“Maybe it’s a case of divine providence or the planets aligning in a certain manner, but it so happened that the same week I’m finishing up my last assignment for my long-overdue Bachelor of Arts degree, I was offered the chance to take a tour of my old elementary school in Fort Thomas, where I had first began my formal education thirty years ago.
I began in Mrs. Moats’ kindergarten class in 1980, and had made it to about halfway through fourth grade in 1984 when my family left Fort Thomas and moved to Asheville, North Carolina. At the time I was eager to explore new horizons, and I think my travels over the next three decades ultimately made me a better person, but there have been many times I wonder how things would be different if we had never moved, and I had stayed with my class until they graduated from Highlands High School.
I’ve been back to Fort Thomas many times over the years for family visits, but this was my first trip back inside Woodfill School in more than 25 years. The old Woodfill School will soon be demolished to make way for a new facility, so this would be my final visit to those nearly-forgotten corridors and classrooms.
I wasn’t sure how I’d feel, coming full circle like this after being away for so long. Moving back to the Cincinnati area a couple months ago felt a bit like Frodo returning to the Shire after traveling all over Middle Earth. Coming back to Woodfill, while not without some nostalgia for a more innocent time, also made me aware of how far I’ve come since I was a student there.
It was especially nice meeting Mr. Fisher, the former principal, and Mrs. Dahl, my third grade teacher. As somebody in the architecture business, sometimes I need to be reminded that people are more important than buildings.
Pretty soon Woodfill School will move into a state-of-the-art new building, and I’ll be starting grad school across the river at the University of Cincinnati. Life will go on, but every so often it’s nice to pause and take a look back at the road traveled so far.”
From Return to Woodfill, posted by David Cole on 6/02/2010 (57 items)
- The familiar sign facing Alexandria Pike. The mound of dirt behind it is from the exc…
- The old Woodfill building has three main parts: The original 1922 structure, this win…
- The original 1922 portion of the building. A slightly different shade of brick belies…
- I overheard somebody mention that the original cornerstone will be preserved as part …
- Looking down the side of the 1922 wing, with the 1971 wing beyond.
- The former playground is now being excavated for the new building.
- Outside the 1971 wing.
- Construction continues at a brisk pace on the new facility.
- No telling how many times I’ve played around on these steps as a kid. The portable cl…
- The tour was organized by the school district, to allow Woodfill alumni a chance to t…
- The first phase of the new building rises just behind the 1956 wing.
- 1950’s-era signage at the side entrance.
- The plaque inside the side entrance to the 1956 addition.
- The plaque inside the 1971 addition, located near the library.
- The cafeteria/auditorium space in the basement of the 1956 wing.
- In my first and only role in live theater, I was once part of a production of “Oliver…
- The old cafeteria servery. I could still almost smell the green beans and applesauce.
- Looking down the hall toward the art classroom.
- The last time I was inside this building, the Soviet Union was still a country.
- The library, now mostly boxed up and somewhat resembling the final scene from Raiders…
- There used to be a little raised platform in the middle of the library, with some add…
- Stacks of ancient overhead projectors line the corridors.
- Some yet-to-be-packed books in the library.
- Many of the books look like they’ve been in circulation at least since I was a studen…
- I thought I had it bad moving six boxes of books from New York to Cincinnati.
- Looking down the central corridor of the 1956 wing. These classrooms are where I spen…
- Looking down the hall toward my old 4th grade classroom in the 1971 wing.
- The 5th and 6th grade classrooms flanked either side of the library, but we moved awa…
- The glass block industry must have been booming in the 1950’s.
- Looking toward the office from the main entrance.
- The main office, with the principal’s office beyond. As a student, coming here was ra…
- The original Woodfill plaque, saved for re-installation on the new building.
- Mrs. Dahl’s third-grade classroom, where I learned my multiplication tables and how t…
- This corner of Mrs. Dahl’s classroom is where I used a computer for the first time. T…
- Mrs. Grimm’s former first grade classroom. I’m pretty sure that’s the same rocking ch…
- Mrs. Eichner’s former second grade classroom.
- Mrs. Skop’s former art classroom, with the same old pottery kiln in the far corner.
- A few of my early masterworks were left to dry in this rack.
- I’m pretty sure the furniture is the same stuff I sat in when I was a student there.
- Mrs. Schoborg’s old fourth grade classroom. Or half of it anyway; what used to be an …
- 1970’s-vintage integrated clock, light switches, and intercom panel.
- Looking down the stairwell at the far end of the 1971 wing. We would use these stairs…
- Where it all began: my former kindergarten classroom, once the domain of Mrs. Moats.
- What used to be an elaborate indoor play area is now a stockpile of furniture awaitin…
- An extension of the play area, this room contained messier elements such as painting …
- The gymnasium, now being used as a staging area for the move into the new building.
- The space now seems much smaller than I remember. As a kid, this gym felt like Madiso…
- The basement corridor outside the gym. This is where we used to duck-and-cover for to…
- Channel 12 was on hand to interview Woodfill alumni.
- The former music room. I remember our music instructor explaining to the class in hus…
- The stairwell at the far end of the 1956 addition. More glass block.
- In first grade, it was considered a test of manliness to see how far back one could s…
- Looking down the corridor outside the library.
- Mr. Fisher, our former principal. He was also my dad’s drivers-ed instructor at Highl…
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