Sheridan Elementary is celebrating a century in Lincoln, and students, former classmates and families from across the country are expected to help mark the milestone Friday evening.
The school will hold its centennial celebration from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Friday at 3100 Plymouth Ave. Principal Ashley Sitzman told KLIN News the school chose “A Place to Belong for 100 Years” as its theme. “Sheridan has just been more than a school. It has been a family, a community, and a place where every child belongs,” Sitzman said.
The celebration will include guided tours from 5 to 6 p.m. led by 40 fifth-grade student ambassadors who have been training for the job. “They have a route that they would love to take visitors and community members on to show them our amazing school and give some facts and information about Sheridan,” Sitzman said.
Visitors will also find live music, eight historical displays and artifacts recovered from a time capsule in the school. Students will take part in a “Dancing Through the Decades” flash mob featuring music from each decade Sheridan has been open. The celebration will also feature food trucks and a special ice cream flavor created with 402 Creamery called the “Centennial Scoop.”
Preparing for the anniversary has given students and staff a chance to dig into Sheridan’s history. Sitzman said the school was surrounded by alfalfa fields when it opened, and students who had farther to travel could once ride a trolley to school for five cents. One of her favorite discoveries came from 1971, when “Sheridan students made and marketed and sold their own brand of peanut butter.” The students called it “Class Time.”
Other discoveries include music classes dating to 1931 and an enrollment that reached 720 students in 1955, about twice the number attending Sheridan today. Sitzman is only the 12th principal to lead the school during its century in Lincoln.
The anniversary is also bringing generations of Sheridan families back together. Sitzman said she has heard from people traveling from Chicago and California, while others are driving from Kansas. “The word has spread, and this has been such a part of people’s lives that we have groups of classmates that went here that are meeting here for this celebration,” she said.
One of those multigenerational connections involves a familiar name to KLIN listeners. Sitzman said broadcaster John Baylor’s grandfather attended kindergarten at Sheridan during the school’s first year. Baylor recently recorded family memories that will be played during Friday’s celebration.
Sitzman said looking through old photographs and records has shown her that while Sheridan has changed considerably in 100 years, the sense of connection to the school has endured. “I am just so honored that I get to be the principal and work alongside all of the staff and the families and community here to help our students have the best experience they can,” Sitzman said.