By Ivy Prince ’17

Walking through the halls on Tuesday Feb. 31, one might have heard the loudspeaker play “The Man On The Flying Trapeze,” followed by social studies and English receptionist Fran Evan’s voice sharing some facts about the history of Staples. Students also smiled during the half-day today in reaction to Dan Woog dressed up as Horace Staples himself. Today was Founder’s Day, after all.

“Mr. Staples came in with a top hat and a black coat and introduced himself as the man who founded Staples,”Liv Rubin ’17. “He told us he was a very wealthy man and owned banks. I remember him saying that the first graduating class had 6 females because all the boys were working on farms. I honestly thought it was pretty interesting.”

Because it was Horace Staples’ birthday, Rho Kappa, the social studies honors society, decided to have a Founders Day every January 31.

The halls were filled with timelines, lists of what people were reading in the 1880s, most popular names of the 1880s, and student-work from every department showing off what student life was like a long time ago. “It really shows how things have changed,” Evan, who helped put together and resurrect Founders Day, said.

One of the activities set up for Founder’s Day included a raffle in the library. Students from every grade and teachers entered their names into a raffle to win a surprise prize. Participants had to write their name and answer three questions about the life of Horace Staples. “This is to help students understand more about Horace Staples, who was a pioneer and a really important person in Westport,” Evan said. Students also listened to jazz music performed by students in the library during the lunch waves.

“I really think this day is important since barely any students fully understand the history of Staples,” Sarah Neckritz ’17, a member of Rho Kappa, said.“I’ve walked through the hallway and seen a lot of students and teachers looking at the timelines and student-work. The day seems like a success.”