Fruitland Primary School Opens Doors for Final Walk Down Memory Lane

FRUITLAND, Md. — Generations of Fruitland Primary School students have left their mark on the school. Tuesday afternoon, the school invited community members to see years of children’s artwork before the building is demolished next year.

Fruitland Primary School may be coming down, but the memories still line its halls. Community members had one last opportunity to relive those memories through thousands of colorful tiles.

The small tiles — some creative, some simple — each capture a moment in time. Together, they tell the story of generations of children who once called the school home.

Former student Elizabeth Hanes said the halls felt different than she remembered.

“I’m feeling larger than life. The hallways are so much smaller than I remember,” Hanes said.

Another former student, Maddox Ferro, said seeing the tiles brought back memories.

“It feels good to see all my friend’s tiles and, like, all the memories down the hallways,” Ferro said.

The tiles that inspired generations of students will soon be demolished along with the school. For former student Madison English, the visit was especially emotional because the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly ended her second-grade year.

“It’s kind of sad because I never got to say bye to my second-grade teacher, my friends. And it’s like, so emotional because, like, that is from second grade and so it’s like, I feel like I’m reliving again, like, primary school,” English said.

Still, she couldn’t help but enjoy the memories that came rushing back as she walked the halls.

“It’s very nostalgic because I remember, like, having my cousin in the first-grade classroom and then having her be able to walk with me and then walking into the kindergarten classroom, and we made Oobleck one time. We had green eggs and ham for Dr. Seuss Day,” English said.

Some former students said they cherished the chance to revisit their past; Hanes remembers the moment she put paint to her tile.

“Yeah, I definitely remember doing that. I loved my art teacher, Miss Smith, and I still do art, so it’s kind of like the beginning entry way into being able to do art and drawing, paint and stuff,” Hanes said.

She said seeing the tiles again made the visit even more meaningful.

“I mean, it’s just awesome to see. I think every school should definitely do the tile thing because it’s just cool to look back on,” Hanes said.

For parents, the feeling is no different as they prepare for the demolition of a collection built over more than a decade.

Tracy Sahlor, the mother of a former student, said her daughter Molly made one of the tiles when she was in second grade. Sahlor later returned to the school as a volunteer to help photograph the tiles so they could be preserved digitally.

“When Molly was in second grade, she made this tile, and then she did come back with me last year as a volunteer and did a bunch of the, taking pictures of the tiles to preserve them digitally. Because there are a lot of tiles. There are about 2,000. So, it’s quite a collection,” Sahlor said.

Even returning to photograph the tiles brought back memories for Sahlor, who had two children attend the school over five years.

“I was a parent with students here for five years. I had two kids here over a course of five years. The younger student was in the first class that created tiles, and so it was pretty neat. And you don’t realize how lasting something like that is going to be. But she made her tile in 2010. She’s now out of college, working, and so, yeah, it really does preserve that memory,” Sahlor said.

Megan Moore, a mother of four, said the visit was emotional but also filled her with pride.

“I feel very nostalgic. I did get a little emotional looking through the halls, but very proud of such a special place,” Moore said.

The school holds special significance for the Moore family. All four of Moore’s children attended the school, as did her husband.

“I mean, I know that there are many, many generations of families that have gone through the school. My husband went to the school, actually, as well, and so it is a little bit sad to think that it won’t be here anymore, but the new school looks really cool. Looks very exciting,” Moore said.

For Hanes, the school’s future brings excitement for the children of Fruitland, even as she acknowledges the bittersweet nature of saying goodbye.

“I grew up here, so I drive past this street like every single day, and for it to just not be here anymore is going to be wild. And to see the school behind it growing, it’s just — the kids are going to get such a different experience than I did, which is bittersweet, but it’ll be great for them,” Hanes said.

Fruitland Primary School Principal Parris Abt said the school wanted to give the community an opportunity to say goodbye while preserving the artwork.

“While we are not taking the tiles with us, we did want to offer the community opportunity, and we are super excited. And we have documented every tile, and it will be running on a livestream within our new building so that any time they visit, there is still a piece of our old building with us,” Abt said.