Eleanor Jaeger School Photograph Collection

Unidentified girls put on a puppet show at Grout Park School in the 1950s.

Halloween parade at Euclid Elementary School, 1967.

The Eleanor Jaeger School Photograph Collection comprises photographs collected by Jaeger, an elementary school principal. The photographs depict the Euclid, Grout Park, and Halsey elementary schools in Schenectady during the 1950s and 1960s. Many of the photographs are professional photographs taken by Banrock Studio of Pearl River, New York; the collection also contains many informal snapshots. The collection also includes a publicity scrapbook for Euclid Elementary School and a scrapbook of material related to Hazel Graham of Grout Park Elementary School. The photographs depict a range of school functions and activities, including school events, building interiors, classroom and activity photographs, and group photographs of classes. A complete finding aid for the collection can be found here.


Class photograph from Euclid School, 1959.

Milk monitors pick up milk at Grout Park Elementary School, ca. 1954.

Classroom scene at Halsey Elementary School, ca. 1950s.

 
Eleanor Jaeger was a teacher and principal in a number of elementary schools in the Schenectady City School District. Jaeger was born in 1920, the daughter of Alfonse and Anna (Pilarski) Jaeger. She graduated from Mont Pleasant High School, earned her teaching degree at Oneonta State Teacher’s College, and took graduate courses at New York University. Jaeger worked as a first-grade teacher at Cobleskill Central School from 1942 until 1944. By 1947 she was serving as a special teacher for primary grades for the Schenectady City School District. In 1950, Jaeger became the first teacher in the district to be appointed as a school principal through the district’s apprentice system. She became principal of Halsey School that year, where she would serve through 1952. She went on to work as principal for a number of other local elementary schools, including Grout Park Elementary School (1953-1958), Woodlawn Elementary School (1958-1970), and Euclid Elementary School (1970-1973). After Euclid closed in 1973, Jaeger returned to the position of principal at Grout Park. She had retired by 1980.

Unidentified children involved in the Science Club at Euclid Elementary School, ca. 1950s. 

Children using the library at Halsey Elementary School, ca. 1950s.