Elmira Free Academy

Ernie Davis Academy, formerly Elmira Free Academy, is the junior high school in Elmira, New York, United States. In September 2014 it merged with Southside High School (now Elmira High School (see Southside High School (Elmira, New York)).) It has 855 students in grades 8-9 with a student-teacher ratio of 13 to 1. According to state test scores, 18% of students are at least proficient in math and 22% in reading.[2]

Ernie Davis Academy
Address
933 Hoffman Street

Elmira
,
New York
14905
Coordinates42.0962°N 76.8305°W / 42.0962; -76.8305
Information
School typePublic, high school
School districtElmira City School District
NCES School ID361056000814[1]
PrincipalCarrie Rollins
Grades8-9
Enrollment855 (2016-2017)
Color(s)Maroon and White
MascotElmira Express
Athletic conferencesSouthern Tier Athletic Conference; Section IV NYSPHSAA
Websitewww.elmiracityschools.com/Davis.cfm

The metro-area surrounding Ernie Davis Academy is both economically and racially diverse, traits reflected in the student body. 77% of the student body is White, 20% is Black, 2% Hispanic, less than 1% Asian or Pacific Islander, and less than 1% Native American. Also, 38% of the student body qualified for free or reduced lunches, a percentage significantly higher than the state average of 17%.[3]

History

Started in 1859 under the Jurisdiction of a Board of Education. EFA had many locations and upgrades as the City grew. Elmira Free Academy moved to Hoffman St in 1969. The school also boasted many honors courses, taught to the standards of both AP and ACE (a program that offers direct college credits at many schools). Elmira Free Academy was also a strong statewide contender in many sports, despite a smaller student enrollment and budget than many competing schools. The school was classified as class A in Section IV of the NYSPHSAA.[4]

Every fall, Southside High School and EFA competed in football for the Erie Bell. In 2011, however, the Elmira City School District announced that due to severe budget problems, the 64-year-old rivalry between Southside and EFA would have to come to an end. The two high schools combined their sports teams by the 2011-12 school year. A community vote was taken to determine what new mascot and colors people were interested in. On May 25, 2011, the district officially announced that the new team would be called the Elmira Express, a common nickname for Elmiran legend Ernie Davis, the first African-American to ever win the Heisman Trophy in the sport of football. The colors will be red, black, and white.[5] The Elmira City School District decided to make EFA the middle school and Southside the high school during the 2013-14 school year which began to operate officially by September 2014. Elmira Free Academy has been renamed 'Ernie Davis Academy' respectively due to the closure of Ernie Davis Middle School. The new Ernie Davis Academy consists of only eighth and ninth grade students unlike the building's predecessor in its earliest days consisting of students from grades tenth to twelfth and then from ninth to twelfth. Students in Elmira who are in grades tenth to twelfth are attending Elmira High School located at EFA's former arch rival's building.

Notable alumni
  • Hal Roach (1908) - Film and TV producer with a career spanning much of the 20th century. In 1984, he won the honorary Academy Honorary Award for Lifetime Achievement.
  • Ernie Davis (1958) - First Black American to win the Heisman Trophy, and two time All-American. Drafted by Washington Redskins and traded to Cleveland Browns before he died from leukemia in 1963.
  • Bob DeLaney (1942) - Sports announcer
  • Tommy Hilfiger (1970) - Fashion designer and creator of the eponymous "Tommy Hilfiger" and "Tommy" brands.
  • Eileen Collins (1974) - Retired Astronaut, first female pilot, commander of the Space Shuttle

Past Principals
  • Carrie Rollins: 2014-Present
  • John Wood: 2013-2014 (Beginning of Ernie Davis Academy-EDA)
  • Chris Krantz: 2012-2013 (End Of Elmira Free Academy-EFA)
  • John Wood: 2008–2012
  • Scott Williams: 2006–2008
  • Robert Bailey III: 2000–2006
  • John Walker: 1996–2000
  • Theodore V. Faber: 1995–1996
  • Cynthia H. Haigh: 1994–1995
  • Joseph H. Nikiel: 1988–1994
  • Daile Rose: 1984–1988
  • Dr.William J Doran: 1981–1984
  • Martin Harrigan: 1973–1980
  • G. Ellsworth Bradley: 1969–1973
  • Kenneth S. Weaver: 1954–1969
  • Albert Helmkamp: 1936–1954
  • Francis Parker: 1906–1936
  • Howard Conant: 1900–1906
  • Charles Evans: 1895–1900
  • Herbert Lovell: 1887–1895
  • James Monks: 1872–1887
  • Joel Dorman Steele: 1866–1872
  • G.W. Timlow: 1865–1866
  • Isaac Mortimer Wellington: 1860–1865
  • Moses Summer Converse: 1859–1860
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References
  1. "Search for Public Schools - Elmira Free Academy (361056000814)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  2. Ernie Davis Academy in Elmira, NY
  3. Elmira Free Academy Demographics
  4. "New York Section IV boys basketball". Archived from the original on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2007-07-15.
  5. http://www.wetmtv.com/sports/story/Southside-and-EFA-Will-Merge-Sports-Teams/4lATspoCWEefnQNzB1ZRIA.cspx
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