospital and food company continued to grow more Adventists moved into the community attracted to the area by the Adventist church and school as well as by employment opportunities.
Continued growth in enrollment called for further expansion of the school. Classrooms and administrative offices were added in 1956 together with relocation of the entrance from the East side on Proprietor’s Road to the West side facing the new church on Griswold Street. Brick construction became a part of the new structure. The Twin Elms School name was dropped due to the loss of several fine trees which had become diseased.
In the early 1960’s it became clear that a gymnasium which could also serve as an auditorium was needed. Plans for an Activities Center were prepared and with a generous gift from Elder Heber and Carolyn Votaw (the former Carolyn Harding, younger sister of Warren G. Harding the 29th President of the U.S.) The building was completed in 1963 just in time for a community Christmas party.
For the next 25 years the Activities Center served as the home to many church and school functions and to the Travel and Adventure Series of filmed travel lectures that regularly attracted 500 or more patrons from local Adventist churches and from the community. It also provided a much needed gymnasium for the church school and for patients of Harding Hospital.
By the early 1960’s enrollment in the school had exceded 55. To meet the growing number of students a decision was made to enlarge the school again. Four classrooms, a library, and a general purpose room were added. Enrollment continued to grow and when grades nine and ten were added reached a level of more than 125 students. In the 1980’s the name Griswold Christian Academy was adopted and day care services for pre-schoolers was initiated. This move strengthened the school financially and added a new source of students.
Over the years and on a number of occasions discussions were held among representatives of the Adventist churches in the Columbus area to explore the possibilities of jointly operating a consolidated church school because of the potential benefits which such an arrangement might offer. As a result of these discussions the Worthington and Columbus Eastwood churches agreed, in 2002, to combine their resources in operating a joint school. A vacant school facility belonging to the Columbus public school system proved to be available at the corner of Foster Ave. and Stanton St. just south of Worthington. Arrangements were made to rent the building and the two churches joined together in operating the Greater Columbus Christian School While the venture was successful in many ways, costs of operation were such that the plan had to be abandoned at the end of the 2005 school year.. The two churches decided to move school operations back to their respective church campuses.
The Worthington church voted to re-open its own school on Griswold St. The summer of 2005 has seen intense activity in preparation for Worthington Adventist Academy to open its classrooms to students by the middle of August. The school building that had served the school until 2002 is now operating successfully as the Stepping-Stones
day-care center. Rather than discontinue a program that is going well, a decision was made to appoint a building committee to study ways and means for constructing a new elementary school building. As this history is being recorded plans for new school construction are moving ahead and Worthington Adventist Academy should soon have a new home of its own.
Through the years a number of teachers have contributed significantly to the education of our young people and are remembered for the scholastic and spiritual growth they have helped provide students attending the school as well as for the many years of service they rendered. Among these are Marie Walker, Helen Butterfield, Hedy Wharton, and Bill Wagner. Principals who served faithfully and well include Mrs.O’Connell, Louis Canosa, Robert Dotson, and Sharon Lewis and others who who left their important
contributions. .
Alumni of the Worthington church school today are rendering faithful service as ministers, missionaries, physicians, lawyers, educators, scientists, business men, and others. Every Adventist college or university in America has seen a former student of the Worthington Adventist church school join the ranks of their own student bodies. Many have moved on to graduate studies and lives of service.
It is clear the Worthington Adventist Academy has a rich heritage of recognized success and of support from the families that make up the church congregation which has enjoyed God’s rich blessings during the years that have elapsed since the Worthington Adventist Church was founded on July 17, 1920, and then shortly followed by the opening of a church school in 1926..
Allan R. Buller Historian pro tem and
School Board Chairman 1954-1970.
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