Nunda

Historical

Society

The Nunda Historical Society has announced the publication of the latest in a series of local history books. The book, the "Development of the Nunda School System", traces the evolution of schools in the Nunda area from log cabins to the modern school facility.
Author Sandy Bonadonna, a retired teacher from the Keshequa School District, drew on a wide variety of resources when researching the book. She first did the work for a college course at SUNY Geneseo back in the 1970s. The Historical Society approached her two years ago and asked if she would update the work to be part of a series of books published in celebration of the Town of Nunda's Bicentennial in 2008. Although she now lives in Florida much of the year, Sandy worked through thirty years of Board of Education minutes, documents, and area newspapers in order to bring the original story into the 21st century.

The book focuses on two centuries of school buildings in Nunda, beginning with the Bates School House in pioneer times. Mrs. Bonadonna carefully documents each of the small district schools in the vicinity of the village, and examines the development of the Nunda's Literary Institute, Select Schools, and Academy, the latter being opened on the grounds of the present day school on Mill street in 1867.

Using maps and other illustrations, the author follows the story of the Academy building through its development into the Union Free School and the Nunda High School. In 1939 work began on the "new" Nunda Central School which decades later merged with Dalton Central School to become Keshequa Central School District.
Although Mrs. Bonadonna concentrates on the school facilities, the book provides interesting glimpses into the education system, school life, and the role the Nunda community has played in the school.