SCHOOL HISTORY
(Historical data
is based on interviews with Mrs. Mildred Hatton, Mr. Hugh Hagert, and Ms. Peggy
Wilson who were teachers at Pointer Ridge Elementary the first day the school
opened.)
One cold, December morning in 1971,
Pointer Ridge Elementary opened it's double doors to continue educating the
leaders of today and tomorrow. Prior to the students moving to Pointer Ridge,
they attended Tall Oaks Elementary on Church Road. Tall Oaks was too small for
the enrollment, so from September until December of 1971, two sessions were
conducted. There was a morning session of school from 9:00 to 12:00 and an
afternoon session from 1:00 to 4:00.
The school was filled to capacity the first year; children who lived on farms on
Route 214 were bused to the school. In 1972, as a result of court ordered
desegregation, children were bused from Seat Pleasant as well. Because of
limited space initially, no music room was available requiring the music teacher
to roll a piano around to the classrooms. The classrooms in wing one and two had
open spacing. Over a period of time, partitions, then walls, were added to
separate the classes.
Since 1971, only a few things have changed at Pointer Ridge--lunch is more
expensive, physical education and music are taught five times every two weeks
instead of three times a week, a 6-classroom addition and five temporary
trailers have been added to alleviate over-crowding, and the school has been
wired for the communication tools of the coming decade--computers and the
Internet. The school also welcomes many of the community groups to utilize the
school facilities during the week.
Pointer Ridge is now home to approximately 800 students, and parental support
remains a major ingredient for a successful school year. The school colors of
blue and gold and the Panther mascot are still proudly worn.
Please send your comments and feedback
about this web site to
pridgeem@pgcps.org