by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

More than 300 people joined together to sing “Happy Birthday” and celebrate Sewanee Elementary School, the guest of honor at the 100th birthday fête on May 8 at the school. In anticipation of the celebration, for the past two years SES students met with former students who talked about their experiences at the school. They shared stories about friends, teachers, and things they learned. But one theme recurred in all the former students’ memories. Said SES librarian Kathryn Bruce, who coordinated the event, “Mostly they remembered the love.”

Bruce welcomed the birthday party guests with a mini-history lesson. “Although Billy Goat Hill School had served the community’s children for a number of years, it needed repairs. It needed running water. The people of the community decided they wanted more for their children. The Sewanee Civitan Club said, ‘let’s raise the money and build a school.’ That commitment to children continues today, whether it be the community offering educational experiences through the Friday School, bringing college students to engage students in creating Asian art, or donating supplies and clothing. The love is shown in little things, like that smile given every day, and in big things like the community raising money to build more classrooms so the school could integrate without anyone using lack of space as a reason not to.”

Two former students spoke about their years at SES, Barbara Reed Bedford, who attended SES in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and Erik Taylor, who attended in the 1990s. Both spoke about how SES changed their lives.

“Phoebe Bates came to my class and taught French as a volunteer. That brief weekly encounter made me keep studying French through college. I travelled to France many time and continue to travel all over the world,” said Reed. “SES means family, friends, and community all helping to shape me in a positive way.”

“My father came to Sewanee in the 1950s working for the dining hall,” Taylor said, commenting on his family’s origins as among the African Americans in the Sewanee community. “Mr. Baird was my first basketball coach in the fourth grade. He put me on the team and taught me the game. It catapulted what I was able to do in sports in my career. I played at the University of Memphis, graduated from there, and went on to play professional football for 11 years. Sewanee Elementary was the hope that allowed me to do that, because Mr. Baird took a chance on me.”

The birthday party paid special tribute to three former teachers. Dedicating the stage and cafeteria to music teacher Teresa Brown, Bruce said, “She was more than a music teacher. She was a champion for every student who stepped into the spotlight.” The celebration also paid tribute to former principal Kim Tucker, naming the trail leading to the school’s outdoor classroom “Tucker Trail.” “Kim Tucker looked at the beauty the school was set in, and said, ‘How do we get our children out there more?” Bruce observed. “Kim Tucker was a champion of children being outside and learning through their senses.” The final tribute went to David Gilliam. In naming the gym after Gilliam, Bruce said, “He made fitness feel like an adventure.”

Stationed throughout the school, children dressed in period costumes charmed the birthday party guests with displays and stories about the eras in SES’s history they represented.

The celebration closed with the unveiling of the new sign, an elegant monument made from local mountain stone and crafted by Belvidere Monument. Plans call for a plaque on the back of the sign footnoting the school’s history.

Special thanks went out to the Sewanee Civic Association, the later iteration of the Civitan Club. The SCA, through its nonprofit the Sewanee Community Chest, has donated more than $250k to SES programs and needs in the last decade.

“Community members have always been the backbone of this school since 1926,” said SES Principal Allison Dietz. “Sewanee Elementary isn’t just a building. It’s a place where curiosity is sparked, where friendships are forged, and where every child is truly known and loved by their neighbors. Thank you to the Sewanee community for being our village.”