Among the attendees of the reunion this weekend of the Class of 1975 from Washington Elementary School were Jeff Rohr, Nancy Gard McGehee, Summer Bunner, Kim Sigman, Pam Shuman Daniell, Matt Byers, teacher Jan Memel, Paula Ahart, Cindy Carney Deem, Brent Jameson and Mark Suek. The group gathered at JP Henry’s Saturday night. (Photo Provided)

WASHINGTON, W.Va. — For those who attended grades one through six or kindergarten there, Washington Elementary School was much more than a school.

The grade school on W.Va. 892 South, served the Washington community from 1956 to 1975 in what many former students recall as a special time and place. The memories were celebrated this weekend when the school’s final graduating class gathered to mark its 50th anniversary at a reunion organized by former students Nancy Gard McGehee, Jeff Rohr and Brent Jameson.

Twelve of the 25 living classmates and their sixth grade teacher, Jan Memel, toured the former school and shared memories and mementos afterwards at J.P. Henry’s Restaurant in Parkersburg.

“We never knew how truly good we had it at the time,” Rohr, a retired financial planner now living in the Richmond, Va., area, said.

“It was idyllic in that we had the the same classmates for every class, the same teacher for every class and we were together all day at school and then at Scouts and 4-H, or baseball, football or basketball,” he said. “At Washington, we even had home-cooked-style meals for lunch, but, most importantly, we had a great teacher and several of us have remained close friends through these past 50 years.”

From left, former Washington Elementary School teacher Jan Memel and Class of 1975 reunion organizers Nancy Gard McGehee, Brent Jameson and Jeff Rohr gathered in what was once their sixth grade classroom. (Photo Provided)

Washington ceased as an elementary after the 1974-75 school year and its incoming and returning students were bused to the then-new Blennerhassett Elementary in the fall of 1975.

The small school had four permanent classrooms for grades 1,2, 5 and 6 and four modular classrooms for grades 3 and 4, kindergarten and a multi-purpose room added in 1973, a combination kitchen, cafeteria and library and two offices.

Washington had to do without a lot of the niceties and often the level of equipment enjoyed by larger institutions of learning. However, what it lacked in facilities, it more than made up for through ingenuity, creativity and teamwork between faculty, staff, parents and students, alumni said.

Washington also had a music director, a remedial reading teacher, a speech therapist, a school nurse and two cooks. Parents often served as tutors, teachers’ aides and event coordinators.

“Our parents were involved in everything that went on at the school, Rohr, whose family moved from Washington shortly after that last grade school year, said. “Looking back, the quality of education we received at Washington was incredible and the teachers, staff and parents there all worked together and did so very much with so very little. We didn’t necessarily notice it at the time, because we thought it was just supposed to be that way.”

The former Washington Elementary School as it appears today as a Head Start facility. (Photo Provided)

A quick check of the roll for Class of 1975 at Washington Elementary includes a university professor, educators at the primary and secondary school levels, engineers, small business owners, managers, authors, contractors, financial planners and community and church leaders.

“Our little school did a great job preparing us for the future,” McGehee, a professor at Virginia Tech who lives near the Blacksburg campus, said. “The education we received at Washington really launched us forward. Something else I remember well is how all the parents and teachers had each other’s backs. With all the school consolidation going on, our children and grandchildren will never know how great it was to attend a small school in a small community.”

Washington did not have a gymnasium yet fielded a boy’s basketball team in the last three years of its existence. The team practiced outside on a dirt and gravel, later paved, court when the weather was cooperative and sometimes practiced without a basket inside the Washington Community Building next door or at the National Guard Armory in South Parkersburg or Lubeck Elementary. In spite of these challenges, the team sported a winning record every year under fourth grade teacher John Anderson and principal Dave “Grub” Stephens, who coached the squad. Anderson played football with students at recess and was known for throwing a tight spiral. The late Stephens also was a respected high school baseball umpire.

Despite only a makeshift field of sand behind the school buildings, the Mustangs fielded boys and girls softball teams and never lost a game.

“I was fortunate to be able to teach a lot of great people at Washington,” said Memel, who is retired and living in Lewisburg, W.Va. “The Class of 1975 has always been one of my favorites. Some of us haven’t seen each other for 50 years and getting together today has helped us reconnect. When I was contacted about attending the reunion, I said there was no way I wasn’t going to be here.”

After closing as a graded school after 19 years of service, Washington Elementary found new life in different functions, most notably a Head Start educational facility for 3-, 4- and 5- year-old children that continues to this day.

“We had the time of our lives at Washington,” said Jameson, a retired engineer who still lives within earshot of the school. “We (classmates) are fortunate to be able to share lots of great memories of a special time and place and several of us have kept in touch and remained friends all these years.”

During its final season in the sun, Washington Elementary rostered 176 students, 17 staff members and a golden retriever dog named Sanford, who was the unofficial school mascot and student protector. Washington’s first school year nearly 69 autumns ago had 48 students and two teachers in place in two classrooms. Prior to 1956, there was the small Coffer School on the site.