Mount Rose Elementary Celebrates 100 Years of Education
Reno, NV (March 31, 2011) -Having educated generations of children since opening in 1912, Mount Rose Elementary School continues to thrive as a mainstay in its Reno community that has seen 100 years of change.
Mount Rose, Washoe County School District's oldest operating school, celebrates its centennial this year, kicking off a series of events for the next five months. The recognition of its 100-year anniversary begins today with a reading of a proclamation in the Nevada Legislature. Assemblywoman Teresa Benitez- Thompson will introduce the proclamation at 11 a.m. during the Senate's floor session this morning. Sen. Sheila Leslie will read the proclamation.
Principal Krissy Brown, in her first year at Mount Rose, said recognizing Mount Rose's historical and educational importance speaks to the community's changes over time.
"As the oldest school in the District, Mt. Rose has gone through the full cycle from being the central focus of community life for the downtown and old southwest neighborhoods, to near demolition and years of changed population demographics," Brown said. "The pendulum is now swinging back with families recognizing that the small school size, unique building and grounds, a multicultural population, and proximity to cultural amenities, makes Mount Rose an attractive educational environment."
Mount Rose was built in 1912 by local architect George Ferris, who designed the school in Mission Revival architectural style. The campus is the last of Reno's "Four Sisters" built in this style as approved by the voters in 1908 and 1910 bond elections and which still functions as a school. The other remaining school is the City of Reno's McKinley Arts and Culture Center.
The school nearly faced demolition in the 1980s because it had fallen into disrepair. Resident activists persuaded the District's Board of Trustees at that time to reverse the decision to close the school and instead renovate it.
One resident, Ted Schroeder, was one of the activists involved with keeping the school open. He recounted how former southwest Reno residents advocated for a school improvement bond, which was passed by
voters and provided funding for Mount Rose's renovation. It also opened the door for funding for other Reno schools.
"The neighbors felt the school was the heart of the neighborhood and to close the school would rip out the neighborhood's heart," Schroeder said. "So in that way, other neighborhoods won by our activism by having their schools improved."
Other activities this year to come as part of the centennial is an old-fashioned picnic in October on the school ground at 915 Lander St. Mount Rose will host an open house at which photos and newspaper clippings of the school and other world events will be on display.
The school also will have a three-part rotating exhibit, the first of which was installed last year and showed the school's construction of urbanized Reno at the time. The second installation this spring will show the school in a post-war era with a focus on the school's community. The final phase will show the changes of the Mount Rose neighborhood, a project spearheaded by Jenny Brekhus, the mother of a fourth grade student and organizer of the commemoration.
About Washoe County School District: The
Washoe County School District includes the Reno/Sparks metropolitan
area, Incline Village, Gerlach, Empire and Wadsworth, Nevada. The
District provides each of its 63,000 students with a superior education
in a safe and challenging environment and is committed to graduate every
child career and college ready.
For more information visit: www.washoecountyschools.org. Follow us on Twitter at WCSDTweet.
Washoe County School District
425 East Ninth Street
Reno, NV 89520
