1957-2007, elementary school at 2000 Elm Street, St Charles, Missouri.
Blackhurst Elementary had a special kind of feeling By John Sonderegger ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH 05/01/2007 John Sonderegger Two women approached me as soon as I entered the gymnasium at Blackhurst Elementary School on Saturday. One of them had taught in the district for years, including 11 at Blackhurst, and she was very unhappy that this place was closing. The other woman, a School Board member, said she had voted in favor of closing Null Elementary instead of Blackhurst. Well, that horse has left the barn, I said. There will be no reprieves for the two St. Charles elementary schools that will be closed at the end of this school year as part of a district reorganization. A celebration commemorating the 110 years of Benton School was held on April 21. Blackhurst Elementary will close after 50 years. It had its farewell program on Saturday, and the theme was "Blackhurst Elementary: 50 Fabulous Years educating our future." I will tell you this, when you walk through the front door of Blackhurst, you feel this is a place where children are nurtured, educated, loved and guided during their formative years. It's not easy doing this these days with so many federal and state regulations, but the spirit of Blackhurst Elementary is seen in the smiles of its students, the kind words and reassuring voices of its teachers and principal and the care and love that the teachers take in preparing their classrooms. The gymnasium had displays on tables commemorating the five decades. Class photos, faded clippings from newspapers, and the highlights of those decades at the school were displayed. The hallways were decorated with the same theme, decade by decade. "This is a celebration and a reunion," Principal Shirley Lohmar told the gathering. "We had a lot of people who worked very hard putting together the displays. This is almost like celebrating a life. There are so many wonderful memories here. Not just the building, but the people. The people make the family, and this school was like a family." Mayor Patti York read a proclamation making Saturday, April 28, Stephen Blackhurst Elementary School Day in St. Charles. "When it was under construction in 1957, it was fondly labeled the school on Elm Street," York said. Lohmar said that when the school opened in 1958, "It was on the cutting edge of new schools and it was the flagship school in the city. The population in St. Charles was moving west, and at one point, we had 600 students bulging into this school. But times change, and we have to be flexible." The school is named in honor of Stephen Blackhurst, who was superintendent of the school district from 1926-62. His wife, Elsie, and daughter, Mary Blackhurst Wolf, were both elementary school teachers. His daughter, Leonora Blackhurst Wilkenson, was both a junior high and high school teacher in the city. His granddaughter, Cindy Webb, teaches fifth grade at Harris Elementary. Mary Wolf was a longtime teacher at her father's namesake school. City Councilman Mike Klinghammer said she was his first-grade teacher there. The only living child of Stephen Blackhurst, Clarence Blackhurst, 77, was at Saturday's ceremony. He came from his home in Ohio, and he remembers St. Charles as a town of 10,000 people and St. Peters as "a church and a couple of houses on a hill." His father died in 1973, but Clarence remains proud of the tradition his family name holds in St. Charles. "I feel an immense sense of pride being in the presence of you people here today," he told the group. "You have a great history here, and I hope you repeat it in another place, another time." Lohmar, the sixth and final principal at Blackhurst Elementary, said when she came to the school in 1998, the enrollment was about 340 students. That had dipped to under 260 this year. She will move to Null Elementary as principal next year, and more than half of her students at Blackhurst will join her. "A school is about people and about kids," she said. "When you walk in here and you feel the spirit it's almost a welcoming spirit." As Clarence Blackhurst says, let's hope they repeat it in another place and another time. http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/columnists.nsf/talkofcharleytown/story/1464788DF8AE66AD862572CE00145EE9?OpenDocument
Final goodbyes at two St. Charles elementary schools By Jessica Bock ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH 05/30/2007 May 29, 2007: Sharon Perko, kindergarten teacher, crys as she walks students out to their buses at Stephen Blackhurst Elementary School on the last day of school. ST. CHARLES The final day for students and staff at Blackhurst Elementary School ended much like the first day began. Wearing their blue Blackhurst T-shirts, teachers lined up Tuesday on each side of the sidewalk as students filed past. But this time, they were walking away from the school for the final time. "It's been a whole year of getting ready to do this," Principal Shirley Lohmar said earlier that day as students filed into the gym for their morning assembly. "Kids will respond the way the teachers do, so we're trying to keep everything upbeat." Several blocks away, students and teachers at Benton Elementary also were getting ready to say their final goodbyes on Tuesday. Principal Claudia Burkhart took to the pitcher's mound for the school's traditional kickball game, the last on the field next to the historic building. Built in 1896, Benton is the district's oldest school. Boxes, ready for movers, lined the hallways. Shelves stood empty. Walls were bare. "It's a fabulous building that takes you back to a different time. The newer buildings don't have that history," said Phyllis Kuhlo, who taught part time at Benton this year. The School Board voted last year to close Blackhurst and Benton after voters rejected a tax rate increase. Declining enrollment and tight finances