Lucille Hunter Elementary School facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lucille Hunter Elementary School |
|
|---|---|
View of the front entrance to the school
|
|
| Address | |
|
1018 East Davie Street
, 27601
United States
|
|
| Coordinates | 35°46′28″N 78°37′22″W / 35.77444°N 78.62278°W |
| Information | |
| School type | Public (Magnet, GT, AIG) Primary |
| Motto | "It's happening at Hunter!" |
| Established | 1927 |
| School district | Wake County Public Schools |
| Principal | H. Trent Evans (interim) |
| Enrollment | 700+ |
| Campus type | Urban |
| Color(s) | Navy blue and gold |
| Mascot | Eagle |
| Website | Hunter Elementary |
Lucille Hunter Magnet Elementary School is a special public school in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. It's known for its programs for students who are very smart and learn quickly, often called academically gifted or Gifted & Talented (GT/AIG). Hunter Elementary was the very first magnet school in Wake County. A magnet school is a public school that offers unique programs to attract students from different areas. It was also the first school in North Carolina named after an African-American teacher.
Contents
The Story of Hunter Elementary
Who Was Lucille Hunter?
Hunter Elementary is named after a dedicated teacher named Lucille Hunter. She was born in 1883 in Wilmington, North Carolina. Her parents had been slaves. Lucille Hunter taught in Raleigh's schools for African-American students for over 40 years.
She taught third grade at Washington School, which is no longer standing. When she passed away in 1926, she was teaching at the Crosby-Garfield school. Her former students and co-workers asked the Raleigh Township Committee to name the new school after her. This is how the school got its name.
Building the School
The land where Hunter Elementary stands has an interesting past. From 1833 to 1840, it was a quarry. This quarry provided stone for the North Carolina State Capitol building. Later, the area was used for public executions. The Raleigh school board bought this land on July 14, 1926.
Construction of the school finished in 1927. The money for building it came from a special bond issue. When the school opened, racial segregation laws were in place in North Carolina. This meant that Hunter School was only for African-American students. It taught students from first to seventh grade. All the teachers and staff were also African-American.
Many of the school's books were old ones passed down from schools for white students. Sometimes, the school had to hold fundraisers to buy new books. The Great Depression started in 1929. This made life very hard for many families. Some students had to leave school to help support their families.
Changes Over the Years
In 1935, a fire damaged part of the Crosby-Garfield School. Students from that school came to Hunter until their building was fixed in 1939. By 1953, the seventh-grade class moved to Washington Graded and High School. This left Hunter teaching only grades one through six.
On January 22, 1965, a big fire destroyed the main part of Hunter School. Teachers rushed to save important records from the flames. Luckily, the cafeteria and gym were not badly damaged. Two 14-year-old students were later found responsible for breaking into the school and starting the fire. They were sent to a reform school. Classes continued in the school's basement and at John W. Ligon Junior-Senior High School until repairs were done.
In 1971, all schools in Wake County became desegregated. This meant students of all races could attend the same schools. Hunter became a school just for sixth-grade students. This was a way to help communities accept integration more easily. Any needed repairs that had been put off were quickly completed.
In 1978, the Raleigh City and Wake County school systems joined together. Hunter then became the county's first magnet school for elementary students. It taught kindergarten through sixth grade. The school started a special program for academically gifted children. This program helped attract students from other parts of Raleigh. Hunter was the first school in Wake County to have teachers trained for Gifted & Talented classes. In the 1980s, the sixth grade was no longer part of the school.
In the 1990s, Hunter School was featured on the TV show Good Morning America. A psychologist named Robert Sternberg tested his ideas about intelligence on the students there. Hunter celebrated its 75th anniversary during the 2002-2003 school year. During this time, the school got a portrait of Lucille Hunter. It is now displayed in the school's media center.
Awards and Recognition
Hunter Elementary has received several awards for its excellent programs:
- In 2013, the school earned a School of Distinction merit award from the Magnet Schools of America (MSA).
- In 2014, Hunter received a bronze award from Advocates for Health in Action. That same year, it also got a School of Excellence merit award from the MSA.
- In 2016, the MSA gave Hunter the School of Excellence Award.
Famous Former Students
- Maycie Herrington, a person who works to protect and preserve history.
