Alumni
Graland According to Mr. Hickey

THE EARLY DAYS:THREE

Philip William Hickey
In his speech, Mr. Toll addresses the behind-the-scenes activities that ultimately gave birth to the fourth school:
In his speech, Mr. Toll addresses the behind-the-scenes activities that ultimately gave birth to the fourth school:

“. . . Under the inspiration of Mrs. Morrison Shafroth, aided and abetted by Mrs. James J. Waring, we held a series of councils-of-state, from which we emerged as a more-or-less organized group, resolved to carry on what Miss Laird had begun, but in a new incarnation as a school of the currently evolving  ‘progressive-education’ type.

“It seems to me that there were six or eight of us on the finance committee, which may have been a trifle top-heavy for an organization of not much more than a dozen active couples -­ but it was the First Aid Unit. The enterprise needed underwriting, rather than cold cash, and as I recall it, we signed up to be responsible for the school's debts up to a certain amount. At any rate, by June of 1927, we were ready to go. This aggregation of young parents was not to be sneezed at. It was liberally marinated with an indomitable spirit. It is difficult to refrain from waxing lyrical when discussing the life-saving crew who came to the rescue when Miss Laird and Miss Braswell finally decided during that third year that they could not carry on...

“Campaign plans had been formulated; and on June 3, 1927, articles of incorporation. . . were filed. LeRoy McWhinney was President. The Board of Directors was composed of one member of each of the seven couples whom I have just mentioned. There were fifteen incorporators, including these seven Directors, the three members of the faculty, and Dr. Henry S. Reed, Mrs. Jacques  (June) Benedict, Mrs. Fred (Ella) Lanagan, Mrs. William (Elizabeth) Bane, and Henry W. Toll.

Mrs. Gorham continues the story: “. . . The Board members urged renting a large house for a year or two until the success of the enterprise could be assured. When, in the spring of 1928, Mrs. Verner C. Reed gave the block of prairie between Clermont and Birch Streets and Ellsworth and First Avenue, all the debate ended. The parents drew plans with the help of Jacques Benedict. . and soon bulldozers broke ground for the main structure.”
 
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Graland Country Day School

Graland Country Day School is a private school in Denver, Colorado, serving students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Founded in Denver in 1927, Graland incorporates a rich, experiential learning approach in a traditional classroom setting, emphasizing the development of globally and socially conscious leaders who excel academically.