Sechrist Elementary School celebrated its 50th anniversary with an outdoor picnic Tuesday evening.

Smiling students, their families and their teachers rubbed elbows with Sechrist alumni and retired faculty while enjoying performances by the school choir, the band and the kindergarten bell choir.

We appreciate all the parents and community members that have come out to celebrate the excellent 50-year tradition of Sechrist, said Flagstaff Unified School District Superintendent Barbara Hickman. Its a wonderful school and were delighted that everyone was here.

Sechrist Elementary first opened its doors in the fall of 1963 on a 10-acre parcel of land that used to be a county poor farm off what is now North Fort Valley Road. It was named after Charles W. Sechrist in honor of his service to Flagstaff as a medical doctor and his record 17 years on the local school board. Sechrist died in 1965, but his son, Gilbert Sechrist, attended the anniversary celebration with his wife Jean.

Its a great occasion, Gilbert said.

His wife said they are both thankful for the work the teachers at Sechrist Elementary do every day to educate Flagstaff students.

Were very impressed with what theyre doing for the children, Jean said.

The late Tony Gabaldon, who went on to become an Arizona state senator, was the first principal of the Sechrist Elementary School, which had around 200 students in grades K-7. Since then, the school has transitioned to a K-5 school, added several wings and more than doubled in size. It now serves around 450 students, some of whom have parents who also attended Sechrist when they were little. Principal John Albert was amazed to see the courtyard filled with familiar faces.

Its kind of overwhelming to know that people value public education so much, Albert said. They keep coming back here and to see generations of families, it warms your heart.

Alberts predecessor, Bob Booth, was responsible for planting all the trees that shaded the celebration in the schools courtyard. Booth, who attended Sechrist in seventh grade, later spent around six years there as a teacher and 21 years as the schools principal before retiring nine years ago. Much has changed, he said, since he first sat in the classrooms at Sechrist. His two decades as principal saw an explosion of technology that took the school from chalk and blackboards to whiteboards and computers.

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Sechrist Elementary celebrates 50th anniversary