Horace Elementary

Carly Bleth, Student Writer

Horace Elementary School has been an important part of our community for many years. The school has seen many students throughout its lifetime. With current enrollment growing rapidly and changes occurring left and right, let’s look at what shaped where it is today.

Current school principal Carol Zent gives us insight into the history of the building. The school is built on an 8-acre site in western Horace. It was originally built in 1983, but it has received many updates and additions since then. In 2003, the school received its first addition, then in 2016 its second, and recently in 2021/2022 its third.

When I entered 1st grade at Horace Elementary in 2013/2014, the school housed just 10 classrooms. It now holds 19 classrooms and many specialized rooms including music, art, G.A.T.E,  and a new library space. These new spaces offer diverse groups of students the opportunity to thrive.

The building has only seen 4 principals during its 40 years including: Louise Dardis (1983-1987), Jerry Barnum (1987-2014), Jason Markusen (2014-2015), and Carol Zent (2015-present). On the contrary, other building staff have seen drastic changes in the past few years. Since 2015 when Ms Zent became principal, the total staff has doubled.

Behind the large jump in staff is an even larger jump in enrollment. The school currently has 386 students spanning from kindergarten to 5th grade. Back to 2013 when I was in 1st grade there was only 233 students spanning 1st-5th grade. The school belongs to the Hawk feeder systems so students will move on to Heritage Middle School and Horace High School. So, who knows, maybe in a few years you’ll see the Horace Kindergarteners writing for this newspaper.

Although a lot has changed for the elementary school, one thing has always stayed the same. The focus has always been on the students and the connection between the students and staff.  Horace Elementary fosters an environment that makes students feel safe and heard. They focus on making sure their students look forward to going to school each day.

This school’s story is far from over. With more and more developments popping up in Horace, enrollment is expected to continue growing. We can expect to see big things from this building and its wonderful team of staff.