Open as a public school from 1937 to 1959, many of the school’s students and faculty still reside in the area and have shared many stories of coming to the Mead school for their elementary education. Mead School alumni have shared what it was like coming to school here during the Great Depression when times were lean. Each child would bring what they had from their cupboard and neighboring women would come up to the school, gather the ingredients and cook lunch for the kids with whatever came to school that day. Another former student has shared the story of his teacher rolling the radio into the auditorium so their community could listen to FDR address the nation together  when Japan bombed Pearl Harbour. So much history here in these walls. As South Knoxville grew and the elementary schools began to consolidate, the building sat abandoned and empty for decades until two local educators, John Nolt and Karen Bailey, purchased the old Schoolhouse from the City of Knoxville in the early 1980’s and began the arduous work of restoring the building. John and Karen raised their family in the building and Karen taught both Waldorf and Montessori classes. During that time the building was lovingly called ‘The Schoolhouse.”