Groveport Messenger - February 12th, 2023

PAGE 4 - GROVEPORT MESSENGER - February 12, 2023
Letters policy
The Groveport Messenger welcomes letters to
the editor. Letters cannot be libelous. Letters that do
not have a signature, address, and telephone number,
or are signed with a pseudonym, will be rejected.
PLEASE BE BRIEF AND TO THE POINT. The
Messenger reserves the right to edit or refuse publication
of any letter for any reason. Opinions
expressed in the letters are not necessarily the
views of the Messenger. Mail letters to: Groveport
Messenger, 3500 Sullivant Avenue, Columbus, OH
43204; or by email to southeast@columbusmessenger.com.
Keep tabs on the latest news in
Groveport & Madison Township
Look for Groveport Messenger on
Become a fan!
southeast
Messenger
(Distribution: 8,000)
Rick Palsgrove ...................................Groveport Editor
southeast@columbusmessenger.com
Published every other Sunday by
The Columbus Messenger Co.
3500 Sullivant Ave., Columbus, Ohio 43204-1887
(614) 272-5422
The Columbus Messenger Co. reserves the right to edit, reject or cancel
any advertisement or editorial copy at any time. The company is not
responsible for checking accuracy of items submitted for publication.
Errors in advertising copy must be called to the attention of the company
after first insertion and prior to a second insertion of the same advertising
copy.
www.columbusmessenger.com
Students celebrate school’s 100th year
By Rick Palsgrove
Groveport Editor
Groveport
Messenger
BEST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER in Groveport
READ US ONLINE: www.columbusmessenger.com
Groveport Elementary School is 100 years old this year and students
there are embracing the school’s founding.
“We decided to celebrate the school building’s 100th birthday on
Jan. 27 because it was also the 100th day of school and that is a
day we celebrate every year,” said Groveport Elementary Principal
April Bray. “The staff planned so many fun lessons around the
number 100.”
She said students were encouraged to dress like they were 100
years old or wear a shirt with 100 items. Students put 100 items
in a bag and wrote clues for their classmates to guess what was
inside.
“Our first graders wrote informative essays about things they
learned about Groveport Elementary,” said Bray. “Vicki Ottman
also came in and spoke about what Groveport Elementary was like
when she attended kindergarten there in the 1950s. She showed
pictures of her kindergarten graduation, school report card, and
told stories about what it was like when she went to our school.
Vicki’s mom also attended Groveport School (as the building was
called when it housed all 12 grades) and graduated in 1924.”
Bray said the celebration also included recognizing all the students
who made at least 100 percent progress toward their i-Ready
Stretch Growth goal for reading and math. Students made 100th
day of school crowns, researched what life was like in 1923, used
an app to see what they would like when they are 100 years old,
wrote about what they would do if they were turning age 100
today, listed 100 reasons why they love Groveport Elementary, hid
100 Hershey Kisses around the room and challenged students to
find them all and match the numbers on the bottom to the hundreds
chart, and read books with 100 in the title.
“The students were very excited and interested to hear about
the history of the school,” said Bray. “Our staff takes great pride
in our school and its history. I can only
imagine how many of our former students
FREE
Pick-Up At These
Locations:
Groveport Senior Village - 5124 Hendron
Madison Township Office - 4575 Madison Lane
Paddock Pub/Groveport Golf Ctr. - 1005 Richardson Rd.
Southeast Library - 3980 S. Hamilton Rd.
Asbury Methodist Church - 4760 Winchester Pike
Groveport Municipal Building - 655 Blacklick St.
Groveport Town Hall - 648 Main St.
Flyers PIzza/Groveport - 296 Main St.
Ace Hardware - 726 Main St.
Little Italy Pizza - 619 Main St.
Huntington Bank/Groveport - 556 Main St.
Groveport Recreation Center - 7370 Groveport Rd.
Krogers - Main St.
Groveport Methodist Church - 512 Main St.
have gone on to help change and make the
world a better place.”
When asked what some of the things are
that the students and staff like about the
historic school, Bray said, “They love the
auditorium, library, gym, hardwood floors,
traditions that continue to this day, the
stone fountain, the World War II memorial,
the uniqueness of the architecture, and how
much this school has been a pillar in the
community.”
This event was just the beginning of the
students’ and staff’s plans to celebrate the
school’s 100th year.
“We are still discussing some other possible
celebrations for the kids, but we will
have an adults only community 100th
Anniversary Celebration Aug. 5 from 1-3
p.m.,” said Bray. “More information from
the planning committee will be shared in
the coming months.”
Bray said the school holds a special place
in the hearts of the community.
“I think the community is proud of our
school and Groveport Elementary’s place in
Groveport’s history,” said Bray. “The community
has always been very supportive of
the school and they value education and
want to preserve our history.”
Groveport School history
On Aug. 8, 1921, with enrollment on the
rise, Groveport Madison school board members
W.H. Hanstein, G.W. Woerlein, Pearl
Watkins, Daniel Schleppi, and Clarence
Stevenson presented a bond issue to the district,
which the voters approved, to build a
new $225,000, three story red brick school
Photo courtesy of April Bray
As part of their celebration of their school’s 100th birthday,
some of the students used an app to see what they would like
when they are 100 years old and then dressed the part.
Photo courtesy of the Groveport Heritage Museum
Groveport School as it looked in 1926.
on Groveport’s east Main Street to house all 12 grades, as well as
an elementary school at Edwards’ Station on Alum Creek Drive at
Williams Road. (In an architectural curiosity, Edwards
Elementary was designed as a smaller version of Groveport
School.)
Bond issue campaign literature from 1921 noted the new
“Groveport School” enabled the district to close down the six one
room schoolhouses it was operating around Madison Township as
well as the smaller, nearly 40-year-old school that housed all 12
grades that was once located where Groveport’s Naomi Court now
stands.
Groveport School (now Groveport Elementary) opened in 1923
and housed all 12 grades until the mid-1950s when a new high
school was built next door. Groveport School was constructed on
land that was once pasture land owned by the Rarey family and
where the famous horse Cruiser romped.
The school features interior golden glazed brick walls as well as
a separate gymnasium and auditorium, which is unique for school
buildings of its era that often combined the gym and auditorium
into one room.
Playing fields and a playground compliment the structure. A
grand front lawn sweeps out to meet Main Street and features the
recently restored stone fountain as its centerpiece.
The original classroom design for Groveport School included
manual arts, agriculture laboratory, machine shop, home economics,
cafeteria, and storage, locker rooms on the first floor. The second
floor housed grades 1-8 while the third floor held the high
school classrooms.
Besides providing a home for education, Groveport School has
been a social center for both community and school functions
including farmers’ exhibits, dances, lyceum courses, plays, athletics,
and concerts.
The school remains a thriving and active place educationally. It
is an architectural jewel nestled in downtown Groveport that is a
functioning reminder of Groveport and Madison Township’s past
as well as a beacon of promise for the future. Above all, it remains
a symbol of the area’s desire to provide a solid public education to
its citizenry.
Groveport Elementary School, as well as Groveport Madison
Middle School Central next door, were both placed on the National
Register of Historic Places early in the 21st century.