HISTORY OF LOWELL SCHOOL

The doors of Lowell Elementary School first opened in September, 1913. During the school's first years, Lowell served only students in grades one through four. Students in the area in grades five through eight attended Washington School. The school was built at a cost of $3,600 and consisted of four classrooms and a basement. Lowell had no library, no formal PE program and no playground equipment. Since the playground was all dirt, one thing Lowell did have was plenty of mud any time it rained. And, although there were no formal PE programs, several students each year got informal swimming lessons when they fell into Sand Creek, which flowed along the north edge of the playground. The creek provided further excitement by flooding Lowell's basement twice each year!

Another thing Lowell School didn't have in the early years was a hot lunch program. Instead, lunch hours lasted 90 minutes, which meant students could walk home. Lowell did have a student health program in the early days. The school nurse came to Lowell once each month. And for health class, students brought their toothbrushes and met outside to learn how to brush their teeth.

In 1926, the north unit of the present school was built. It contained four classrooms, an office on the second floor and an auditorium in the basement. Lowell had, by this time, expanded to eight grades. The remodeling was done with the possibility of making Lowell School a junior high in the future. However, when North Junior High was built in 1936, that possibility quickly faded.

Lowell's enrollment grew very rapidly in the 1940's. The average class size was 47. In 1946, teacher Edna Eckroat had 53 students in her class. The desks were in groups of seven, fastened to a board on the floor. Teachers were not allowed to sit down in the classroom during class time. By this time Lowell had a music teacher who came to teach students a new song every three weeks.

On March 22, 1943, Lowell School's employment policies changed drastically when the Boise School Board changed its rules to allow schools to hire married women as teachers. This change was made because World War II had created a shortage of male teachers. Before the rule change, only single women were hired as teachers, although both single and married men were allowed to teach.

The PTA started the hot lunch program at Lowell School in 1944. The cost for setting up the kitchen, buying dishes, necessary kitchen utensils and equipment totaled $1,636.44. Hot lunch cost 15 cents per day. The head cook earned $90 a month and her helper received $75 a month.

In 1944, eight fathers made ten tables, at a total cost of $40, for the lunchroom (which also served as the gymnasium). Before this, tables had always been borrowed from the Hotel Boise.

By 1944 Lowell's PTA membership had grown to 329 the largest of any elementary school PTA in the State. PTA dues were 50 cents a person, or 75 cents a couple. By this time, the school was used for many social events, most of which were sponsored by the PTA. In addition to the monthly PTA General Meetings, which usually drew 100 or more people, there was the yearly school carnival, the annual turkey or roast beef dinner, square dancing, box socials and occasional one-time events to raise money for special projects. At 1944's school carnival, chances on a $25 War Bond sold for 10 cents each. The PTA's special project in 1944 was to improve lighting at the school.

The year 1946 brought Lowell's first playground equipment and the beginnings of a landscaped playground. In 1947, eight new classrooms were added, as well as the library, auditorium, office and storage room.

Mrs. Ethyle Hayes, who taught second grade at Lowell School for 25 years, recalls that for 17 consecutive years Lowell had four second grade classrooms with forty students in each classroom. The highlight of every second grader's school year in those days was the annual train trip to Nampa and back. Eventually, Lowell's high enrollment of younger children declined because younger families began moving into Boise's new, outlying subdivisions.

During the 1950's, the annual all-school Christmas Program was a big event, not only for the students and teachers, but for the whole Lowell community. The program always included every child's fantasies about Christmas as well as the traditional Nativity scenes and plays. Each room had a tree and drew names with a 25 cent gift limit.

During the 1950's the PTA began a Safety Program to protect children crossing State Street at 28th Street. The major goal of the program was installation of a traffic signal at that intersection; however, until the light was finally installed, parents volunteered to patrol the intersection and act as crossing guards.

The cottonwood trees lining narrow, dirt-packed 28th Street were cut down in the early 1950's to allow widening of that street and installation of sidewalks. Sand Creek, which had only one narrow footbridge, was covered. A cyclone fence was installed along adjacent State Street and the entire playground was finally planted with grass. A Boise Parks swimming pool was built near the school, and Hamburger Corner became a staple across 28th Street in the late 50's.

During the 1960's, Lowell housed 4 first grade classrooms, 4 second grade classrooms, 4 third grade classrooms, 3 fourth grade classrooms, 3 fifth grade classrooms and 3 sixth grade classrooms, with more than 30 students in each class.

In 1977, a special pine tree was planted on the playground. The tree was grown from seeds that U. S. astronauts had taken to the moon and was, therefore, named the "Moon Tree." There are only three such trees in Idaho. Lowell School received one of these trees because Governor John Evans had a son attending Lowell at that time.

The late 1970's and early 1980's saw an energy conservation program which resulted in lowered ceilings, fluorescent lighting in classrooms and halls, and diminished window size in the classrooms. In 1989, the upstairs was remodeled and walls were reerected in the open upstairs area. The playground area received new asphalt.

In 1994, Lowell was chosen as a Blue Ribbon School by the United States Department of Education. Students, parents, and staff were honored by this prestigious award, which confirmed the legacy of excellence established over the years at Lowell.

marcoj@esc1.sd01.k12.id.us