Fairview Elementary School marks 50 years
The world is filled with people -- from senior citizens to kindergartners -- with memories of attending Fairview Elementary School, which marks half a century in Hoffman Estates this year.
Though the school opened in February 1957 with 127 students and six teachers, it was this month that the community chose to celebrate the golden anniversary.
The birthday and homecoming were scheduled in early September to kick off the new school year and take advantage of the chance to make it an outdoor event.
Among the attendees were past and present students and teachers, Hoffman Estates Mayor William McLeod, Schaumburg Township Elementary District 54 Superintendent Ed Rafferty -- and Fairview's longest-serving principal, Janet Starr.
Starr's 17 years as principal ran from 1987 to 2004. And her attendance at the anniversary celebration was in an official capacity as well. She's filling in during the maternity leave of current principal Beth Erbach, until Oct. 1.
The chance to fill in provided not only a happy homecoming for Starr herself, but a chance to officially retire from the school she led for so long.
The last three years she's been principal of District 54's Muir Literacy Academy.
While she initially missed the stability of her life at Fairview, the change was instrumental in reminding her that students' eagerness to learn is universal, regardless of their diverse backgrounds.
But parent support was always a special strength of Fairview School, which she's been pleased to find is still the same after her time away.
Despite being the oldest active school in District 54 and sporting five additions to the building since its original opening, Fairview's history is in no danger of ending anytime soon, Starr said.
She oversaw the last addition in the early '90s and remembers how much time was spent making sure it would blend seamlessly into the existing building.
"Basically, it's a timeless place," she said. "I always call it a two-story school on one floor. It's all over the place, but it works."
The school boasts 507 students and 50 staff members in 27 classrooms. But there was one year during Starr's tenure when the student population crept as high as 640.
"We got creative about the way we used our space," she remembered.
None of the other principals in the school's history have come close to rivaling Starr's length of service. There have been 14 principals over the 50 years.
The school received its name for its location, overseeing the fairways of the Golden Acres Golf Club, which is now the Schaumburg Golf Club. At that time the school consisted of just eight classrooms and was surrounded by a neighborhood of new 1950s houses.
The school's mascot is the Fairview Falcon, which Lois Sarmiento, in sixth grade at the time, incorporated into her winning design last year for the 50th anniversary logo.