By Mary Ann McGann
It was a sea of vivid red, blue, orange, purple, and green tie dye as students and staff kicked off a yearlong celebration of the 50th anniversary of Mount Horeb School.
“Today is such a significant day,” said principal Scott Cook. “Kids in 1965 walked down these halls. Isn’t that cool?”
Cook took a photographic journey back in time to show the students what was happening 50 years ago. The Civil Rights Movement. The Beatles. Hillary Clinton in high school. The surface of Mars as seen by the spacecraft, Mariner 4. And, of course, that space-aged animated sitcom, The Jetsons.
“Let’s watch some cartoons in school, shall we,” Cook quipped.
Several former Mount Horeb teachers joined in the merriment on October 9, as did former principals Joseph Palumbo (1992-2007) and William Kimmick (2007-2014).
“You make the school,” Kimmick, now the district’s curriculum coordinator, told the enthusiastic K-5 gathering. “As adults, we are fortunate to come to school and work with you. We learn as much from you as you do from us.”
“Keep studying. Keep working hard and success will come to you,” Palumbo added.
Cook, who succeeded Kimmick as principal in early 2014, also announced that the school’s PTO will buy a time capsule for the students. Fittingly, the festivities ended with a video of Chubby Checkers and his 1960s dance craze, “The Twist,” with staff and students alike on their feet and wriggling to the beat before heading back to class.
Photos by Mary Ann McGann
(above) Mt. Horeb School principal Scott Cook kicks off a yearlong celebration of the elementary school’s golden anniversary.
(above) Grace DiNardi dances “The Twist” with her kindergarten classmates as they celebrate Mt. Horeb School’s golden anniversary.
(above) Former principals William Kimmick (L) and Joseph Palumbo.
