For
almost a century, Leicester Elementary School has served the Leicester
community. In 1914, a cement block building was constructed on our
present site where the lower playground is now located. This building
consisted of four classrooms and an auditorium. This building remained
until 1940.
During
those early days, boys who attended the school would cut wood, donated
by the community, to heat the building and they also built stalls for
their horses. At that time, students either walked or rode to school in
horse-drawn buggies. As smaller schools in the area were consolidated,
new classrooms were added onto the original building. By 1940, this
building was outgrown and a new building was constructed by the Works
Progress Administration through donations from area citizens. This new
brick building was heralded as being "state of the art" in North
Carolina and consisted of two floors with an auditorium and a gym. It
served grammar grades and high school students. Today, this building
still serves as the heart of our facility. In 1950, an additional, lower
building was added.
In
1962, Clyde A. Erwin High School was established to serve Leicester and
other area schools. As a result, Leicester School became a first
through eighth grade school. Later, students from sixth, seventh and
eighth grades moved to Clyde A. Erwin Middle School. In 1966, Sandy Mush
School was consolidated into the Leicester School population. In 1969,
our first Kindergarten class was added. During the 2011-2012 school
year, our fifth grade students moved to the new Joe P. Eblen
Intermediate School.
Our
new addition, completed in 1999, connects the 1940 and 1950 buildings.
At this time, the entire facility was completely renovated with expanded
classrooms, air conditioning, and an upgraded auditorium. The
renovation project retained unique features of the old building as well
as upgrading the facility to modern standards. Today, these "state of
the art" buildings house students in Kindergarten through 4th grade as
well as housing a Head Start.
School Song: We Will Remember
Words and music by Shelly Snead
Where the wildcats roam,
We find friendships true,
Proudly we'll succeed,
In everything we do.
We will remember the things we have learned here,
and hold you, Leicester School, in our hearts.
With knowledge as our guide,
And character our friend,
We will walk the path
Where learning never ends.
We will remember the things we have learned here,
and hold you, Leicester School, in our hearts.
You have taught us well,
You have shown the way,
We have come so far,
We will never be the same.
We will remember the things we have learned here,
and hold you, Leicester School, in our hearts.