Horace May Elementary School in Bemidji has celebrated a major milestone as Friday marked their 50th anniversary.

Students, staff and even family members of the school’s namesake gathered to honor Horace May Elementary and its half century of education and community.

“It’s exciting. I teared up at the beginning [of the event], and it’s just the kids are great,” said Nancy May O’Sullivan, one of Horace May’s children. “It’s really just a good day.” She was joined by two of her siblings for the event, Terry May and Carolyn May.

Horace May was a coach of the Lumberjack basketball team and a physical education teacher who died in 1971. The school opened in 1972 and was named in his honor.

“You have this legacy from my father, this wonderful school,” said Terry May, Horace May’s second oldest son. “He was a wonderful man, teacher, father.”

With Bemidji Area Schools is preparing their strategic plan for the next five years, students and staff at Horace May Elementary plan to continue to honor May’s legacy for the next 50.

“We think the next 50 years are going to be bright,” said Bemidji School District Superintendent Jeremy Olson. “We do think that the best days are in front of Bemidji Area Schools. We have a lot of great people in our district…We’re engaging out community right now in the strategic plan, looking at the next five years.”

The first teachers at Horace May Elementary were also recognized during the morning celebration.

By — Mary Balstad