forced the closures, which are part of a districtwide reorganization. Even as students entered Benton for the last day, some community members are still fighting to keep the school open. Near the black wrought iron entrance, signs saying "Keep Benton teaching" were posted. A petition also is circulating to keep the school open. Fifth-grader Sam Bethmann had attended Blackhurst since his first day of kindergarten. "Some of us are kind of sad, but excited about summer," said Sam, 11, who will miss the school's special events such as Picnic Day. "But nobody's excited that the school is going to close. It's pretty much just a great school." Benton and Blackhurst have about 160 years of schooling between them. Benton will become an administration building, and the district wants to lease Blackhurst. Burkhart, who had split her time as principal between Lincoln and Benton schools, will be full time at Lincoln next fall. Lohmar will go to Null Elementary as principal. More than half of her students at Blackhurst will join her. Blackhurst teacher Kim Jones was saddened by the closure both as a staff member and a former student. She had been dreading the school's final day all year. "I thought about this a lot this weekend and about the kids," Jones said. In the kitchen at Benton, cook Cindy Sanders was putting together ham and cheese sandwiches, the last lunch students would have at the school. Nearby, another staff member, Becky Carbrey, went through kitchen paperwork and lamented the loss of the school. "Everything is empty. It's been just gloomy," Carbrey said. "It's a shame they are getting rid of neighborhood schools like these." Outside as the Benton kickball game wrapped up, special education teacher Gina Linhoff took snapshots on a digital camera. She began her teaching career at Benton six years ago and found herself getting teary-eyed as the students recited the Pledge of Allegiance on Tuesday morning. "This year's been full of memories, but it's been overwhelming with all of the changes," Linhoff said. This fall, she'll make the transition to teaching first grade at Lincoln. Tuesday was especially bittersweet for Cheryl Hellman, who is retiring from Benton after 24 years and after she had to pack up nearly 10,000 books from the school's library. The books will be redistributed throughout elementary schools in the district. "I just keep looking around my little room where I've spent so much time and wondering what they're going to do with it," Hellman said. Before the scheduled half day ended on Tuesday, Blackhurst students, staff and some parents gathered in the gym for a final send-off from Lohmar. "Celebration" blared from speakers in the front as everyone clapped along. That sums up the past school year at Blackhurst, said Stephanie Louvier, PTO president. "This entire year, we have done nothing but tried to make it a celebration," she said. As they left the gym for the last time, Lohmar handed each student a pencil to remember Blackhurst during their first day at their new school next fall as "Don't Worry, Be Happy" played in the background. It was a different scene outside the school when students walked out for the last time past their teachers. One staff member passed out tissues. Some teachers waved them at the students as they left while others used them to wipe away tears. For most of the staff, it was the first time during the final day that they let their own tears fall in front of the students. "This is a day that nobody's been looking forward to. It's our last day as a staff and school," said Lohmar, who paused to keep her composure as she spoke to students at the last assembly. "We're all going in different directions. When you go to your schools next year, you are going to wow them." Walking out of the school and away from their teachers, some students clung to their parents. Others cried and ran back to hug teachers one more time before leaving. Soon, the last bus pulled out of the parking lot and the classrooms were empty. The final bell had rung. jbock@post-dispatch.com | 636-255-7208
School's out - for good - at Blackhurst, Benton Thursday, May 31, 2007 10:11 AM CDT Wiping away tears, administrators, teachers, students and parents did their best to "celebrate" the end of an era at two St. Charles School District schools. Tuesday was the last official day of school at both Benton and Blackhurst. Board of Education members voted in May 2006 to close the schools after this school year as part of a cost-saving district-wide reorganization plan. Benton was constructed in 1896 and opened in 1897. The site once was used as a Civil War drill ground. According to a book written by historian Edith McElhiney, few houses were built near the drill ground. The land intended for the school was purchased for $4,100 from the heirs of Asa Overall, a St. Charles philanthropist. And the construction contract was awarded for $17,420. The school was named after state Sen. Thomas Hart Benton. In 1915 a tornado damaged Benton school. As the school grew in class size in the early 1950s, a demand for classrooms arose. In 1953 a bond issue was approved for this purpose. During this time a janitor at Benton was paid $45 each month but had to furnish towels, soaps and brooms at his own expense. Blackhurst school was named after longtime Superintendent Stephen Blackhurst, who served from 1926 to 1962. According to a Blackhurst school history book, he was described as a modest, unassuming person who was dedicated to educating children. Several of Blackhurst's heirs, including his children, were teachers or attended school there. Blackhurst was known as "The School on Elm Street" when it was being constructed in 1957. The first wing consisted of seven classrooms, an office, two restrooms, a kitchen, a furnace room and two storage closets. When it opened in fall 1958, 230 children attended. Over the years the school's size fluctuated, once housing nearly 700 students in 1962.
