WAYNESBORO, Pa. — Passersby can’t help but smile when they move past Summitview Elementary School. A smiling face is always there to greet them. Well, there has been since 1974. That was when a shining smiley face was placed on the wall on the side of the building facing Route 16.
Summitview opens its doors
Summitview Elementary School enrolled its first students for the fall 1971 school year. Located on Second Street, the school was officially dedicated on April 23, 1972. There are two unique things about Summitview that make it stand out among all the other schools in Franklin County.
A smile for safety and pride
A few years after the school opened, it had a problem. It was too dark on the side of the building facing the main road. Visitors to the school were missing the curb during evening events, and there were some stumbles and falls. Being proactive, members of the Parent Teacher Association came up with a unique idea.
Summitview had chosen a smiley face as the symbol for the school, and nothing says school pride like a four-foot smiley face on the side of the school wall. But the happy face was not just for looks; it served a practical purpose as well: it lights up.
Members of the PTA met with the school’s first principal, Gerald Stouffer, and made the suggestion of putting up the beaming smile to help light up the walkway on that side of the building to solve safety issues. He agreed and the plans were set in motion.
Local community joins in
With the help of two local families, the Destefans and the Storelys, the sign began production. The Destefans sought out the Leitersburg plastic manufacturers, Milmar Plastics, to supply the yellow plastic that would make up the head of the face and the black plastic that was used for the eyes and mouth. The Storely family would help procure the aluminum that went around the base of the smiley face. This was supplied by the Jamison Company.
The Summitview Smiley, as it has come to be known, is one of the most popular attractions in Waynesboro. Whether it is the light of day or the shining smile at night, the face of Summitview Elementary welcomes all who go past.
Second Street bell
The second attraction at Summitview Elementary School is the Second Street bell that adorns the main lobby of the school. The bell was made in the fall of 1872 and was once the school bell for the Second Street School, which was once on the corner of Walnut and Second Streets.
After the school was torn down in 1906, the bell was moved to the Clayton Avenue School where it would remain until 1971. The 800-pound bell that had once chimed for local school kids was tucked away in the basement of the Clayton Avenue building until Summitview principal Gerald Stouffer asked to have it moved to his new school.
The bell was cleaned and polished before being brought to its new home where hundreds of children every year get to gaze in wonder at its majestic size and beauty, an inspiring symbol of the great history that had come before them.
While Summitview Elementary School may only be just over 50 years old, it has become a big part of the history and culture of Waynesboro. Its smiling face and historic bell symbolize the spirit of the town in both its history and future.
