History

Our School's History

Conway Elementary School has a history rooted deep in our community. The present school campus located at 4100 Lake Margaret Drive opened in 1954. This original building had sixteen classrooms. Additional wings were added in 1958 and 1960 to accommodate rapid growth in the area and served students in the Conway community for 54 years. On January 2, 2008 a brand new building opened on the school site, including 38 state of the art classrooms, to expand the possibilities for our students in the rapidly changing, technology driven world.

The first principal of Conway Elementary was Mamie Fugate. She is viewed as the matriarch of the modern school and a plaque that honors her contributions is mounted near the entrance of the school building. Other principals that followed in succession include Franklin Carver, Bill McDaniels, William Bailey, Jim Kiser, Charlotte Barolett, Leanna Isaacson, Karen Babb, and Sean Maguire. The current principal, Judy Bransford, was appointed in 2021.

Prior to the construction of the current Conway Elementary School campus, the history of our school dates back to 1875 as Prospect School. An Orange County Historical Marker located on Conway Road, near the original school site, describes the origination and brief history of our school. It reads:

Conway School began in 1875 as Prospect School and was affiliated with the Prospect Methodist-Episcopal Church that later became Conway Methodist Church. The name Conway first appeared in 1884, when the school was located on Conway Road near Trentonian Court. The school was a two-room building. That accommodated grades one through five in one room and grades sixth through eighth in the other. Mr. L. C. Ray was the first principal. The Budget for school expenses at this time was about $50,000 dollars; principal salaries averaged $225 a month and teachers in one room county schools were paid $30 a month. The original school grew to have five rooms and a lunchroom. In 1954, Conway Elementary School was built and the middle grades eventually became Conway Middle School, which was constructed in 1969.

Black and white photo of early 1900s Conway student in cart pulled by a goat.