Auburndale Elementary School has hit the century mark. The school on New Cut Road turned 100 years old this year and they’re going to celebrate! On Friday, November 22nd Auburndale is hosting a Centennial Celebration with photos and memorabilia from Jefferson County Public Schools archives, food trucks, and student performances.
“We can't wait to host this event and look forward to welcoming folks to see the greatness of what has made Auburndale feel like "home" for so many for so many years,” said Karen Topping, school principal. “Since my arrival at Auburndale, I have been able to witness the legacy and pride of what being an Auburndale student or staff member carries throughout the community.”
And while the school is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, there’s been a school building at multiple sites in the Auburndale community since 1868. For many of its early years, the school was known as the Kenwood School until its name was changed to Auburndale School in 1924. The modern (at the time) brick building had three classrooms and was located on Southside Drive. The first principal was Suda Butler.
As the population in the area grew, a second story with more classrooms and a fire escape were added to the school. Its outhouses were replaced by septic tank toilets in 1928 while the first bus to serve Auburndale students began making the rounds in 1927, driven by local farmer Walter Schroerluecke who transported students at his own expense.
Another explosion of population after World War II caused the school’s enrollment to balloon to more than 700 students in first through eighth grade. Kenwood School was built nearby in 1955 to relieve some of the pressure on Auburndale’s physical plant and in 1969, a brand-new Auburndale Elementary School with 28 classrooms opened at its current site on New Cut Road. The total cost of construction was just over one million dollars.
The new school served students in grades 1 through 6 with 3rd-6th graders following the Stoddard Plan for instruction – having one teacher for Math and Language Arts and another for Science, Social Studies and Spanish. The concept was dropped in 1973 and 6th graders began going to middle schools. With court-ordered busing two years later, some white students from the Auburndale area were bused to Parkland Elementary School while African American kids from the Parkland neighborhood were bused to Auburndale.