How Kingswood Came To Be...

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In 1961, Superintendent of schools, Howard Kelley, called attention to the over crowding conditions at Carpenter School and Brewster Academy, and asked that the town of Wolfeboro address the problem.

On March 20, 1962, a committee was formed to study the needs of future educational needs for the community.

On April 20, 1963, the school districts of Effingham, Moultonboro, New Durham, Ossipee, Tuftonboro and Wolfeboro formed a joint district. The Governor Wentworth Regional School District was the voter choice for a name.

On July 1, 1963, voters met to consider school sites, funding, cost per town, construction and other matters.

In the fall of 1963, a Student Advisory Committee was organized with 24 students, elected by their classmates, acting as representatives from each of the six towns making up the new Governor Wentworth Regional School District. This committee was responsible for naming the new high school, selecting the school colors and emblem, establishing a dress code, and serve in other areas as advisors prior to the opening of the high school. Those in attendance at the first meeting, including adult advisors as well, were; Mark Fuller, Stephen Hale, Thomas Davenport, William Goodhue, Kathleen Bean, Richard Beckwith, Susan Damon, Sally Doe, Susan Hayes, Elizabeth Sawyer, George Lamprey, Paul Toom, James Thompson, William Swaffield, Charles Foss, Thomas Kennard, Joanne Gelinas, Eugene Savage, Reginald Ridlen, Susan Hunter, Ed Roundy, Nelson Newcomb, Dr. Edwin Goodall, Stephen Gardner, Pamela Devork, Cynthia Craigue, David Tower, Dwight Person, Devon Eckhoff and Cathy LaPlante.

At this first meeting, the committee named the school, “Kingswood Regional High School.” A couple other school names were, “Dewmont” and “Wedmont”, which were made up from the first letters from each town. The committee also selected the colors, “green and white”, and mascot as, “Kingswood Knights.”

Kingswood Regional High School opened on schedule in September 1964. At the open house on November 17, 1964, an estimated 5,000 people toured the new school.

 

The School’s name “Kingswood”, comes from the colonial New England times for the “King’s wood.” The “King’s wood” were white pine trees with a diameter of 24 inches or more, 12 inches above the ground. These trees were marked with, “The King’s Broad Arrow.” The “broad arrow” was made of three cuts with an axe coming together to form an arrow pointing up the tree. Any tree which bore this mark was property of the British Navy. The trees were for the masts on their ships. It was illegal to cut down these trees for any other purpose; otherwise, a 100 pound fine was issued per tree.

“The Broad Arrow, believed to have been used by Governor John Wentworth, as Surveyor-General of His Majesty’s Woods in North America, to mark those pines destined for masts for men-of-war in the Royal Navy.”