Visiting the Concord School and Guest Presentations
Please contact us for information to visit the school museum. Calling/texting, Dr. Veronica Ent at 412-558-1962 or emailing [email protected] are the best methods to make arrangements. Please contact us if you have a suggestion or would like to help coordinate a schoolhouse community event.
Below are some of the ongoing programs offered at the Concord Schoolhouse:
Private and by appointment tours to the public and organizations
Private tours are provided by the late Mrs. E. C. Ent's daughter, Dr. Veronica Ent, and tour coordinator, Ms. Jan Bunch, upon request and weather permitting. The tour begins at the schoolhouse site with an introduction of the schoolhouse’s history and purpose in the area between 1848-1953. Once participants are informed of the history they are welcomed inside the building to view the artifacts and original furnishings of the restored school. All attendees are asked to sign a registrar of visitors. Your guide explains the room arrangements, unique and specific furnishings to the school, curriculum, and shares the social lore of the building. Your guide will demonstrate the antique reed organ, if requested. The tour educates the community about early schools in Loyalhanna Township, PA and is a preserved artifact that will tell the stories of others for future generations to enjoy. The tour typically last between 1 and 2 hours depends on the audience and their interest. On average, four to five tours are given each month. Some of the organizations that have visited the schoolhouse are Westmoreland Country School Librarians, Daughters of the American Revolution, Western PA Homeschool Cooperative, Boy Scouts of America, Saltsburg Historical Society, and the Historical Society of Westmoreland County.
Reunions of alumni and community gatherings
When the Concord School of 1848 was restored several reunions were offered to the community for individuals that attended and their families the school. The past reunions were hosted by Mrs. E.C. Ent and Dr. Veronica Ent. The reunion gatherings are scheduled sporadically upon other events. For example the “grand opening” reunion took place in 1999 and the registry of historical places dedication occurred in 2014. If you would like to help plan a "schoolhouse special gathering" for the community, please call or email Dr. Ent. Typically, the schoolyard is the location for the picnic and events. The reunion gatherings last typically between three and four hours. The school building and carriage museum are open for anyone that wishes to tour the buildings. Having reunions and gatherings brings the community together and allows families to share the history with younger generations. The schoolhouse serves as an outreach that builds the neighborhood and community of Loyalhanna Township, PA.
Saint Vincent College graduate course visitations and studies
Every fall semester two graduate course meetings are offered at the Concord School of 1848. Dr. Veronica Ent , Associate Professor and Chairperson of the Education Department at Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, PA., teaches one course meeting a term on-site, inside the schoolroom. The graduate course, GCED 615 Curriculum Systems Design, addresses early schooling and the progressive movement as a part of the required instruction. Graduate students seeking a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction are required to attend this one course meeting (four course contact hours) and use the authentic materials of the schoolroom to prepare a comparative analysis of early education and the practices used in today’s schools. The graduate students are current teachers that have not had the exposure to common school movement and the specific curriculum preserved in the Concord School. Having this resource provides students an awareness of early education in America and contextualizes the recurrent theories that our modern schools were built upon.
Guest presentations and off-site demonstrations
As an outreach of the Concord School of 1848 organization, Dr. Veronica Ent has offered subject-specific presentations to groups and associations. In the past, Mrs. E. C. Ent has delivered slide presentation to local societies and groups about schoolhouses across America. More recently, her daughter, Dr. Ent, has focused several presentations around specific instructional artifacts found in the Concord School and debuts a new topic presentation each year at the Country School Association of America national conference. These collected presentations are in-turn made available to the public and are shared upon request. The presentation expand the outreach of the Concord School to beyond a visit or tour. Each presentation last about 50 minutes and involves hands-on displays of actual items used in the Concord School. Currently, there are eight separate presentations ranging from schoolroom phonographs to antique school buses.
Below are some of the ongoing programs offered at the Concord Schoolhouse:
Private and by appointment tours to the public and organizations
Private tours are provided by the late Mrs. E. C. Ent's daughter, Dr. Veronica Ent, and tour coordinator, Ms. Jan Bunch, upon request and weather permitting. The tour begins at the schoolhouse site with an introduction of the schoolhouse’s history and purpose in the area between 1848-1953. Once participants are informed of the history they are welcomed inside the building to view the artifacts and original furnishings of the restored school. All attendees are asked to sign a registrar of visitors. Your guide explains the room arrangements, unique and specific furnishings to the school, curriculum, and shares the social lore of the building. Your guide will demonstrate the antique reed organ, if requested. The tour educates the community about early schools in Loyalhanna Township, PA and is a preserved artifact that will tell the stories of others for future generations to enjoy. The tour typically last between 1 and 2 hours depends on the audience and their interest. On average, four to five tours are given each month. Some of the organizations that have visited the schoolhouse are Westmoreland Country School Librarians, Daughters of the American Revolution, Western PA Homeschool Cooperative, Boy Scouts of America, Saltsburg Historical Society, and the Historical Society of Westmoreland County.
Reunions of alumni and community gatherings
When the Concord School of 1848 was restored several reunions were offered to the community for individuals that attended and their families the school. The past reunions were hosted by Mrs. E.C. Ent and Dr. Veronica Ent. The reunion gatherings are scheduled sporadically upon other events. For example the “grand opening” reunion took place in 1999 and the registry of historical places dedication occurred in 2014. If you would like to help plan a "schoolhouse special gathering" for the community, please call or email Dr. Ent. Typically, the schoolyard is the location for the picnic and events. The reunion gatherings last typically between three and four hours. The school building and carriage museum are open for anyone that wishes to tour the buildings. Having reunions and gatherings brings the community together and allows families to share the history with younger generations. The schoolhouse serves as an outreach that builds the neighborhood and community of Loyalhanna Township, PA.
Saint Vincent College graduate course visitations and studies
Every fall semester two graduate course meetings are offered at the Concord School of 1848. Dr. Veronica Ent , Associate Professor and Chairperson of the Education Department at Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, PA., teaches one course meeting a term on-site, inside the schoolroom. The graduate course, GCED 615 Curriculum Systems Design, addresses early schooling and the progressive movement as a part of the required instruction. Graduate students seeking a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction are required to attend this one course meeting (four course contact hours) and use the authentic materials of the schoolroom to prepare a comparative analysis of early education and the practices used in today’s schools. The graduate students are current teachers that have not had the exposure to common school movement and the specific curriculum preserved in the Concord School. Having this resource provides students an awareness of early education in America and contextualizes the recurrent theories that our modern schools were built upon.
Guest presentations and off-site demonstrations
As an outreach of the Concord School of 1848 organization, Dr. Veronica Ent has offered subject-specific presentations to groups and associations. In the past, Mrs. E. C. Ent has delivered slide presentation to local societies and groups about schoolhouses across America. More recently, her daughter, Dr. Ent, has focused several presentations around specific instructional artifacts found in the Concord School and debuts a new topic presentation each year at the Country School Association of America national conference. These collected presentations are in-turn made available to the public and are shared upon request. The presentation expand the outreach of the Concord School to beyond a visit or tour. Each presentation last about 50 minutes and involves hands-on displays of actual items used in the Concord School. Currently, there are eight separate presentations ranging from schoolroom phonographs to antique school buses.