Shelia Batchelor wistfully walked down the white-bricked halls of Harmony Elementary School, where she taught for nearly three decades, on Sunday afternoon. All the while, she chatted with her son Matthew Batchelor — a Harmony alumnus — and his wife, Olivia.
The Batchelors had returned for the 100th anniversary of a school founded in 1923 as a one-building wood schoolhouse on a spit of rural land in Gwinnett County. When Shelia Batchelor began teaching at Harmony in the Eighties, the area was so infrequently traveled that teachers would catch up after school standing in the middle of Bogan Road.
As Gwinnett has grown into Georgia’s largest school system, so has Harmony, which now boasts a student body of roughly 650 students, according to Harmony’s Principal, Jonathan Day. During Batchelor’s tenure as a full-time teacher, the school added four buildings to accommodate its growth.
Even so, Harmony’s spirit has remained throughout its expansion, she said.
“We used to say Harmony was the best kept secret in Gwinnett County,” Batchelor said. “It has changed so much, but the people haven’t changed, the heart hasn’t changed.”
In commemorating of the centennial, the school’s halls and rooms were replete with nods to the school’s history. Black and white photos featured mid-twentieth century PTA presidents with severe faces in dark suits; a spiral-bound book held selected student poetry from 2003.
The celebration began with an hour-long ceremony in Harmony’s gym. Former teachers spoke about snow days and holiday parties from years past, reminisced about past principals, parents and educators who made their time at Harmony special.
In attendance were Gwinnett County School Board Chair Steve Knudsen and superintendent Calvin Watts, who made remarks in between songs performed by a fourth-and-fifth grade choir led by Harmony teacher of the year: Lydia Lee.
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Also present in the crowd was 90-year-old Leajar Brooks, who first attended Harmony as a second grader in 1938, when students were allowed to fetch wood for the schoolhouse’s wood-burning stove as a reward for good behavior.
But while much was made of Harmony’s past, some looked to the future and Harmony’s next 100 years.
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
In his remarks, Watts made note of Harmony’s status as one of several schools participating in the district’s first artificial intelligence program, where kids are taught coding skills in preparation for the future.
“We’re connecting the past and present with the future, simultaneously,” Watts said.
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
About the Author
