Westmont Elementary School held its 50Year Celebration on Monday, in an event not only honoring its years serving Columbia County, but anticipating a major transition as the district prepares to construct a new building.
“It was 50 years that we’ve been Westmont,” said Principal Angie Young. “We thought it would be a perfect way to end the schoolyear to have all of these families come back and celebrate one last time and have a chance to walk through and see all that.”
In October of last year, the Columbia County Board of Education voted to have the school building demolished after the 2021-2022 school and a new structure built in its place. Construction is expected to take about two years, during which time students will be relocated to neighboring schools.
As the school year comes to a close, current and former students, faculty and parents have been preparing for the transition by highlighting decades of fond memories. On Friday, May 20, the school saw seniors of the Evans High School Class of 2022 who were students at Westmont walk through its hallways for the building’s final graduation “clap out” event.
“It was really awesome seeing all the kids, even if they didn’t know you,” said Evans High senior and former Westmont student Rosie Murray, who walked through her former school’s halls during the clap out. Along with being cheered on, greeted and hugged by the children, she was also able to relish in reacclimating to her old stomping ground.
“It’s just it was really cool coming back and seeing the old school and like still knowing like, how to get around, and seeing old teachers faces,” she said.
Honoring those memories continued to Monday evening for what was a final birthday bash for Westmont, complete with food trucks, ice cream, decorations from classes throughout the hallways; a DJ, students in the gym performing songs from the 1950’s and even birthday cake.
The festivities began at about 5 p.m., and by 5:30 the campus was flooded with families looking to remember their school one last time before a major shift.
PTO president Aurora Matocha has one daughter in seventh grade who completed elementary at Westmont, and another daughter in second grade who will be in the first fifth grade class in its new building.
“50 years is obviously a huge milestone for any school,” said Matocha. “It’s nice that we’re going to be able to come back.”
There has been enough bonding to draw so many back to the school on its special day because of how welcoming it has always been, said Rosie Murray’s mother, Melissa Murray, say it’s “Like home.”
“My friends that I made from the school have been my friends all the way through life,” said Rosie’s sister Noa Murray.
Young, who has been principal for one year and had been assistant principal for six years prior, notes how the 50th celebration reveals the small Martinez elementary school as something of its own community, by way of so many former and current students and staff sharing and remembering at once.
“We have like grandparents that went here, and then kids that went here and now grandchildren, they go here,” Young said. “It’s so neat to see several generations come through here and still everybody feels so connected.”
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering education in Columbia County and business-related topics for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
