Ann Jaramillo’s children, Richard and Lisa, were among the first students to attend Meadow Point Elementary when the school opened in 1982 in a growing Aurora neighborhood near Smoky Hill and Buckley roads.
“The kids really loved being here and the teachers really loved teaching,” Jaramillo recalled. “It was great!”
Jaramillo was among the crowd of past and present parents, students, and staff members who gathered at Meadow Point on Sept. 29 to celebrate the school’s 40th anniversary. Food trucks lined the street in front of the school and families enjoyed picnics and games on the lawn. Third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students performed two versions of the school song: an old one they found in the archives as they prepared for the anniversary celebration, and a new one they wrote just for the occasion.
In the school library, a display of computers showed how much technology has changed in 40 years. Current students were surprised at how big old desktop computers were, compared to the laptops and tablets they use today. The library also had yearbooks, scrapbooks, and photo albums for guests to look at. They highlighted four decades of fun, friendship, and educational excellence.
As Jaramillo thumbed through a photo album, she recalled that the school was under capacity when it opened in 1982, but was over capacity by the following year because of the incredible growth in that part of Aurora during the early 1980s. The school went to a four-track, year-round calendar in 1983. Jaramillo said that despite the capacity issues, the school offered lots of support to her kids, who were identified as gifted students. That included extra-curricular activities such as “Olympics of the Mind.”
“My daughter was on the Olympics of the Mind team, and they took second in state her fourth grade year,” Jaramillo said.
Supporting the needs of all students has been a constant at Meadow Point throughout the years. Current parents Christophe and Gabriela Rousselot, whose daughter Emilia is in third grade, appreciate that the school focuses on social-emotional learning, along with traditional academics.
“I feel like she’s very well taken care of, there are a lot of resources, and teachers work really hard to see their students thrive,” Gabriela Rousselot said, as Emilia and a friend found their kindergarten pictures in a past yearbook.
Emilia said her favorite class at Meadow Point is art because she wants to grow up to be a famous artist. But there really isn’t anything she doesn’t like about Meadow Point.
“I love it because it’s the best school ever!” she said. “I love to learn!”
Congratulations to Meadow Point Elementary on 40 years of dedication to excellence!
Posted 9/30/2022.
