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Burnside School to be Demolished
At its meeting on October 25, 2004, the Board of
School Directors voted to demolish Burnside Elementary School.
Originally built in 1926 by the West Norriton
School District, the building was named the West Norriton Consolidated School.
When Marshall Street School opened in the fall of 1957, the West Norriton School
Board changed the name of the school to Burnside.
Burnside School closed in June 1999.
The school has played a central role in the
lives of many West Norriton Township families, as well as in the Norristown Area
School District. Here are the thoughts of a few individuals who have been
associated with Burnside.
Gary Engler
Mr. Gary Engler was the last principal of
Burnside School and, as a result, had the job of closing the building in 1999.
“The thing that stands out most in my mind about
Burnside was that it
"felt" like a school, its floors creaked
- they were tongue-and-groove wood;
it smelled like a school - that mixture
of wood and paint that modern steel and concrete just can't impart; and, most
importantly, it acted
like a school - it was such an integral
part of the community that everyone knew everyone else, parents, teachers, kids,
staff,” recounted Engler.
Engler contributed more than his work as
principal during his seven year tenure. He painted the Burnside Bulldog on the
wall outside the gym, as well as the dinosaurs and the solar system in the
hallways, and the large fish in the stairwell. He referred to them as
"learning walls" and encouraged
kids and teachers to use them to learn something.
John Sweeney
Engler succeeded Mr. John Sweeney as principal
of Burnside.
“I had the great pleasure to be Principal of
Burnside School from 1985-1992. It was my first assignment as a principal in the
Norristown Area School District. I established a very special bond with those
teachers and students over that seven year period,” Sweeney recalled.
“My fondest memories are with the teachers,
sup-port staff, custodians, and secretaries. Being a "brand- new principal,"
they took the best care of me. If I forgot to do something they gently
guided me in the right direction. They really taught me to be a good
administrator. Unfortunately some of those staff members have passed, some are
very happily retired, and believe it or not some are still teaching in our
district.
“It will be strange not to see the Burnside
School at Main Street and Burnside Avenue.”
Charlotte Meng
Mrs. Charlotte Meng has a unique perspective of
Burnside. Her first teaching assignment was there. Later she was Lead Teacher
at Burnside, then its Principal. Meng was also president of the West Norriton
Mother’s Club and served on the West Norriton School Board.
Meng remembers walking from her West Norriton
home to Burnside as a first grade teacher in 1954. Bob Davis, ’64, who teaches
at NAHS was in her class.
Meng returned to Burnside in 1957 to develop and
teach the first Kindergarten classes. She remembers having “two musical
productions at Christmas, one for the AM parents and one for the PM parents.
Teachers went out of their way to help each other.”
During her tenure as principal Burnside
celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1978. The celebration included a special
open house, a birthday cake for the students, a dinner for staff and parents, a
written history of the school, and the sale of a commemorative plate, designed
by Burnside graduate Patricia Johnston.
Nominated by Meng, Burnside teacher, Judy
Passmore was named Pennsylvania’s Teacher of the Year in 1974. In addition to
teaching the Level 3-4 class, Passmore served as president of Burnside’s
Parent-Faculty Club that year.
Barbara [Sliker] Weikert, ‘96
Barbara, who now teaches music at Eisenhower
Middle School, graduated from Burnside in 1989. She has many fond memories of
being a Burnside student.
“Burnside was a special place to all who were
lucky enough to teach or learn there. Whether it was Mrs. Masterson taking
students outside to use a meter stick to actually measure the length of a
brontosaurus, or Mr. Wynn preparing his 5th
graders for an unforgettable camping trip, the school optimized community,
caring, and learning.”
Weikert remembers that “Fun and Fair” supplies
were stored on the dirt floor of the ‘dungeon’ located right off the cafeteria.
We searched the ground for peanuts during field day – the painted ones won
prizes. My first field trip was to the Jeffersonville Fire House – WE WALKED!”
Your Memories
Your memories and stories of Burnside or other
district schools can be part of our oral history project, which will be posted
on our web page. Send them to:
|
NAHS Alumni Association |
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Attn: Maggie Hall |
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1900 Eagle Drive |
|
Norristown, PA 19403 |
or email them to
alumni@nasd.k12.pa.us. Put
Maggie Hall
in the subject area. There are some great stories waiting to be told. Please
share them with us. |
