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The Shenendehowa Central School District was organized on January 14, 1950, by a vote of the residents of 21 former common school districts and one union-free school district.
These 22 schools in the towns of Clifton Park, Halfmoon, Malta, Waterford, Ballston and Stillwater (representing approximately 86 square miles) became officially centralized on July 1, 1950.
From 1950 through 1953, the district housed grades K-8 in 16 one-, two- and three-room school houses plus an eight-room school house in Round Lake. All high school students (gr. 9-12) were transported to one of four high schools: Ballston Spa, Mechanicville, Waterford or Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake.
In 1951, the School District voted to purchase 160 acres to build an 1,800-pupil school for kindergarten through grade 12. This land was part of the Shenondahowe or Clifton Park Patent of 1708. The Iroquois word “Shenondahowe” means Great Plains. That’s how the district became know as Shenendehowa Central Schools.

Building Shenendehowa

January 1950
Organized by a vote of residents from 21 common school districts and one union free school district in Clifton Park, Halfmoon, Malta, Waterford Ballston and Stillwater.

July 1950
Officially centralized and named "Central School District No. 2, of the Towns of Clifton Park, Halfmoon, Malta, Waterford, Ballston and Stillwater, County of Saratoga, New York."

1951
District voted to purchase 160 acres and to build an 1,800 pupil school to house K-12. The area of the campus was part of the SHENONDAHOWE (Iroquois for Great Plains) or Clifton Park Patent of 1708. The Board of Education simplified the name at the time and began referring to the district as Shenendehowa Central Schools (the name would not be formally changed with the State Education Department until 1973).

September 1953
Kindergarten students and gr. 8-12 moved into the main building that was Shenendehowa Central Schools (now Gowana/Acadia)

January 1954
Grades 1-7 moved into rooms in the main building (now Gowana/Acadia) as they were being completed closing the numerous one- and two-room school houses.

Configuration change: K-12 in one building (what is currently Gowana/Acadia)

1958
Additions made to Arongen (now Acadia).

1962
A new wing was built on to the main building (now Gowana/Acadia).

Configuration change: K-6 in Arongen (what is currently called Acadia) and gr. 7-12 in the High School (what is currently called Gowana).

August 1964
District purchases 51 adjoining acres (Karigon/Orenda and Tesago/Skano are built on this parcel). Shenendehowa Junior High (called Middle A, then Koda, now called HS West Building) opened housing gr. 7-9.

Configuration change: K-6 in Arongen (what is currently called Acadia); gr. 7-9 in junior high (what is currently SHS Freshman Center); and gr. 10-12 in high school (what is currently Gowana)

1966-67
Tesago (courage) and Skano (peace) Elementary Schools opened housing gr. K-6

1967
District purchases an additional 25 acres adjacent to the campus (bus garage area).

1968
Orenda (great spirit) and Karigon (to join together) Elementary Schools opened housing gr. K-6.

September 1970
Shenendehowa High School was built and housed grade 9-12. The original high school building (currently called Gowana) is named Middle School B and the original junior high school building (currently called HS West Building) is named Middle School A. They house gr. 6-8.

Configuration change: K-5 in five elementary schools; gr. 6-8 in two middle schools; and gr. 9-12 in the high school.

1970
District purchased 94 acres east of Moe Road.

June 1972
Jerome Rosen donates land to on Cresent-Vishers Ferry Road (Okte)

August 1972
Robert VanPatten donates land on Round Lake Road (Chango)

1973
In compliance with State Education Law, the official name of the district was changed to "Shenendehowa Central School District at Elnora" (at the time Elnora was the primary post office).

September 1973
Because of increasing enrollments, the ninth grade was moved to the middle schools and sixth grade was moved to the elementary schools.

Configuration change: K-6 in five elementary schools; gr. 7-9 in two middle schools; and gr. 10-12 in the high school.

September 1973
Okte (to achieve) Elementary School opened housing gr. K-6.

September 1974
Chango (happy and cheerful) Elementary School opened housing gr. K-6.

1976
Middle School A is renamed Koda (friend) Junior High (currently HS West Building) and Middle School B is renamed Gowana (great) Junior High.

July 1983
District’s name formally changes to "Shenendehowa Central School District at Clifton Park."

April 1988
District office moves from Winan’s Wing in Arongen (currently named Acadia) to Fairchild Square.

1988
Additions to Skano/Tesago and Karigon/Orenda are made.

September 1987
All campus kindergarten classes are moved to Arongen.

Configuration change: Arongen (now called Acadia) K-6, North and South elementary schools are gr. 1-6, Okte and Chango are gr. K-6; gr. 7-9 in two junior highs, gr. 10-12 in the high school.

October 1989
Four-room addition made to the high school.

February 1989
Addition to Chango Elementary.

September 1989
Addition to Koda and Gowana junior highs.

September 1992
Arongen (currently called Acadia) closes because aging infrastructure is in poor condition. New building opens on Clifton Park Center Road. It is named Arongen and houses grades K-6. Kindergartners in housed in the closed now Arongen building (Acadia) move back to campus schools.

Configuration change: K-6 in seven elementary schools; gr. 7-9 in two junior highs; and gr. 10-12 in the high school.

September 1994
Old Arongen renovated, reopened and renamed Acadia (place of plenty) it houses all of grade 6.

Configuration change: K-5 in seven elementary schools; g. 6 in Acadia; gr. 7-9 in two junior highs; and gr. 10-12 in the high school.

September 1998
Additions to Gowana/Acadia facility and the high school are made.

