\u201cIt was a beautiful old school. I was very athletic. I played on the playgrounds and played on the rings and enjoyed all my little friends.\u201d Fran Marline Stephenson remembers fondly her time at Washington Elementary in the heart of Little Italy. She makes a point to note her affection for the librarian at the school, Mrs. Krause, who would spark Fran\u2019s interest in reading. More important, she would help Fran in learning how to pronounce words, as Fran had difficulty in this regard.<\/p>\n \u201cI have her to thank for teaching me how to speak,\u201d Fran states, continuing to discuss her education. \u201cI took courses that would teach me something. I wanted to learn not just because I want[ed] to learn reading and writing and my arithmetic \u2014 I wanted to learn something else.\u201d Fran would eventually dabble in art, sewing, \u201cfoolish acting on the stage,\u201d and she also joined the glee club. And most importantly about her participation in school plays, Fran exclaims, \u201cMy parents came and saw me, and I was thrilled because my father, being a fisherman, he was never home \u2026 I was very proud of myself, to look out there and see my parents in the audience.\u201d<\/p>\n Andy Asaro recalls that in Little Italy, \u201cThe neighborhood was composed of a lot of different kids \u2026 and we all went to Washington School. And in those days we all walked to school, and we’d walk home, and of course \u2026 nobody worried about things like they worry about today. Anyway \u2026 a lot of us Italians were in the Junior Traffic Patrol, so that would be manning the intersection of State and Elm streets \u2026 we’d be dressed in white pants, white shirt, and red sweaters, and a yellow garrison cap with a red stripe down it \u2026 and most of the people, or most of the kids that I knew, enjoyed going to Washington School. As a matter fact, I enjoyed school a lot \u2014 I really did. I always felt that I was learning something every day.\u201d<\/p>\n Jim Bregante notes, \u201cThe place that probably had a lot to do with our development was Washington Elementary School, and Washington had a huge playground. The neighborhood children spent countless hours there. The school also had an underground gymnasium that was open in the evenings. Across the street from the school was Bayside Social Center, operated by the nuns \u2014 who would accompany the children on many varied outings \u2014 and they would offer cultural and educational programming, cooking classes, and the like.\u201d<\/p>\n Today, Washington Elementary, its initial foundational structure long faded into memory, has been rebuilt and restructured for a new generation of school kids. Washington Elementary still serves as a pillar of the Little Italy community. See more historical images of Washington Elementary and the surrounding area at italianarchives.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n Visitar: conviviosociety.org<\/a> aprender m\u00e1s.<\/p>\n Get Social: @conviviosociety (Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, Gorjeo<\/a>)<\/p>\n![\"Memories](\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/LIH-2.jpg\")
![\"Memories](\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/LIH-3.jpg\")