Fanfare at Longwood celebrates school's 50th anniversary

With a marching band and a bright banner, a parade, an open house, a time capsule and cake, Longwood Elementary School in Indian Prairie Unit District 204 recently celebrated its 50th anniversary of educating students.

The school displayed photos from all 50 years inside its library as it welcomed back alumni and former staff members to reminisce.

Principal Tracey Ratner said attendees included a number of former principals, a former secretary, staff members from across the decades and students from as far back as the 1970s.

The oldest alums were "amazed that we still had their kindergarten pictures," Ratner said. Current students were amazed their school has so much history.

As the school celebrated its 50th year at 30W240 Bruce Lane in an unincorporated area near Naperville, attendees opened a time capsule hidden 25 years ago and swapped it with another one containing mementos from 2018.

A chorus of Longwood students performed as people toured the school to see how it's visibly changed and how it's stayed the same throughout the years.

Ratner said the event "got the entire community in the celebratory mood" about a week before classes concluded June 1.

"The celebration was fantastic," she said.