Lake School


Lake School was a public elementary school in the Near North Side neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska, United States. The school was one of Omaha's "black schools", and served grade one through grade eight. It closed in the 1970s.

History

Built in 1888, Lake evolved from an earlier frame schoolhouse opened in 1879, making it one of the oldest schools in the Omaha School District. The school's first principal was Emma Whitmore, who locked the names of the first graduates in a metal box, and had them buried beneath a new tree at the school. The key was then attached by ribbon to a pigeon released to an unknown destination.

Building

Lake School was a brick two-story building with a peaked roofline and decorative elements at the peaks. There was a bell tower protruding from the top of one part of the east side of the building.