Anne Lemist Page: Educator, Abolitionist, and Suffragist
Anne Lemist Page, born in 1828, opened the first kindergarten in Essex County at the Jeremiah Page House in Danvers Square. She believed Plato’s words, “. . . power of children’s love of play should be used in education”, and in Froebel’s philosophy of creating fun ways to learn. Anne, along with Elizabeth Peabody and Mary Mann, founded the American Froebel Union, to advance early childhood education. Anne was on the Danvers School Board and petitioned to fund public classrooms for 5- and 6-year-olds. That did not happen until the 1950s. Anne founded a Normal School to train teachers to open other private kindergartens. Wellesley College’s Child Study Center, built in 1913, was originally named the Anne L. Page School maintaining the highest standards of early childhood education. Anne founded the Danvers Women’s Association in 1882 to fund kindergarten type schools and find solutions to other community issues such as abolishing slavery and obtaining the vote for women.
This scholarship is available to a Danvers High School senior who has been accepted into a post-secondary education program. The candidate must have exhibited consistent participation in one or more of the following: Danvers High School Life Skills Program, The Danvers Best Buddies Chapter, Unified Basketball, Northeast ARC Friends of Special Olympics, DECA, and/or the Student Assistantship Program.
Ten excellent candidates shared their experiences in how play helped them learn valuable skills; how a teacher inspired them, and how extracurricular endeavors contributed to the desire to pursue their education in serving others. The candidates are moving on to education, history, engineering, bioengineering, speech pathology, international relations, political science, social work, Molecular Biology, Nursing, and Athletic Training.
Gabrielle’s Assistant Group Leader position in the after-school program, Fun Club, with elementary children resulted in life-lessons of confidence, leadership, and mediation. Her teachers at Danvers High School provided a safe place to express anxiety while building her confidence with constructive criticism, problem-solving and teamwork. Gabrielle’s projects with DECA and World Language National Honor Society enriched her knowledge of formulating relationships, and becoming more open minded, culturally sensitive, and globally intrigued.
The Members of the Danvers Historical Society funded the scholarship and wish Gabrielle all the best for her future endeavors.