- Kirkwood High School
- Homepage
KSD Honors the History and Celebrates the Future of the J. Milton Turner School During Community Event
On Saturday, October 2, the Kirkwood School District held a community event to celebrate KSD’s purchase of the J. Milton Turner School. Over 200 people came out to celebrate the occasion, and participate in activities including building tours, games, a bubble bus and shaved ice.
After opening remarks, alumni from the J. Milton Turner School gathered on the school steps to come together for a group photo.
Pictured left to right: Josie Chambers, Linda (Ward) CayCe, Priscilla (Ward) Utley, Milton Brown, Harriet Patton, Randy J. Shed, Patricia (Hill) McGhee, Helen W. Shed, Naomi Nelson.
Other alumni in attendance include: Prince Moye, Marilyn (Whittaker) Booth, and Carolyn and Anita Ellerson.
More on the J. Milton Turner Building:
The J. Milton Turner Building is an important part of Kirkwood history. Opened in 1925, it was originally named Meacham Park Elementary School and was established in response to petitions submitted by African American residents requesting a school closer to their homes. In 1932, the Board of Education approved the renaming of the school as the J. Milton Turner School. The school served students until the 1975-76 school year when it closed. It was sold by the district in 1980. In the early 2000s, it was converted to office space and serves as the location for several private businesses.
The District’s Administrative Services Center is currently located at 11289 Manchester Rd., and includes the offices of Superintendent, Community Relations and Development, Curriculum and Instruction, Finance, Human Resources and Student Services. The current facility will be converted to create eight additional classrooms at North Kirkwood Middle School. That project is possible due to public support for Prop R, which is providing funding for capital improvements to address overcrowding in the district. No Prop R funding will be used to purchase the J. Milton Turner Building. The district will continue to rent part of the building to existing commercial tenants. That rental income will support the operating costs of the building and pay for the loan on the purchase.