McKinley Elementary School in Allentown celebrates 125th annivesary

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

Before a crowd of about 300 tonight, McKinley Elementary School Principal Richard Kern introduced a second grader named Carlos.

He also introduced Jim and Betty Christie, ages 89 and 86, an Allentown couple who have been married for 61 years.

The one thing they have in common: they both attended the same Allentown elementary school at 1124 Turner St.

"Think of the history," Kern said tonight at a celebration of McKinley Elementary School's 125th anniversary at Christ Lutheran Church in Allentown.

"When McKinley was built, it was 21 years before Abraham Lincoln was assassinated," he said. "There was no light bulb. There was no computer. There wasn't even an automobile."

Students, teachers, parents and community members came to tonight's event, which Kern said marks the beginning of a year-long celebration of the school, which was built in 1886.

Jim Christie brought with him a picture of students playing football outside the school on December 7, 1941, the day Pearl Harbor was attacked.

"It's very hard for me to fathom the idea of something being 125 years old, let alone explaining it to a six-year-old," Kern said. "But we want them to understand that sense of community."

Starting this year, Kern said, McKinley Elementary School has been designated a community school by the United Way program Community Partners for Student Success, or COMPASS.

It is the fourth school in the Allentown School District to receive the distinction, he said. The others are South Mountain Middle School and the Central and Roosevelt elementary schools.

It means McKinley is recognized as a place where students and families have access to a wide range of resources, support and opportunities offered through community partnerships, said McKinley reading support teacher Kelly Stoops.

"We want them to know that their community is more than their family, but also the school and city they live in," said Stoops, who coordinated tonight's event.

"Many of them will probably live in this community when they grow up," she said, "so we want to help them become a stronger part of the community."

Originally called Public School #7, but renamed to honor President William McKinley, the school building briefly became a draft board center during World War II in 1946.

It then went through several uses before being remodeled and reopening as an elementary school once again in 1951.

Today, Kern said 330 students from kindergarten to fifth grade attend McKinley, whose boundaries include 12 blocks, mostly along Linden, Turner and Chew streets between 10th and 14th streets.

Tonight's event included a raffle, trivia games, coloring stations, face painting, book giveaways and a performance by the William Allen High School Chorale.

Christina Cardona, a city resident with a 5-year-old in kindergarten at McKinley, said she is happy with the school and feels it does convey a genuine sense of community.

"It's great for them, and great for me because not too many places are as kid-friendly as they are," Cardona said while her daughter, Aniyah, showed off a book she got during the celebration.

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/allentown/index.ssf/2011/11/mckinley_elementary_school_in.html