Lake Highlands Elementary School is turning the big 5-0 this year.
The school opened its doors on Monday, Oct. 3, 1955, with just under 300 students in first through fifth grades, and today it has an enrollment of more than 600 students ranging from pre-K through sixth grade.
Former Lake Highlands Elementary principal and current assistant superintendent Joyce Wilson commends the elementary school on its firsts, such as being the first elementary school in the neighborhood to achieve the state’s “recognized” status, and being one of the first schools to become diverse.
“Lake Highlands Elementary has had bilingual programs and other programs for children with significant challenges, and they have had those programs for years,” Wilson says. “They welcome all kids no matter where they come from, and I think that is what I loved so much about the community and about the school.”
Perhaps some of the best memories of the school are the reports received from its students right after it opened. A former newspaper, the Richardson Echo, asked students to describe the school’s first days. One class noted: “The color of our room is light green. We are proud of our new pencil sharpener.” Another mentioned: “We have almost 11 acres of playground. We have to eat in our room, but they sell milk.”
Susie Ruth has spent four years teaching Lake Highlands Elementary’s kindergarteners, but her history with the school goes back to her childhood when she sat behind its desks and played on its playground.
“I’m most proud of the fact that when we hear of anyone in need, it seems like everyone in the school sort of rallies around, whether it be parents or teachers, and they make sure that the child or family is taken care of. I don’t know if every school does that,” Ruth says. “A lot of people who work here and are involved in the school would agree that Lake Highlands Elementary is like a family.”
Kim Sullivan, who has been principal for two years, knows the school’s success shows through its students.
“The best thing I love about being principal is that everyday when I’m out on bus duty first thing in the morning, the kids come running into the school; that says a lot for me,” Sullivan says.
Since last year, the school has been celebrating its anniversary, doing things such as selling commemorative cookbooks and bricks, which will be placed under the oak tree planted during the school’s 30th anniversary. Other festivities included a community-wide family picnic and a luncheon honoring Bill Passmore, the school’s very first principal, along with former teachers and staff.
To wrap up the anniversary celebration, the PTA will honor the school through an upcoming dinner and auction, “Glitz, Glamour and Gold.”
“[Proceeds] will either put more technology into our school or get other materials to make sure our kids have the best that we can give them,” Sullivan says.
And finally, once the school receives its official “State of Texas Historical Plaque,” it plans to hold a special ceremony that will conclude more than a year of celebratory events.
