Education

Florence Saku was born and raised in Ghana, West Africa. She is the 11th of thirteen children. Her education was based on the British system of education because Ghana used to be a British colony. Classes were taught in English. Florence attended kindergarten, primary school, middle school, and secondary school. Secondary education was seven years. The first five years led to the Ordinary Level or "O" Level certificate, and the other two years, referred to as the Sixth Form, led to the Advanced Level or "A" Level certificate.

Public School Integration Makes Start

Absorption Of Pupils In Frostburg Complete; Carver Enrollment Cut

History-making integration in the Allegany County public schools went off smoothly this morning, according to a spot check made at noon today.

Two conditions, both anticipated, evolved — no pupils for Lincoln Elementary School in Frostburg, and a cut in enrollment at Carver School of about 50 per cent.

This morning the only person in Lincoln School was the teacher, Miss Kathleen Cooper.

This photograph of students from Allegany Community College (now Allegany College of Maryland), taken on May 12, 1969, depicts third from the left, Bonita "Bonnie" (Peck) Austin, instructor Margaret Zembower in the middle, and Darlene Marchell (Shelly) Peck, sixth from the left.
Bonita graduated from Fort Hill High School in 1967, and Shelly in 1968.
Bonita and Shelly were both members of Fort Hill's Tri-Hi-Y.

As noted in this front page Cumberland Evening Times article, school integration began in Allegany County on September 6, 1955 when 150 "Negroes" reported for classes at formerly all white county schools. Enrollment at the Carver School for black students dropped over 50 percent. These four children, two white and two black, were actually neighborhood friends and playmates walking to the Virginia Avenue School together for the first time. From left to right is Carole Williams, Belle Riggs, Nancy Logsdon, and Juanita Williams, now Juanita Cage Lewis.

This photograph depicts the Fort Hill High School Senior Girls' Glee Club. Judith Ann Leath, first row and fifth from the right, was the only black member of this 45 member singing group. Judith was among the first black students to graduate from an Allegany County high school following graduation, this being the Fort Hill High School class of 1956.

Mary Louise Jones, 1938 - 2007

First Negro Student Accepted at Frostburg State College

The newspaper article below appeared in the Cumberland Evening Times, Thursday, July 21, 1955, and references the first African-American to be enrolled at Frostburg State Teachers College.

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Cumberland Evening Times,
Thursday, July 21, 1955

CARVER GRAD PLANS STUDY AT FROSTBURG

This photograph depicts the students of Frostburg's Park Street, also known as Lincoln School, at what is believed to have been a holiday play celebration. The school was located on a site now occupied by the Compton Science Center and the photograph, from the collection of Darlene Shelton, is believed to be from the 1920s.

The following four vignettes, all from different sources, provide some background and context as it pertains to the evolution of black schools and education in Cumberland, as well as Allegany County in general:

William Peck, one of the first black students to graduate from Fort Hill High School, Cumberland, in 1956, was honored by the Allegany County Board of Education, in February 2023.

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William Peck honored by ACPS
Fort Hill graduate was part of county’s 1st integrated class
Teresa McMinn