Thursday, March 28th, 2024

C Children First by Becky Adams
Who Are the Teachers of Our Children?



WHO ARE THE TEACHERS OF OUR CHILDREN?




Driving down Battlefield Boulevard toward North Carolina, one passes a three-story brick school that has touched lives in the community for 100 years. Hickory School, started in 1922 with students in grades one through eleven, now has 580 children from Pre-K through fifth grade.

Located in a rural area of Chesapeake, most of Hickory’s early students came from farms. Parents often wrote notes to excuse their children from class when they were needed for farm work. Today, local families can point to five generations of children who attended Hickory School.

Growing up on Buskey Road, Win Culpepper and his five siblings attended Hickory, as did their father. Their mother drove a school bus, and their grandmother, who lived to age 106, worked in the cafeteria for decades. Win says involvement in this school was “a hometown thing.”



Patricia Powers’s entire family attended Hickory, where her aunt was the valedictorian of her class with perfect attendance for eleven years. When Patricia was in sixth grade, the school had very few staff members, so she assisted in the office. She describes the curriculum at the time as structured, emphasizing reading (using the “Dick and Jane” books), math, science, and history. Physical education included learning the Virginia Reel, the Mexican Hat Dance, and the Minuet.

Forty-one years after serving as its principal, Bill Myers had grandchildren in Hickory. He describes the school as “an absolute goldmine”  where ”teachers wanted to teach, students wanted to learn, and parents wanted both.”Patricia and Bill later became Assistant Superintendents in Chesapeake Public Schools.
 
Elsie Whitfield Craig was a student, a teacher, and a principal at Hickory School. Her mother was PTA President, and her brother, L. W. Whitfield, was Chairman of the School Board. Elsie taught the first kindergarten class there and became a beloved principal.

Meredith Garrett was principal during Hickory’s 1995 restoration. The community had strong feelings about preserving the original building. With help from a local architect, the building was restored with a new addition and amenities to enrich the students’ learning.

Tom Mercer, a current Chesapeake School Board member and the former minister of Hickory United Methodist Church, notes that church and school are so close they share a parking lot. The nearby Hickory Ruritan building helps foster a “family atmosphere” and true community spirit.
All agree that Hickory School brought the community together. During World War II, community volunteers took turns sitting on the school roof, serving as a “warning system” for potential enemy aircraft flying over the area.

Jay Lewter, principal at Hickory for six years, is excited about upcoming events celebrating the school’s history, including a 100th Anniversary program on November 29. (Information is on Hickory’s Facebook page.)

A 1996 school system publication gave the best description of the then- newly-renovated Hickory, calling it a “sparkling example of making  the past an integral part of the future.” I would add that it is a “true community school.”  Oh, the history this school has seen and will continue to make in the future!