Franklin Elementary alumni reunion is April 28

Franklin Elementary School will host a gathering of former students, staff and faculty at the old building at 214 N. Louisiana. The school, pictured in the foreground in the aerial view above, was built in 1927 and is scheduled to be torn down this summer due to safety considerations. Its replacement is in the final stages of construction and stands behind the old building. Principal Dr. Rhonda Dunham, who attended Franklin in the 1960s, has tours and refreshments planned for the reunion, scheduled for 1 -- 5 p.m. on the last Saturday of this month. Dunham said the school originally accommodated grades 1 through 9 and had a pre-kindergarten at one time. Lunch breaks lasted from an hour to an hour-and-a-half, and the starting salary for teachers was less than $3,000. For additional information, Dr. Dunham can be reached at 573-335-5456.