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March 18, 2014Why You Should Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Friends of Jefferson
April 25, 2014Posted by Andy Hinds
History of Jefferson Elementary
As San Diego gears up to celebrate the Centennial Anniversary of Balboa Park next year, a smaller celebration is being planned for nearby Jefferson Elementary, which is marking its 100th year serving families in North Park and beyond.
According to Donald P. Covington’s North Park: A San Diego Urban Village, “…in June 1912, the Board of Education announced that an entire block in West End had been purchased for $12,000 for the purpose of building a new elementary school ‘to relieve the congested condition now existing in the northeast district.’” That school would be Jefferson Elementary. The original plans, drawn by T.C. Kistner, called for a “sixteen-room building of ‘fireproof’ hollow tile and stucco construction in the decorative Spanish Revival Style of the Exposition current under construction in Balboa Park.”
I called the San Diego Historical Society to see if I could find out more about how and when the old Spanish Style school was demolished and replaced with the modern version. The archivist there found some old newspaper articles explaining that there had been a vote in 1959 to tear down the old school because parts of it were unsafe and it needed to be updated and enlarged. The construction of the new Jefferson Elementary was completed in 1961, and included a “modernistic screen wall” on the east side of the “patio play yard” made out of tiles from the old building’s roof.
The school has obviously undergone dramatic changes since then; but it plays the same role as educator and community hub in our neighborhood.
(We couldn’t justify the cost of paying to use these photos here, but there are some great pictures on the San Diego History Center website of Jefferson Elementary and other schools back in the day.)
Tentative Schedule for Centennial Celebration
On May 28, 2014, Jefferson will host an event to celebrate its Centennial. A tentative schedule is below:
- 4:30-5:30 Alumni Reunion at the Literacy Garden and school library
- Alumni mixer: meet alumni young and less young
- Show and Tell! Alumni encouraged to bring in yearbooks, pictures and other Jefferson artifacts to share
- 5:30-6:30 Centennial Celebration at Bookworm Playground and Joint Use Field
- Tentative guest speaker agenda: Mayor Faulconer, City Coucil President Todd Gloria, Superintendent Cindy Marten, student speakers (2-3), Principal Morga, and at least one alumni speaker
- 6:30-7:30 International Baccalaureate (IB) Open House and 5th Grade IB Exhibition
- All classrooms will be open to showcase IB work done this year
- Student-guided tours of the classrooms and IB work
- 5th grade students will present IB Exhibition projects in the auditorium
If you are a Jefferson alumnus, please contact us!
Plans are ongoing, and we hope to recruit more alumni to attend and perhaps speak. Unfortunately, data on students who attended more than a few decades ago is very sparse, so we are asking alumni to call the school at (619) 344-3300 and leave your information so that we can send them invitations. Or you can email Friends of Jefferson at friendsofjeffersonnp@gmail.com. If you are an alumnus, or you know anybody who is, please pass on the information!
