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Taylorsville • Sure, there are a few wrinkles, a few blemishes, a few flaws masked from the masses. But that's to be expected when you've been around for half a century.
At 50 years, Taylorsville Elementary may not be the belle of the ball, but she certainly can get out on the dance floor.
Michelle Love-Day, the school's 13th principal, emceed a birthday celebration on March 29 that walked students of all ages down memory lane.
"I had a parent at the end come up to me and tell me she was a fourth-generation Taylorsville student," Love-Day said. "It's just embedded in this community and has always been a community school."
Each grade's presentation centered on a chosen decade and included songs, dances, slide shows and banners that reflected historical moments and pop-culture icons through the years. The kindergarten class's presentation was an interpretation of what the future of the school might hold.
From first-graders dancing the Macarena to third-graders re-enacting President Barack Obama's oath into office, the presentation entertained a crowd of parents and friends that packed the school's cafeteria.
Love-Day said the most interesting thing she learned about the school during preparation for the celebration is how active a role the PTA has played dating back to 1962.
"As I was looking through the history, the PTA and the parent involvement has been amazing," said Love-Day, in her second year at the school. "They have had constant involvement."
In addition to friends and family, the school invited Granite School District Superintendent Martin Bates and five former teachers. Included in that group was 95-year-old Winifred Mahaffey, who was the school's first third-grade teacher, and was Kaye Ohlin, who spent 35 years in first- and second-grade classrooms.
Bonnie Prime, who runs the school's media center and library, has worked at Taylorsville for 33 years and is the longest-tenured faculty member. She started as a volunteer through the PTA and was a lunch aide and library volunteer before joining the staff full time.
Prime said the event stirred many memories dating back to the early 1980s.
"This is my home away from home," she said. "I hate to miss school. I've enjoyed working with a variety of people — the new principals and new teachers who have come in. We've had good children and special people work at this school."
The "home" was built for $508,000 in 1962, when the 40,000-square-foot building housed 691 students. A table in the lobby displayed PTA scrapbooks with photos, press clippings and other memorabilia spanning the school's 50 years.
Love-Day said initial plans for the celebration began in September, and students began researching decades and planning presentations in February.
The students' "birthday present" to the school was a hand-painted tile mural titled "Me and My Taylorsville Community."
"We kept stressing to the kids about giving back to the community," Love-Day said. "That theme as they were learning about their decade was a teaching piece so it would have meaning for them.
"This was historic, and they were part of an historic moment."
Taylorsville turns 50
R Taylorsville Elementary celebrated the school's 50th birthday with song and dance and videos that commemorated memorable events over the past five decades. The students' "birthday present" was a hand-painted tile mural titled "Me and My Taylorsville Community."