Madison Elementary fete celebrates century mark

When Madison Elementary School celebrated its centennial on Sept. 30 it wasn’t by planting 100 candles in a cake, it was by having the students spell out “100” on the playground.

“It was Bambi Howe, our kindergarten teacher, who came up with the idea,” said Madison Principal Greg Baerlocher. “She made the suggestion to the centennial committee, and everyone liked it.”

Parents, students and teachers had been extensively involved in planning the celebration which began with the Parent Teacher Organization giving each student a centennial T-shirt to wear all day.

“They are wearing them in the picture,” said Baerlocher, who’s been the principal at Madison for three years.

The school was originally on Whitehouse, but moved to its current location, 319 W. Nebraska Ave., in 1949. Baerlocher said that was just one of many facts about Madison that students had researched so it could be presented on the big day.

There are 314 students at Madison today, and the school is also home to specially designed classrooms and programs for disabled students and for autistic students.

“I’d say it’s very much a neighborhood school,” Baerlocher said. “Many of our parents and some of our staff members also went to school here.”

The sixth-grade chorale sang, “Let Me Call You Sweetheart,” as an example of a song from 1910 and that was followed by a rap the students had composed to represent music in 2010. The songs were followed by a slideshow presentation of the history of Madison, and what it was like to go to school decades ago.

Baerlocher said that one surprising thing they found was that there’s a time capsule buried under a tree near the parking lot.

“We couldn’t find a year for it, but we’re guessing the late ’70s or early ’80s because we know who the principal was,” Baerlocher said.

The school also had a fun run around Franklin Park as part of the centennial celebration.

“It was a great day,” Baerlocher said. “Madison is just a wonderful neighborhood school.”