Nicole Parks remembers when students carried book bags filled with textbooks and teachers relied on chalkboards instead of tablets and smart screens.

“We’ve moved from books to technology,” said Parks, a school counselor who worked at Laurel Elementary for 30 years.

Parks was among about 100 students, teachers, parents and alumni who gathered June 5 to celebrate Laurel Elementary School’s 100th anniversary.

Built in 1926, Laurel Elementary combined two of the city’s three schoolhouses under one roof — the “Uptown School” and the “Downtown School.” At the time, the school was surrounded by a shirt factory and a blacksmith shop. Today, it sits in a largely residential neighborhood. 

Since then, the school has expanded several times, renovated its library and, in 1955, began integrating as African American students enrolled following the end of segregated education.

“The foundation is still the same. How we teach, how children learn, that hasn’t changed. It’s just the methods and the styles that we use to reach the children and keep them engaged,” Principal Tyrone Harris said.

Harris began teaching at Laurel Elementary in 2008 and returned as principal in 2023.

“We are home of the Limitless Leopards, the sky’s the limit for us,” Harris said. “Our staff is dedicated to making sure that students receive the best education that they can.” 

Over the past century, the school’s greatest changes have extended beyond its classrooms. Laurel Elementary now serves a majority Hispanic student body, a large African American population, and nearly half of its students are classified as English learners, according to Prince George’s County Public Schools. 

To meet the needs of its changing community, Laurel Elementary has expanded services for immigrant families whose first language is not English. Much like Laurel itself, the school reflects a changing community — nearly 33% of city residents are foreign-born, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. 

Maridania Brazoban, whose daughter Samara Vicmari attends the school, said Laurel Elementary also offers classes for parents. Brazoban has completed computer, CPR and crisis hotline courses and is currently taking English classes through the school and PGCPS.

Former teacher Heather Kampmann said classroom instruction has evolved alongside the student population.

“I think the biggest shift in math in the last few years of Prince George’s County is it’s a lot more hands on, a lot more minutiaes, a lot more working in groups collaboratively,” Kampmann said.

Students also said they appreciate the school’s learning environment. 

“My favorite part about school is being with my friends and learning new strategies for math,” said fifth grader Ariana Cornejo-Castro.

Parents Benjamin and Caitlin Lewis said they appreciate the school’s supportive environment.

“The teachers genuinely care about their students, pre-k in particular is just really neat,” Caitlin Lewis said.

“The fact that [our daughter] loves school and makes friends, enjoys being in school, feels special and is excited to talk about what she’s done, I think that’s a really good thing,” Benjamin Lewis said.

For Parks, however, the school’s greatest strength has remained constant through a century of change.

“It’s my school family—the kids, the community—that’s why I stay,” Parks said.