The old days at Shull-David

The ceilings seemed to be a little lower, the desks shorter, and the faces were certainly a bit older, but for a moment on Thursday, it was just like the old days at Shull-David Elementary in Lehighton.

The school building is set to close after 59 years at the end of the 2017-18 school year. So teachers and administrators invited former teachers and students to visit the school one last time.

Claudia Feller, who taught from 1972-2007, greeted her former students, even if they looked a little different than they did when they passed through the halls.

“Sometimes the faces don’t change that much,” she said. “They just get a little older looking.”

Construction began on Shull-David in 1958, it opened for the 1959-60 school year. Named for the two superintendents who led the Lehighton school district in the first half of the 20th century, the school housed grades K-6, and more recently K-4. Next year, students will attend a new elementary center.

The first principal was Jim Wentz, who was just 27 years old when he got the job. Now 87, he graciously greeted former students as they reintroduced themselves Thursday night.

Wentz said it felt good to be back, and that the staff today is a lot like the one that he led when the school opened.

“We had a good staff right from the beginning, whose concern were the kids. Whenever I come back, I’ve seen the same thing. Today, it’s the same way,” Wentz said.

The farewell was put together by fourth-grade teachers Beth Cressley and Melanie Dillman. Teachers assembled old photos, yearbooks, and a showcase of memorabilia from when the school opened.

Of the original staff, it’s believed only two of the teachers are still living — Wentz, who taught sixth grade, and third-grade teacher Marjorie Balliet.

Balliet was fresh out of Kutztown when she was hired at Shull-David. She retired after 34 years.

Growing up in Ashfield, she knew Superintendent Bert B. David and his wife, Florence. She recalled the pride Mrs. David showed when her student took a job teaching at the school named for her husband.

She also recalled the notoriety she received after building a study carrel — basically a desk with walls — for a student who needed help concentrating.

“Of course some kids went home and said I put a kid in a box,” she said. “I made the front page of the Times News.”

Barbara Kirsch, who graduated from Lehighton in 1972, had the experience of attending and working at Shull-David. She was a paraprofessional, and several of her family members taught there, too.

She laughed as she recalled how teachers could paddle unruly students, and how she was scared when her turn came.

“I started to cry,” she said. “And then she’d say ‘I’m not gonna hit you that hard.’ ”

Melissa Fairchild Klotz, wanted to introduce her kids to the teachers she had when she was their age.

Kristen Campbell, who graduated from Lehighton in 2011, is sad to see the school close. She said Shull-David was memorable for its unique layout and architecture, but mostly for the caring teachers.

“I kind of always wanted to come back and see everybody, teachers and whatnot. When I heard this was happening — I found out two days ago — I was like, I need to call off. I need to be here,” she said.