HISTORY OF APALACHEE SCHOOL

Apalachee Elementary School was organized during the 1969-70 School year to meet future needs of a projected population growth in the eastern section of Leon District. Land in the area was available from the Federal Government at this time and was acquired for the school at no cost to the Leon District.

In planning for the program of the new school which was begun in March, 1969, Herman W. landers was selected by the Leon County School Board to serve as its first principal.

Initia1 planning of the curriculum of the school was begun in April of 1969 by Herman W. Landers, Mrs. Ida Manning, Area Curriculum Coordinator and Dr. Edwin Smith, Consultant from School of Education at Florida State University.

The curriculum coordinator, teachers and other members of the staff were selected in the spring for the school; and all were involved in preliminary planning and selection of materials.

A workshop on Inservice Education for Individualization of Instruction was held from August 11-13, 1969. Since the building had not been completed, this workshop, attended by the twenty-two faculty members of the school, was held at W.T. Moore Elementary School.

The principal consultant for the workshop was Dr. Edwin Smith. Other consultants were Dr: Norman Dodd, Professor of Education at Florida State University, Mrs. Mary F. Hancock, Supervisor of Elementary Education, Okaloosa County, Mrs. Jessie Moch, principai, W.T. Moore Elementary School, and Mrs. Sara Motets, Federal Project Director, W.T. Moore Elementary School. Mr. Sterling Bryant, Associate Superintendent for Instruction, Leon County, and Miss Mabel Jean Morrison, Director of Elementary Education, Leon County, also assisted.

Special consideration was given to the following:

Identifying, analyzing, and providing for pupils' needs

Improving laboratory experiences and seeking better ways of working with children

Seeking to understand- the nature of the child,

his learning styles and his needs.

Staff organizational patterns and utilization

During the pre-school planning program in August, a decision was made to reduce the size of the staff since enrollment in the school was not as high as had been anticipated.

On September 2, 1969, the school was named Apalachee Elementary School.

Classes were first held in September 1969, in temporary space at the Materials Center Annex and in Rate Sullivan Elementary School (both located on Miccosukee Road). Enrollment was 150 and the staff included the principal, a part-time curriculum coordinator, seven classroom teachers (K-6), special area teachers, a media specialist, a secretary, aides and custodial staff. A lunchroom manager was added to the staff in March 1970.

On March 2, 1970, the school was moved from temporary quarters into the permanent facility. The building is situated on 25 acres of land between U. S. Highways 90 East and 27 South on Conner Boulevard on what was formerly a part of the original Lafayette Township Grant.

The name Apalachee is derived from an Indian Tribe, the Apalachees, who occupied an area ranging between the Ochlocknee and Wacissa Rivers and from the red hills area south of Tallahassee, north to the present Georgia-Florida state line.

This facility was one of the first in the Leon District to be built according to the concept of the Systems Approach. It is a climate-controlled, open-concept building, so designed as to allow for rearrangement of the space by installing walls should the need arise It is designed to accommodate an enrollment of 745 students. Floors in learning centers, halls, media center, multi-purpose room and administrative offices are carpeted. The building is arranged to allow free access to all areas without going outside. Cost of the building was $770,000.00. It was designed by Forrest R. Coxen, A.I.A., and constructed by the firm of Albritton-Williams, Inc.

Freeman W. Ashmore was Superintendent of Public Instruction at the time Apalachee Elementary School was established. Members of the Leon District School Board were

Peter Guarisco, Chairman, Mike J. Beaudoin, Broward P. Davis, Ernest M. Henendez, and T. B. Revelt.

A Parent-Teacher Organization was established during the school's first year, largely through the efforts of Mr. and Mrs. John O'Hara, who were the Organization's first officers.

The 1970-71 school year was the first full year of operation of Apalachee Elementary School in the present location. Enrollment in September, 1970, was 346; and the staff consisted of the principal, full-time curriculum coordinator, 12 classroom teachers (K-5), a media specialist, a physical education, music and special education teacher, a part-time art teacher, a part-time speech therapist, a secretary, a lunchroom manager, custodial staff of four persons, one full time and one part-time aide. The curriculum included language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, physical education, music, art, and special education. The lunchroom is a part of the Satellite Lunch Program of the District.

In April of 1971, a school-wide carnival was sponsored by the Parent-Teacher Organization; funds raised were designated to purchase playground equipment for the school. Landscaping of the grounds was begun in the Spring of 1971 by a committee of parents.