School marks 50 years Celebration tinged with sadness over district's plan to close Blackhurst By Rachel Kaatmann Wednesday, May 2, 2007 6:55 AM CDT The Blackhurst Boys made first debut during Blackhurst Elementary School's farewell celebration Saturday. Their 10-minute performance was one of many highlights of the event, which commemorated the school's 50 years of existence. "It was cool, and a little bit sad," said Jesse Ledbetter, a fifth-grader at Blackhurst. "But now I want to start a band at Jefferson (Middle School)." Jesse and the other three band members - Jesse's identical twin brother Jorge, Sam Bethmann and Jordan Louvier - have practiced for about two months. "We wanted a band for so long," Jesse said. Like some students, the boys have attended Blackhurst since kindergarten. Blackhurst, along with Benton Elementary School, will close later this month as part of a districtwide reorganization plan. Benton Elementary had a similar farewell celebration on April 21. For Sharon Perko, Saturday's event was especially difficult. She has taught kindergarten and first grade at the school for nearly 20 years. "It's heartbreaking, but there's a sense of pride for all that we've done," she said as tears came to her eyes. "It's great just seeing everyone again." Perko will teach at Null Elementary School next year, which will be quite a change, she said. "I will continue to have the same caring and kindness," she said. "The kids are very sad, but they are excited about going to a new school. I just tell them to do their best and to know that we care about them." About 20 relatives of Stephen Blackhurst, a former superintendent of the St. Charles School District and the school's namesake, participated in the event. Clarence Blackhurst, the only living child of Stephen Blackhurst, said he's proud of his father's efforts and those of his sister, Mary Wolf, who taught at the school. "I feel a sense of pride in being in the presence of you people," he said to a large crowd. "I look at the great history and hope it can continue at another place." The first wing of the school was built in 1957. During its construction, it was known as "The School on Elm Street," said St. Charles Mayor Patti York, who issued a proclamation for the celebration. Shirley Lohmar, Blackhurst Elementary's principal the past nine years, reflected on the school's history, including a time when more than 600 students attended the school. It now has 260 students. "This used to be the flagship school," Lohmar said. ". At one point it was bulging at the seams." Six different principals have led the school since it opened for the 1957-58 school year, Lohmar said. "This has almost been like a reunion," she told the crowd of several former administrators, faculty and students. "It's almost like when you celebrate a life. There are so many wonderful memories, but it's the people that make the building." On May 18, during the school's final week of classes, students, teachers and staff will participate in a farewell picnic and parade. Rachel Kaatmann can be contacted at rkaatmann@yourjournal.com
School's out - for good - at Blackhurst, Benton Thursday, May 31, 2007 8:40 AM CDT Wiping away tears, administrators, teachers, students and parents did their best to "celebrate" the end of an era at two St. Charles School District schools. Tuesday was the last official day of school at both Benton and Blackhurst. Board of Education members voted in May 2006 to close the schools after this school year as part of a cost-saving district-wide reorganization plan. Benton was constructed in 1896 and opened in 1897. The site once was used as a Civil War drill ground. According to a book written by historian Edith McElhiney, few houses were built near the drill ground. The land intended for the school was purchased for $4,100 from the heirs of Asa Overall, a St. Charles philanthropist. And the construction contract was awarded for $17,420. The school was named after state Sen. Thomas Hart Benton. In 1915 a tornado damaged Benton school. As the school grew in class size in the early 1950s, a demand for classrooms arose. In 1953 a bond issue was approved for this purpose. During this time a janitor at Benton was paid $45 each month but had to furnish towels, soaps and brooms at his own expense. Blackhurst school was named after longtime Superintendent Stephen Blackhurst, who served from 1926 to 1962. According to a Blackhurst school history book, he was described as a modest, unassuming person who was dedicated to educating children. Several of Blackhurst's heirs, including his children, were teachers or attended school there. Blackhurst was known as "The School on Elm Street" when it was being constructed in 1957. The first wing consisted of seven classrooms, an office, two restrooms, a kitchen, a furnace room and two storage closets. When it opened in fall 1958, 230 children attended. Over the years the school's size fluctuated, once housing nearly 700 students in 1962. http://suburbanjournals.stltoday.com/articles/2007/05/31/news/education/sj2tn20070530-0530stc_black.ii1.txt