St. Charles school district to host 95th anniversary event for Lincoln Elementary
As Lincoln Elementary School nears the end of its final year as an elementary school, St. Charles community members are invited to join students, alumni, families and staff for a 95th anniversary celebration on Friday, May 10.
The event will commemorate the school’s longevity as the oldest facility in St. Charles Unit District 303 and its impact on thousands of students and staff through the decades.
Visitors can tour the historic building, view presentations, enjoy games and activities, and eat at food trucks.
An open house will be from 5 to 6 p.m. for alumni, former staff and community members. An event for everyone, including current Lincoln families, will run from 6 to 8 p.m.
The event marks the end of the Lincoln Elementary School era. This summer, the building will be repurposed to house staff offices and transition programming.
Abraham Lincoln School, designed by architect Frank Brownfield Gray, opened at 211 S. Sixth St. in March 1929 on the site where East Side School previously stood. In 2001, Lincoln underwent a renovation that added a new entrance, office space and learning resource center to the front of the building.
When the renovations at Lincoln are complete, the building will house the district’s Transition Program, which supports students ages 18 to 22 in developing skills for employment and independent living.
In addition to the changes to Lincoln, beginning in the 2024-2025 school year, Fox Ridge will reopen as an elementary school, and the Haines Center will house early childhood education.
The Lincoln Parent Teacher Organization is organizing the anniversary celebration.
“We look forward to celebrating this historic building and the individuals it has served for nearly a century,” Lincoln Elementary School Principal Michelle Woodring said in a news release. “My sincere thanks to the Lincoln PTO for its organization of this event, which will provide students and staff, both past and present, the opportunity to join with our community for reflection and fun.”
Woodring, who served as Lincoln’s principal since 2018, has been appointed principal at Fox Ridge Elementary School beginning next school year.