09/20/2026
On Saturday NHS President Randy Heishman had the privilege to attend the Cumberland County Daughters of the American Revolution chapters meeting. At this meeting, the historian, archivist and museum curator for the Mechanicsburg School District spoke. This got me thinking, so NHS proposed this to the Big Spring School Board to take into consideration just this morning. It's a long read, but please tell us your thoughts on this initiative
Date: September 20, 2026
To:
The Board of School Directors
Big Spring School District
45 Mount Rock Road
Newville, PA 17241
Subject: Proposal for a Taxpayer-Cost-Free Volunteer District Archivist and Digital History Initiative
Dear Members of the Big Spring School Board,
I am writing to formally propose the creation of an official, honorary Volunteer District Archivist position and the establishment of a Big Spring Digital History Project. Inspired by the highly successful archiving models in neighboring districts like Mechanicsburg Area School District, this initiative will preserve and celebrate the rich history of the Newville area’s education system—from its historic one-room schoolhouses to the modern Big Spring High School—at absolutely zero cost to Big Spring taxpayers.
The Inspiration: Mechanicsburg’s Precedent
Mechanicsburg School District successfully preserves its local heritage through a dedicated District Archives program overseen by their official Historian and Archivist, William J. Murray (Contact: 717-506-1815).
I recently had the privilege of hearing Mr. Murray speak at a meeting hosted by the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution at the Mechanicsburg library. His presentation focused heavily on the local high school students who went on to become World War II veterans, detailing the profound impacts and immense difficulties of the war on both the servicemen and the local community. It was a powerful reminder of how school districts act as the keepers of deeply personal, localized American history. Big Spring can replicate this structural and educational success while tailoring it to our unique local resources.
Unlocking Local Assets: Newville and CCHS Partnerships
We do not need to look far to find a wealth of resources to kickstart this initiative. Our own Newville Historical Society, which has served our community since 1966, already houses a vast, comprehensive collection of records detailing our region’s early education footprint. Their archives contain extensive information on the historic, localized one-room schoolhouses that once dotted our townships, as well as crucial documentation covering the early inception and foundational years of the Big Spring High School itself.
Additionally, the Cumberland County Historical Society (CCHS) in Carlisle explicitly maintains the Big Spring Historical School Records (Collection MG-108). CCHS can be a critical institutional partner for the district moving forward (Contact: 717-249-7610 | Email: [email protected]). By building a bridge between the district, CCHS, and the Newville Historical Society, we can bring these incredible historical narratives out of storage and directly to our students and alumni without duplicate expenses.
The Taxpayer-Cost-Free Strategy
To guarantee that this project places no financial burden on the district’s operating budget, we propose utilizing a combination of local volunteerism, community partnerships, and existing student programs:
• Appoint an Unpaid Volunteer District Historian/Archivist: We request that the School Board pass a resolution to create an honorary, unpaid "Volunteer District Archivist" role. This individual—ideally a retired Big Spring history teacher, a local historian, or a dedicated alumnus—would oversee the collection, categorization, and donation process of historical district artifacts, operating similarly to Mr. Murray's framework in Mechanicsburg.
• Keep Physical Artifacts Local Rather Than Renting Real Estate: Instead of buying or renting real estate to house physical school displays, we propose keeping all physical artifacts housed securely at the Newville Historical Society and CCHS. This completely removes the overhead costs of physical facility management from the school district.
• Establish a "Digital Museum" via Existing Web Infrastructure: The Volunteer Archivist, alongside partners, will digitize the physical collections held by both historical societies. By utilizing a dedicated sub-page on the district’s existing website infrastructure, we can host scanned yearbooks, sports memorabilia photographs, and timelines with no added server or IT overhead costs.
• Mobilize Community Crowdsourcing and At-Home Contributions: We will actively request that community members and alumni contribute historical treasures from their homes. Residents can participate in two cost-free ways: either by physically donating items directly to the Newville Historical Society to be scanned, or by uploading digital copies of their photos and documents directly to a web portal for review and archiving.
• Launch a Dedicated page: To drive community engagement, we will launch a dedicated community page. This page will serve as a digital gallery to showcase archived school history and act as a direct portal where community members can easily share their own memories, pictures of old letterman jackets, and historical anecdotes.
• Utilize University Internships for Professional Labor: By establishing a zero-cost internship partnership with the Applied History and Museum Studies programs at nearby Shippensburg University, undergraduate or graduate students can gain academic credit by cataloging, digitizing, and organizing Big Spring’s historical assets for the community.
• Engage Students in Experiential Learning: High school history students can participate in oral history projects or set up rotating historical displays in existing high school lobby cases as part of their social studies capstone projects or independent studies.
Cultivating the Bulldog Legacy and Alumni Pride
Beyond the educational benefits, this community-driven approach will bring a profound, positive effect to the entire Big Spring area. By actively inviting our community to share their stories, we will further enhance the already fierce loyalty of our past alumni. Reconnecting graduates with their roots builds an invaluable multi-generational bridge, transforming passive history into active school pride and showcasing the unbreakable spirit of the Big Spring community.
Next Steps and Requested Action
I respectfully request that this proposal be placed on the agenda for an upcoming School Board planning session to discuss the logistics of establishing this volunteer role and setting up the digital registry.
With the great photographers we have in the area that are constantly photographing the many sports ventures of our school, these should be included in the digital archives as well.
