At the end of each school year, Foster Elementary School hosts Foster Frolics, a school carnival for teachers and students to celebrate the school year’s close.
This year’s Foster Frolics was different. Teachers and students celebrated more than the end of the school year; they honored the school’s 74 years of service to the Gainesville community.
The school will close its doors for the last time in early June, saying goodbye to the teachers, students and families it served.
The decision to close the school is part of the district’s “Our Schools — Future Ready” plan, which looks at rightsizing schools or closing and rezoning so they operate at capacity.
For Julia Gatson, a first grade teacher who attended the school as a student, this year’s Foster Frolics had her reflecting on more than 30 years of teaching at the school.
She recounted the years she spent volunteering at the cotton candy machine during the end-of-year celebration.
“I would walk away after two hours and be like, ‘It's in my hair, it's in my lungs. My arms are sticking, my legs are sticking,’” Gatson said.
She said her favorite memories include some of the school’s long-standing traditions like the Halloween costume parade, where students march around the school in their finest costumes to celebrate the holiday.
While Gatson certainly has her favorite memories, she said it’s difficult to share them all.
“It's hard to summarize 34 years with the school in just a couple of memories,” she said. “The motto used to be ‘Stephen Foster is the place to be,’ so yeah, it was the place to be.”
And for the students, the school’s traditions made it “the place to be.” Many of the traditions — and memories — have stuck with the school since its inception in 1952.
While celebration is not unique to Foster Elementary School, Gatson said, the traditions helped make the school what it was.
“We were really good at delivering those experiences for the kids,” she said.
Gatson is not alone in her sentiment. Stefanie Samara Hamblen, a former Foster PTA president, recalled traditions like spaghetti suppers, hay rides and field days.
Hamblen said the school’s lasting legacy will be as a “family school” and “a center point for the neighborhood.”
“For me, it's always been the little red-brick schoolhouse on the corner where your family was a welcome part of the community,” she said.
Hamblen has been a part of the Foster community — or Foster family, as many teachers call it — since the ‘80s, when her oldest kid started at the school. Her youngest graduated in 2003.
Hamblen said the school, which is the second-oldest in the district, served generations of students.
“We're talking about generations of families that have been a part of this school,” Hamblen said, “and to take that away … it's heartbreaking.”
Though her kids aged out of the school, the Foster family has continued to welcome Hamblen with open arms. She was among those who attended the school’s final farewell, an informal event held for current and former teachers, staff, volunteers and PTA members.
Karen Pearson, who’s worked as a counselor at the school for roughly 30 years, also attended the farewell party.
She said the school’s family-oriented environment makes it a great place to work.
“I wouldn't have been here 30 years if I didn't love it,” Pearson said. “It's an incredible family place, and you don't get people to stay 30 years somewhere if it's not something pretty wonderful.”
This family focus characterized Pearson’s experience at the school and how she approached her work.
One of Pearson’s favorite things to do, she said, was greet students’ younger siblings in the morning.
“They would so love to stay with their older brothers and sisters,” she said, “and I've always said, ‘As soon as you're 5, you can come and spend the whole day with me.’ And I've had to stop saying that.”
It’s unclear what will happen to the school following its closure. Students will bid farewell to the school on June 2, with teachers leaving just three days later. The front office will close the following month, and “No trespassing” signs will soon adorn the front doors.
Contact Grace Larson at glarson@alligator.org. Follow her on X @graceellarson.
Grace Larson is a second-year journalism student and this summer's metro editor. She previously worked as city/county commission reporter and K-12 education reporter for The Alligator. When she's not editing stories, Grace enjoys running, weightlifting and going on random side quests. If she's not at her desk, you can find her at any place offering free food and crafts.