Configuration change: K-5 in seven elem. schools; gr. 6 and 7 in Acadia, gr. 6, 7 and 8 in Gowana; gr. 8 and 9 in Koda (now called SHS Freshman Center); and gr. 10-12 in the high school.

September 1999
Third middle school added to Gowana/Acadia building. It is named Koda. Four science classrooms are added to the old Koda and it is renamed Shenendehowa High School West. The high school is renamed Shenendehowa High School East.

Configuration change: K-5 in seven elementary schools; gr. 6, 7, and 8 in three middle schools; all of gr. 9 and half of grade 10 in Shen High School West; and half of gr. 10 and all of grade 11 and 12 in Shen High School East.

January 2001
The community supports a referendum to add on to High School East Building allowing all of grade 10-12 to be housed there when construction is complete.

May 2001
The community supports a referendum to purchase a building at 5 Chelsea Place off of Route 9 to house the district office personnel.

November 2001
The Board of Education votes to rename the high school buildings. High School East will be named Shenendehowa High School. High School West will be renamed Shenendehowa High School Freshman Center.

February 2002
The Board of Education votes to rename the high school buildings. Shenendehowa High School will be renamed Shenendehowa High School East Building. Shenendehowa High School Freshman Center will be renamed Shenendehowa High School West Building.

December 2002
The district offices move from the leased space at 1 Fairchild Square to the district-owned property at 5 Chelsea Place.

January 2004
Residents approve a referendum to build a new elementary school, a pool, a middle school addition and reconstruction/addition on to the transportation facility.

September 2004
The new wing at the Shenendehowa High School East Building opens. HS East now houses all students in grades 10-12 and HS West now houses grade 9 only.

September 2007
Shatekon (a balanced life), the district's eighth elementary school opens. It is attached to Arongen Elementary School.

June 2009
The pool is opened attached to the Middle School Complex.

September 2009
The new stadium is opened at High School East complete with a turf field, new track, concessions stand and restrooms. The bell tower is also built housing the 11 bells from the district's carillon.

 

June 2010

The new trails project opens connecting the campus trails to the Town of Clifton Park trails network.

 

The Carillon Bells

Before 1950, the district was made up of 22 one- and two-room school houses, 11 of which still had school bells. Rodney Winans, the first superintendent, helped to centralize the district. He brought the 11 bells together to the bell court on the main campus (now Gowana) and had them assembled into a structure they named "the Carillon." The bells are a symbol thatpays tribute to the schools and the towns that combined to form Shenendehowa Central Schools.

Age and the elements began to take their toll on the Carillon Bells. In the early 1990s, they were taken down and safely stored in one of the district's storage facilities until they could be refurbished and displayed properly once again.

In August 2009, after being cleaned and refurbished, the bells were assembled into a bell tower in front of the the High School East to be prominently displayed once again. While the bells are no longer able to ring, they will serve as a symbol for generations to come. The bell tower was paid for through donations from the Shenendehowa Educational Foundation.

Location and status of original 22 schools that centralized to form Shen (underlined schools indicate where the bells of the Carillon came from).

Clifton Park #2 Grooms-N.E. corner, Sugar Hill & Ray Rd, razed
Clifton Park #3 Vishers Ferry (circa 1850), Clifton Park, private home (bell)
Clifton Park #4 Wilbur (circa 1832)-N.E. corner Moe/Crescent-Vischers Ferry Rd, Clifton Park - razed
Clifton Park # 5 Moe-S.W. corner Moe/Grooms Road, Clifton Park, sold at auction in 1955 for $800, now a nursery school
Clifton Park #6 Town Sheds (circa 1837)- N.E. corner Vischers Ferry/Clifton Park Center Roads, Clifton Park razed (site of current town hall)
Clifton Park #7 Waite (circa 1855) - North side Route 146, East of Waite Rd, Clifton Park, sold at auction in 1953 for $600
Clifton Park #8 - Originally located on Appleton Rd, annexed to Burnt Hills  in 1915, Clifton Park #13 renumbered #8 North side of Ushers Road, razed (bell)
Clifton Park #9 Jonesville (circa 1856) - West side Main St. opposite church, sold at auction in 1977 for $10,550. (bell)
Clifton Park #10 Elnora - West side Rt 146A, south of Kinns Rd, sold for $1,025 private home (bell)
Clifton Park #11 Kinns, Skunk Hollow - South side of Kinns Rd, west of Plank Rd, burned by vandals
Clifton Park #12 - Northwest corner Cemetery Road/old Route 146, sold used as private business (bell)
Halfmoon #1 Middletown - Churchhill Road, private home (bell)
Halfmoon #2 Newtown - intersection Rte 146/236, private business
Halfmoon #3 Beach Rd - razed (bell)
Halfmoon #4 Cary Rd - original burned in 1950
Halfmoon #5 West Crescent - East side Dunsbach Rd., private home (bell)
Halfmoon #7 Coons Crossing - private owner
Halfmoon #9 - Originally located on Rte 9, moved around the corner, now a private business (bell)
Halfmoon #11 Crescent - North side Churchhill Road, east of Rte 9, razed (bell)
Malta #4 Maltaville - Rte 67 east of Rte 9, private home (bell)
Malta #5 Armstrong's Corners - Southeast corner Eastline Rd and Round Lake Rd, razed
Malta #9 Round Lake Free Academy - razed following repeated vandalism

District Alma Mater

Shenendehowa Central out on the plain so clear

Her Carillon bells are standing a symbol we hold dear

And through the years she'll guide us and help us on our way

We never will forget her but with honor will repay

Alma Mater, Alma Mater

to thee we sing our praise

Shenendehowa Central

Our standard our guide always

Written by Shen band teacher William MacElroy and his wife in 1962