Jack Campbell smiled as he enjoyed a festive Sheridan Elementary School event that was 100 years in the making.

Campbell, 97, joined hundreds of current and former Sharks at the school’s 100th anniversary celebration this fall. A steady flow of visitors enjoyed an evening that featured live music, party games, 40 fifth grade student ambassadors and a century-long list of happy memories.

Sheridan Principal Ashley Sitzman met Campbell as he entered the building for a tour. Campbell drove himself to Sheridan because he wanted to stroll the hallways that he walked through as a kindergartener more than 90 years ago. He went on to become president of the American Society of Chartered Life Underwriters and Chartered Financial Consultants, chairperson of the City of Lincoln’s American Bicentennial Commission and president of the Nebraska Art Association.

“In the gym, he was looking at the historical displays and recognized the name of a girl that introduced him to his wife,” Sitzman said. “He said he used to be sent to the principal’s office because he was ornery.”

Marcia Kominsky Wallen, Cindy Wagner Louderback and Jane Bailey DeCamp relived their time at Sheridan at a cafeteria table. The trio became Sharks in the 1950s and remained classmates in junior high, high school and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Wallen and DeCamp walked to elementary school together as next-door neighbors growing up, and Wallen and Louderback live in Lincoln as next-door neighbors today.

Wallen said all three families have connections that stretch back for generations. She said that is why Sheridan remains so special to them.

“The best part of our story is our mothers went to school here and they were friends,” Wallen said.

Sitzman said it was a privilege to listen to those Shark-centered accounts throughout the night. She presented remarks to parents, students and proud alumni who filled the playground and an outdoor walkway. Sheridan Parent-Teacher Organization representative Lauren O’Donnell, Lincoln Board of Education President Piyush Srivastav, Lincoln Public Schools Superintendent John Skretta and LPS Associate Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Sarah Salem also spoke on the outdoor stage.

“For 100 years, these hallways have been filled with laughter and learning and friendship and discovery and many, many lifelong memories,” Sitzman said. “Sheridan is more than a building. It is a community, and we feel that here tonight. It’s a place where people come together, where children feel valued and heard, and where they learn that they belong.”

Sheridan leaned heavily into its history for the event. The school partnered with LPS archivist Sara Scott to develop old photo negatives, and volunteers created detailed displays that featured pictures, documents, drawings, newsletters and other artifacts from the past century. Former Sharks were invited to add themselves to a timeline with the year they attended school, and Sheridan leaders set up a memory wall for everyone to enjoy. Visitors could write their favorite moments on a piece of paper and clip them to the wall.

Sheridan’s story began when the first wave of Sharks entered the building on Sept. 13, 1926. Nina Baker, a former assistant principal at Randolph Elementary School, became the school’s first principal. She guided students in grades K-6 at the corner of 30th and Wendover streets.

Nearly 500 residents participated in a formal dedication ceremony for Sheridan on Dec. 16, 1926. Baker joined a list of speakers that featured Lincoln Board of Education members M.L. Palmer and Edward Rowe. There were also many musical performances such as a violin and clarinet duet by Ruth and Lucille Hitchcock.

Sitzman, O’Donnell and other organizers wanted to equal or surpass that turnout for the 100th birthday celebration. They ensured that would happen by sending invitations to Sheridan alumni such as Salem, Campbell and Miss Lincoln Hannah Johnson.

Johnson made many Sharks beam with delight by posing for pictures with them in her crown. She said her time at Sheridan motivated her to set lofty life goals. She is currently planning to obtain a master’s degree in counseling.

Johnson said one of her favorite memories happened in the gym. Former physical education teacher Darrell Dineen set up a game that gave children a chance to try new strategies, form friendships and learn how to cooperate with each other.

“It was basically a huge game of tag,” Johnson said. “It wore us out, but it was just so much fun.”

Salem said those lessons of companionship, hard work and creative thinking are why so many alumni have become difference-making adults. She said they apply the teamwork skills they learned at Sheridan in meeting rooms, construction zones, scientific laboratories and hospital campuses.

“Some people think that sharks like to swim alone, but people who actually research sharks, they know that when sharks want to get something done, they find other sharks and they do it together,” Salem said. “So, I hope that you are proud to be a Shark. Go out into the Lincoln community, find other Sharks and make a difference for the Lincoln community.”

The birthday celebration ended with dozens of children singing and waving their hands in a “Dancing Through the Decades” activity on a grass field outside the building. Sitzman said their energy is why Sheridan will continue to shine in Lincoln for another century.

“At the heart of everything we do is our students,” Sitzman said. “They truly are so incredible. They are bright, compassionate, courageous, full of curiosity. They are leaders today and they are preparing to be leaders tomorrow.”

Discover how events like Sheridan’s birthday party are meeting the goal of family and community engagement found in the 2024-29 LPS Strategic Plan.

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