GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Current and former students of Stocking Elementary got one last trip down memory lane.
The elementary school in Grand Rapids is set to close permanently at the end of the school year.
"Look how different this looks. We had a reading room. We had a reading circle," Ellen Kruithof said.
Kruithof and Pauline Vincent both attended Stocking Elementary from 1955-1961. They visited the old school on Tuesday.
"I had all good memories. I had wonderful teachers here. Really wonderful. It was just like a community, and everybody knew each other because we all lived in the same neighborhood," Kruithof said.
The pair would hang out outside of school.
"I remember you came into my house for a birthday party for my birthday," Kruithof said.
"I remember coming in to play," Vincent added.
The pair were often in the same classes.
"Now that room right there, that was Ms. Sal's. Did you have her too? Oh, my goodness. We were in every class," Kruithof said.
"So, I remember her getting mad at me, kind of because I had put on corduroys. And she didn't like it because you weren't supposed to wear slacks to school," Vincent explained.
The current building is a lot different from the one they grew up in.
"There was a stage here, not this. We used to run up on the stage we had. Of course, this was the gym. We had little scooters we scooted across," Kruithof said.
The pair walked around on the first and second floors, trying to find their old classrooms. They wouldn't ever forget watching the space shuttle launch together.
The space shuttle launched a historic moment shared inside this 100-year-old Grand Rapids public school building.
"Where did the time go?" Kruithof asked when she looked around the school building.
The classrooms are now mostly empty as GRPS prepares to close Stocking permanently. It's part of a district-wide consolidation plan.
"I feel really bad about that," Kruithof said.
As one chapter ends, another starts.
"I can't believe it. It's so good to see you in person instead of just a picture on the screen. You look good," Kruithof said.
Stocking Elementary's last day is this Thursday.
GRPS does have a survey to see what people in the community would like to see done with the century-old building.
You can go here to learn more.
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