When Ashley Carlisle first came to Acker Elementary in 1991, she knew she wouldn’t get lost. Her kindergarten teacher, Suzanne Gilbert, had placed a huge teddy bear outside her classroom door to act as a landmark for her young charges.
Carlisle knew the teddy bear would not be in evidence at Acker’s 50th anniversary celebration, but she was able to see Ms. Gilbert, who is now retired, and also talk to her first principal, Charlotte Mooneyham, and her first physical education teacher, Charlie Mooneyham.
“It seemed so huge back then,” Carlisle said. “But when you are only about four feet tall, everything seems bigger. It still smells the same, it smells like a school.”
Carlisle says she really loved her first elementary school experience. She delights in the fact that she grew up in Frisco when everyone knew each other and went to the same kindergarten.
She brings that same sense of community and the art of knowing students by name and need to her current role as an elementary teacher at FISD’s Sonntag Elementary School.
Carlisle was among dozens of current and former administrators, educators and entire families of former students and parents who enjoyed walking the hallways, visiting classrooms and seeing old friends on Sunday, October 13, as Acker celebrated 50 years of education.
Scrapbooks, photos, yearbooks, videos, and even an old paddle were on display in what was once Frisco’s only elementary school.
Acker opened its doors in 1963 at 7159 Hickory Street. At the time, parents in Frisco were thrilled to have a new school.
“It was built especially for elementary kids,” said Jo Duncan, a lifetime PTA member who spent years a room mother, PTA officer and active Boy Scout volunteer. “PTA had to buy ceiling fans to put in the rooms of the old school (on Maple Street). This building was air conditioned. The bathrooms were nice. It was great.”
Bert Isbell, the principal who opened the school, died last year. Until the end, he told friends he was hoping to live to celebrate this important milestone. His wife, Eloise, who served as the FISD librarian for many years, and his children, heard many stories from former students about their husband and father.
Today, Acker Special Programs Center is home to the KEYS and RISE programs for students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
The KEYS (Keeping Every Youth Successful) program assists elementary and middle school students who will benefit from a safe, alternative learning environment.
RISE (Reaching Individual Success in Education) is a program for elementary and middle school students who have academic needs and desire a smaller, innovative instructional environment. Staff members believe interventions taken through the RISE program can benefit students by focusing on the remediation of missing skills and the prevention of academic frustration, which can help ensure future success for students in their academic careers.
“It was a tremendous honor to welcome former students, families and educators back home to Acker to share in our new mission, ‘Meeting students where they are and taking them where they need to be,’” said current Acker Principal Shawn Perry.
Many former parents and students repeatedly mentioned how glad they were that Acker is still making a difference in the lives of children — just as the old school, and its educators, made a difference in theirs.
“They loved hearing what we are doing for students and the community and they challenged my staff and me to keep working hard for these children,” Perry said. “It encourages us to write the next great chapter of Acker's academic excellence. It is humbling to be a part of this school's history.”