Decades of Pride: 85th Birthday Party Will Celebrate J.P.’s History

The McCaskey Alumni Association will host a free open house and “85th birthday party” at J.P. McCaskey High School on May 3 in remembrance of the historic building’s dedication on the same date in 1938.
J.P. McCaskey High School was Lancaster County’s biggest construction project funded by the New Deal, the collection of federal stimulus programs initiated by President Franklin Roosevelt during the Great Depression. An example of Art Deco architecture, the gigantic new building, referred to by then-Superintendent H.E. Gress as a “little university,” introduced co-education for boys and girls. Previously, boys and girls had attended high school in separate buildings.
Starting at 6 PM, several invited food trucks will be open for business along North Reservoir Street. From the front steps of the high school, the Alumni Association will offer welcoming remarks, lead visitors in singing the “Alma Mater,” and introduce performances from McCaskey students, past and present.
Inside the lobby and adjoining hallways, birthday cake will be served and stations will be assembled representing all of the decades spanning the school’s history, from the 1930s (when McCaskey opened) to the present. Students welcoming guests at the various stations will be dressed in the clothing of the time period and memorabilia will be displayed.