By Bobby Ellis
bobby.ellis@education.ky.gov
The last day of school at Taylorsville Elementary School carried with it an extra sense of finality this year, as students and teachers will move to a new building next school year.
While the building may have been around for awhile, opening in 1937 as a K-12 school, it became the home of Taylorsville Elementary (Spencer County) in 2005. Several teachers have spent their entire careers there.
“I’ve been here since it opened 12 years ago it was my first job,” said Erin Kelley, a music teacher. “Part of me is going to miss it, there’s so much character. There other things I’m not going to miss, like finding critters. I found a bat while packing up a box.”
On the last day some students traveled between rooms handing letters to their favorite teachers. Others huddled in their homeroom watching movies. Students in kindergarten through 2nd grade packed into the gym with their parents to receive awards for the work they’d put in during the year.
Finally, the entire school filed outside for a field day, complete with sack races, an obstacle course, tug-of-war, hula hoops and more.
“It’s a little sad, but it’s also very exciting,” said Principal Steven Rucker. “Today we’re just making sure the kids have a great last day.”
Besides the boxes and trash bags found in the rooms, there was little to point toward this day being anything other than a normal final school day of the year. With the students and staff moving into a new building, things seemed more like a transition than a finality.
“We’re ready to be in the new building,” said Rucker. “The old building is neat, but it’s time to move on.”
As students ran in the grass and dumped water on themselves during the field day, the only sad looks to be found were on the faces of kids who were told they couldn’t dunk their heads into the water buckets they were using to fill cups for a game.
A group of Taylorsville Elementary School (Spencer County) 4th-graders are sprayed with a hose during a field day on the last day of school.
Photo by Bobby Ellis, May 23, 2017
Instructional assistant Sue Balter gets high-fives from a group of students during the end of year field day.
Photo by Bobby Ellis, May 23, 2017
Kasey Goodlett, a 2nd-grade teacher at Taylorsville Elementary, competes in a tug-of-war with her students on the last, last day at the school. The elementary will be moving into a new building next school year.
Photo by Bobby Ellis, May 23, 2017
A group of girls celebrate after being a group of boys in a hula hoop relay during a field day at Taylorsville Elementary.
Photo by Bobby Ellis, May 23, 2017
Second-graders at Taylorsville Elementary sit in front of a sign welcoming summer and saying goodbye to the old building.
Photo by Bobby Ellis, May 23, 2017
Jaxen Coulter, a 4th-grader at Taylorsville Elementary, looks through the door of Joshua Seabolt’s classroom. Not only was it the last day of school for the year and the last day the building would be open, but it also was the last day in the district for Seabolt, who will be moving to North Carolina next school year.
Photo by Bobby Ellis, May 23, 2017
Miranda Webb, a 5th-grader, plays air guitar as she walks down the hallway in between classes on the last day at Taylorsville Elementary.
Photo by Bobby Ellis, May 23, 2017
Art teacher Catherine Knapp, right, reads a note given to her by Savanna Arnold, a 6th-grader, as she cleans her room on the last day of school.
Photo by Bobby Ellis, May 23, 2017
Judy Noel kisses her son Nathan, a kindergartner, during the awards ceremony held on the last day of school.
Photo by Bobby Ellis, May 23, 2017
Ava Raque runs through a spray of water while playing a game of “leaking cups” during the field day at Taylorsville Elementary.
Photo by Bobby Ellis, May 23, 2017
Kasey Coleman swings on the monkey bars while running through the obstacle course at the field day.
Photo by Bobby Ellis, May 23, 2017
Caylee Frederick goes down a slide as part of an obstacle course during the field day events on the last day of school at Taylorsville Elementary.
Photo by Bobby Ellis, May 23, 2017
Cheyanne Roark, front, Kaitlyn Perry and Hadlea Roberts take part in a tug-of-war during the field day on the last day of school at Taylorsville Elementary.
Photo by Bobby Ellis, May 23, 2017
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