Duncan James McMillan, a Presbyterian of Scots descent, went West for his health and into the heart of Mormon Utah for his soul. He saw great potential there for missionary work. But education became his lasting legacy.
McMillan ended up in Mt. Pleasant in 1875, and although he didn't find many converts, the postmaster noticed he seemed like an educated man and asked him to help educate the community's children. McMillan agreed, and Wasatch Academy was born."McMillan met with a lot of resistance in that mostly Mormon community," says current headmaster Joseph Loftin, "but he held on."
Wasatch Academy celebrates its 125th anniversary this school year. "We were founded the same year as BYU and Westminster. We're the oldest continuously used secondary school in the state. That says a lot about the character of the school," Lofton says.
For its first hundred years, the school educated many of the children of the surrounding area -- children of ranchers, farmers, forest workers, missionaries -- Presbyterian, Mormon and others alike. "It really became the school system for central Utah," says Lofton. "It always had a strong academic program. In the '30s, a degree from here almost carried the same weight as a college degree. Graduates from the school have become leaders in all major industries and professions."
In the 1970s, the Presbyterian Church dropped its sponsorship of the school -- as it did with all its schools, deciding to shift financial resources into social services instead of education.
Wasatch Academy became a private school in 1974. "Now we have to pay our own bills and run as a business. Tuition went up to reflect real costs of employing teachers. We do a lot of fund raising," Lofton says. About 40 percent of the students receive some financial aid.
And there is still that strong academic emphasis. "During the '90s, we've really come into our own as a private college-prep school."
One of the most exciting changes in modern years, says Lofton, is the diversity of the campus. Out of a student body of 150, 24 states and 15 countries are represented. Thirty-six students come from Utah, but others hail from India, Nepal, Kenya, Latvia, Germany, Congo, Thailand, Korea.
"We're very proud of that. It gives us a lot of diversity in an area you might not expect it. It's good for the students, and it brings an added element to the local culture as well."
Most students live on campus, but 22 day students come from surrounding towns. The school includes grades 9-12, and class sizes are limited to a maximum of 16 students, but average nine or 10.
"We offer rigorous college-prep training," says Lofton. "I recently had a letter from one of our grads who went on to Stanford. She says she is working full-time and getting straight A's. But she's not as busy as she was at Wasatch."
The school offers a lot of honors and AP classes, says the headmaster. "Our arts program is outstanding. We take advantage of all the local artists in Spring City and other places." They have a full program of sports. "Everything but football. And there's some talk that 1-A schools are going back to that, so we'll see." The rural setting also offers lots of opportunities for off-campus activities such as rock climbing, mountain biking and snowboarding. "We're within a four-hour drive of six national parks. We take advantage of that."
One of the aspects of the school that Lofton is especially proud of is the high level of technology its managed. "We're as close as you can get to state-of-art," says Frank Moody, who directs the computer department. And they've done most of it themselves. Students dug trenches for the wiring and laid the wire. Students are trained in technical support. Every classroom, every dorm room, every faculty house is wired for a computer.
And particularly successful has been an interactive gradebook that allows both students and parents daily access to class records. "We saw a dramatic increase in honor rolls last year, after we implemented the gradebook. Both students and parents like the immediate feedback," Lofton says.
"Teachers also like it," adds Moody. "It gives then a chance to see how well their agenda of tasks is leading to the final objective. And students learn how the process works. How that one test helped or hurt their grade. It helps take the mystery out of the learning process. Immediate feedback is a powerful tool, and that's what we provide." He estimates that about 50 percent of the students have laptop computers; the others have access to them in labs and classrooms.
The campus of Wasatch Academy, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Sites, offers a blend of old and new. "We have architecture spanning every decade of the century," says Lofton. The school provides housing for the 30-member faculty, and those houses ring the block that holds the campus. And that provides some good opportunities for interaction between students and teachers. The students know the teachers are always available, Lofton says.
Many of the faculty members are former students; loyalty among students is phenomenal. Some faculty are graduates of southern Utah colleges and some are Harvard graduates. "That's a good mix for the students." And, he says, many come to the school because their parents and their brothers and sisters attended it.
Lofton himself is a former student. He returned in 1986 to teach math and computer science and became headmaster in 1988. So, if he seems overly enthusiastic about the school, it's because he has spent a good deal of his life there. But he is also confident that Wasatch offers a top-flight program.
It used to be that people felt sorry for students who went to 1-A schools. But now many are finding advantages in that smaller size. "With the industrial age, we went to industrial-size classrooms. But that's not working. Students need more attention, more interaction with teachers. That has a significant impact on their lives," he says.
At Wasatch, "we don't accept failure. If students don't get it right, we stay on them until they do. Kids are kids wherever they are, and they need nurturing. We can provide that."
Another advantage the Wasatch students have, he says, is the chance for leadership and expression that they might not get in larger populations at urban schools. "That develops self-confidence."
The school also requires community service. Students tutor at-risk students in local schools, they read to preschoolers, they befriend elderly patients in nursing homes, they help clean up community areas. "They are out there in the community, contributing. And that's good for them and for the community."
Although the Presbyterian Church is no longer a sponsor, the school still emphasizes spiritual values as well. "And we have students of all faiths. While we have a great respect for the Judeo-Christian tradition, we have Moslems, Buddhists and others," Lofton says. The school offers a regular chapel program for all students.
"We see our mission here not only to educate students but to prepare them for life. We stress compassion and tolerance. Those are two of the highest values. Without those, the value of education is diminished. You can be educated, but if you're not kind, not involved, what are you?"
Duncan James McMillan would be proud to see what has become of the school he started so long ago in the little town of Mt. Pleasant.