Riverside Elementary Aims to Bridge the Gap

By Misty Cryer

Corey Lucero and Brittany Walterscheid: Not pictured: PTA members Lauren Houghton (Vice President) and Samantha Clifton (Secretary)

Riverside Elementary School’s back-to-school party on August 22 featured some new faces—including a new principal—and attracted current students, their families, alumni, and community members. Current students provided school tours, and a “walk down memory lane” was part of the celebration.

The school reopened this school year as the home of the Hornets. After the initial closure of Riverside Elementary, the campus housed students during the remodeling of Monterrey Elementary.

Games and activities were set up in the gymnasium for the kids to enjoy. Servings in the cafeteria included a meal of hot dogs with chips and a choice of popsicles. The new principal, Ms. Corey Lucero, and Brittany Walterscheid, the President of Riverside PTA, greeted people at the door and in the lobby. PTA officers handed out flyers to promote the PTA Membership Drive and the new Stinger Style Merchandise. The display case in the hallway featured vintage Hornet merchandise, which is just the start of the collection. The event invitation encouraged Alumni to provide “cool Hornet memorabilia to jazz up” the display case.

“I am really excited about being here,” said Lucero. She said she was impressed by the community involvement in the “blue party” at the recent Paint the Downtown Blue event.

Lucero said she came here from Clovis, where she served as a principal after several years of teaching in Early Childhood. “This is my sixth year in administration,” she said.

Walterscheid said that while working with Lucero, the development of a PTA (Parent Teacher Association) for the school was decided upon. She explained that a PTO is a parent and teacher organization which is different than a PTA.

“With a PTA, anyone can be a member—alumni, businesses, anybody can support the school with a membership due, and then they get to vote on what we do with the funds and how to support the school,” said Walterscheid. “It’s really an opportunity for everyone to get involved.

“With the new community school, there’s some new things happening. There is real excitement for the kids to take on some leadership roles in this new school,” said Walterscheid. “We’ve got new teachers from different areas, which is amazing. We’re all kind of in this together to get excited for the community for something new, something new for our kids, and just for us all to grow together and get behind a thriving community school, which I think it is really important because it only helps the community. A high tide rises everyone’s ship,” she said.

“That’s my ultimate goal, getting as much information and excitement out there about the school as I can,” Walterscheid said. “We have so many people…alumni, businesses, everything that can support the school and get excited about the future,” she said.

Among the alumni at the Back-to-School Party were Keith Sparks, Annie Dodson, and Ruthie (Corazzi) Griffith. Griffith said she attended Riverside Elementary from first grade to sixth, beginning in 1961. Dodson said she started in 1980 and attended Riverside Elementary from kindergarten to fifth grade. Sparks said that he attended from first to sixth grade, starting in 1956, the year the school originally opened.

Sparks said he has fond memories of attending Riverside Elementary School. “I met my best friend there, Pam Thornton,” he said.

Sparks said Mrs. Wilcox, a third-grade teacher, was his favorite. He said Stanley Hall, who was a fifth-grade teacher, coached sports, including football, flag football, softball, and basketball. “We played all of the other great schools.” With a chuckle, he said, “We rode in the back of a pickup truck.”

For information about the PTA Membership Drive or the new Stinger Style Merch, contact Brittany Walterscheid at 214-455-5506.