Hunter Elementary School's website provides a very interesting history of the school. We usually write our own verbiage on GDP, but this information is so important, as is:
"Thomas A. Hunter owned the factory located in the neighborhood (the former Cotton Mill Square on the corner of Merritt Drive and Spring Garden Street). He wanted the best for the children whose parents worked in the mill and saw that a small school was built for them. Hunter Elementary School, then Pomona Mills School, opened for students in 1929 in the neighborhood that was called Pomona. It was a county school in those days but conveniently accessible by the trolley. Because of his deep concern for the school, Mr. Hunter was allowed to select the first principal, Mrs. Robert A. (Mabel) Merritt. who became a teaching principal for the school. When the old wooden school was replaced with an updated brick building, Mrs. Merritt requested of the Greensboro City Board of Education that the school’s name be changed to Thomas A. Hunter School to honor the late Mr. Hunter.
Mrs. Merritt served as the principal from 1918-1950, in many cases seeing to her student’s needs by reaching out to her church, West Market United Methodist, to provide clothes during the Depression. Upon her retirement in 1950, the city of Greensboro renamed the road where Hunter Elementary is located to Merritt Drive. "I want the children around here to have a school as good as any city school. I want them to have good books to study and good books to read for special enjoyment." said Mrs. Merritt.
Hunter Elementary has gone through many changes and improvements during the past 78 years, but Mrs. Merritt's philosophy still holds true. We do want our children to have a school as good as every other school and we do want our children to have good books for study and enjoyment. However, we want and expect much, much more of and for our students." (reference). Today is ABC Wednesday for for "X" we present the school that has been crossed off the map. See the rest of ABC Wednesday, Greensboro Round 20, here.
That is forward thinking of Mr. Hunter, and Mrs. Merritt.
Posted by: William Kendall | Monday, June 19, 2017 at 05:27 PM