Carrollton High School to celebrate 156th anniversary

Students at Carrollton High School will celebrate the school’s birthday this Friday.

According to Ron Colaprete, Carrollton High School first opened its doors Nov. 15, 1869. On Nov. 7, 2023, the Carrollton Board of Education passed a resolution declaring Nov. 15 of each year “CHS Day,” to be celebrated as deemed appropriate.

This year marks the third annual celebration, recognizing the school’s 156th anniversary. In honor of the occasion, students will be treated to cake and ice cream, continuing a tradition from previous years.

The cupcakes are provided courtesy of Andrew Dodds of Dodds Funeral Home, who has funded the cost each year. His ongoing donation reflects his continued support of the school district.

The ice cream is purchased through the school cafeteria, paid for with money collected from the chuck-a-duck competition during home basketball games. This year’s 480 cupcakes are being prepared by former Carrollton High School teacher Kelly Pridemore.

“Each year we also provide a slice of school history as taken from the book ‘A History of Carrollton High School,’” Colaprete said.

This year’s feature focuses on one of Carrollton’s former superintendents, James B. Essig, who served from 1873 to 1881. Essig enlisted in 1862 in Company I of the 104th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and fought in 15 battles during his three years of Civil War service. He was one of 1,557 men in his regiment to survive.

“But he did not escape the war without pain and agony,” Colaprete said. “He was captured by the South at the Battle of Danville in Kentucky and sent to a POW camp. He escaped three weeks later and rejoined his regiment. In his next battle, in Knoxville, Kentucky, on November 29, he was wounded when a musket ball entered his skull through his right eye. The musket ball was never removed from his head.”

After the war, Essig attended Mount Union College, where he met his future wife. He served as superintendent in Woodville and Hanoverton before coming to Carrollton. The couple had five daughters, three of whom died at the ages of 4, 13, and 18.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Essig died in 1918 and were buried in Grandview Cemetery in Carrollton alongside daughters Mary, Anna, and Lillian. His full story can be found in “A History of Carrollton High School.”