School celebrating 50th anniversary with reunion

A few blocks away from busy Forest Hill Road sits an unassuming brick building that community members consider a hidden treasure.

Lane Elementary School, at 990 Newport Lane, has been educating Macon’s children for 50 years now.

“I thought it was just a best-kept secret. It was kind of hidden from everything else, yet once you entered the building, there was a sense of passion and love for children and a sense of community,” said Lynn Stephens, the school’s principal for the past six years. “There’s a lot of respect and pride that goes along with the stakeholders here at Lane.”

An anniversary celebration is planned at the school for April 23, and former principals, staff, students, family and school officials are invited to reminisce about the past.

The event and 300 new books for the school were funded through a $1,500 grant from Cox Charities and a $3,580 Toolbox for Education grant from Lowe’s, said Jane Hardy, the school’s media specialist. All but $400 of the money went toward the books.

A brand-new school

Van McKibben Lane, the school’s namesake, was a graduate of Mercer University and Yale Law School and served in World War II, said his daughter-in-law Eleanor Lane. He served as judge of Macon’s Recorder’s Court from 1923-27 and was in private practice with the Lane & Sell law firm.

He served on the Bibb County school board from 1946 until his death June 11, 1956, and was elected board secretary in 1951, according to Telegraph archives.

“It does please me that something is named for him, because he and his wife and their families were just so community spirited. McKibben’s wife and three children were all in one way or another in education or extremely supportive of it. It was a wonderful family to be a part of,” said Lane, whose husband, William, served on the Bibb school board himself for 12 years and was a college professor.

Lane Elementary was built for around $400,000 on an 11.5-acre plot in a wooded section of the Glen Cove area. The first- through seventh-grade school opened with 17 staff members and 524 students, pulling from the overcrowded Alexander IV School and Taylor Elementary, Hardy said.

Frances Oliver was the school’s first principal and retired in 1969. Jim Nolan followed until his death at age 55 in 1983, and then came Tina Singleton.

Since then, Lane Elementary has seen several other leadership changes, as well as building additions, remodeling projects and technology updates. Today, the school is “bursting at the seams,” and a few classes must be held in portable classrooms, but there are plans for future renovations, Hardy said.

The school, now for prekindergarten through fifth grade, has around 500 students and 30 staff members. The once majority-white population is now predominantly minority, and the students come from surrounding neighborhoods and beyond.

“It was a diverse school, and it was one that had a standing tradition of excellence, expecting the best of students,” said Penny Smith, who was the school’s principal from around 1999 to 2005. “I can’t say enough about how dedicated the staff was. It really was a community school. We just tried to maintain that.”

Sense of community

Parental support has been a constant in Lane Elementary’s history. Past Telegraph articles detailed how the Parent Teacher Association raised money for a new playground, started arts enrichment and career awareness programs, hosted fall festivals, donated supplies, and petitioned for causes such as a three-block sidewalk after a student was hit by a car.

Sherri Flagg said the school has a family friendly atmosphere that feels like home. Parents were at the school regularly when she was principal from 2005 to 2010, and they provided anything the staff or students needed.

“(Lane) has always cared about the students and still does,” Hardy said. “We’ve always aimed high.”

The school has been a family tradition for many. Baron Gibson said he attended for second, third and fourth grades, and then was transferred to Taylor and Springdale elementary during fifth grade as the district made adjustments for overcrowding. His mother, Margaret Gibson, taught at the school for a few years, and his wife, Susie, is in her second year teaching physical education there.

Marvalene Boyd’s son attended Lane for grades one through seven. Boyd has been involved in the school since 1978, first as a kindergarten paraprofessional and now as a volunteer and substitute. Hardy’s two sons also went to school there. Hardy was a paraprofessional for a couple of years and has been a media specialist for six years.

“I think it does have such a rich heritage of serving the community, and it’s got a legacy of alumni who have gone on to become very successful, not only in Macon but throughout the world,” Smith said.

This story was originally published April 13, 2017 at 5:18 PM with the headline "School celebrating 50th anniversary with reunion."