Lars Leon, at left, president of the Schwegler School PTA; Helen Norwood, Schwegler's first principal, who worked there 21 years; and Gary Stauffer, the second Schwegler principal, who led the school for 23 years, gather last week to talk about Schwegler's history. Schwegler is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Students, from left, Chad Roberts, 5; Dick Tamadge, 7; Jean King, 7; and Cheryl Van Hoesen, 6, leave Schwegler School after attending their new school for the first time Monday, Oct. 7, 1957.

This photo was taken on May 6, 1998, in honor of the 40th anniversary of Schwegler School.

In 1957, Schwegler School was the new four-room school on the edge of Lawrence.

Of the 100 students, some walked through a pasture – where Hobby Lobby, 1801 W. 23rd St., is now – to get to class.

“They were proud to be in a new school, and their parents especially because there wasn’t any school that was convenient for them,” said Helen Norwood, 95, Schwegler’s first principal, who retired in 1978.

Oh, how things have changed.

Today, about 360 students attend kindergarten through sixth grade, and the school has undergone six construction additions, including a major renovation in 1988 that doubled the school’s space.

Also, the school, 2201 Ousdahl Road, is hardly near the country now, being near one of the city’s major intersections, 23rd and Iowa streets. But educators and parents say it’s still a neighborhood school that has thrived on parent involvement.

“I think over the years that’s been one of the things that Schwegler School was really known in the community for, was the hardworking parents,” said Gary Stauffer, who followed Norwood as Schwegler’s principal in 1978 and retired in 2001.

The school’s community has celebrated Schwegler’s 50th anniversary throughout this school year, and the last major celebration will be 1 p.m. April 19 at the school, named for Raymond A. Schwegler Sr., a Kansas University education professor from 1907 to 1946 and also a dean.

Alumni, teachers and parents are invited to attend the ceremony and a carnival. School photos and memorabilia will be on display.

Lars Leon, Schwegler’s PTA president, said parents, administrators and teachers have celebrated the milestone this year by teaching the students about history and getting them to think about the future. The PTA fundraisers have involved selling environmentally friendly products, such as fluorescent light bulbs, compost bags and organic shopping bags.

“Hopefully, it’s a little time to focus and think about the past, to slow down in our hectic pace,” Leon said.

Schwegler also has several interesting connections, including Norwood and Stauffer both being from Lecompton. Also, current fourth-grade teacher Carol Laskowski attended Schwegler as a student, and another fourth-grade teacher, Deborah Norwood, is married to the nephew of the first principal.

“It’s the human element that’s most important,” Stauffer said.

He and Helen Norwood are proud of how the school has developed. Education has changed somewhat, and the school has also undergone a transformation: a much larger building, new educational support programs, fewer students per class compared to years ago.

Also, Norwood was initially both the principal and a second-grade teacher when Schwegler opened.

But with all of the changes in education, other things remain the same.

“As far as the teachers,” Stauffer said, “the good teachers have the same qualities then as they have now.”