School

Longview Farm Elementary School is the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District’s 16th elementary.

The school, located in a remodeled Longview Show Horse Arena, is designed to house approximately 650 students in kindergarten through sixth grades. Thanks to an innovative partnership involving the R-7 School District, Gale Communities and the City of Lee’s Summit, the school was constructed at a significant savings to the school district.

The elementary school, located in western Lee’s Summit, provides additional classroom space for the rapidly growing R-7 School District. Since 1990, the district has grown by an annual average of 486 students. In addition, the school district is expected to grow tremendously over the next 10 to 15 years with overall enrollment projected to climb from around 16,000 today to close to 20,000 by 2012.

Following the approval of the spring 2004 bond issue, construction and planning for the new elementary school was initiated. A construction kick-off ceremony, hosted by Gale Communities and the R-7 School District, was held May 6 at the site. Featured speakers at this event included R-7 Board of Education President Patti Buie; Lee’s Summit Mayor Karen Messerli; Building Our Future Committee Co-chair Janis Duke; Dr. Tony Stansberry, R-7 superintendent; David Gale, Gale Communities president; John Wisniewski, Hollis & Miller Group Inc.; and Augie Huber, CEO of A.L. Huber General Contractor.

Hollis & Miller Group designed the new school, and A.L. Huber is the general contractor. Both the architect and contractor have focused on retaining the structure’s historic amenities while creating a functional and inviting school environment. Care has been taken to preserve the historical Longview Show Horse Arena’s appearance and features throughout the school construction. The front entry preserves the general appearance of the original grave and includes the gravesite of Revelation, one of Loula Long Comb’s prize-winning show horses. The open space of the arena has been maintained and is now used for a gymnasium and cafeteria. Stall doors and panels were used as dividers on corridors near the gym. The original barn doors are reused as partitions between the cafeteria and gym, on display cases in the front hallway and have been mounted near the new school entry doors. The library/media center features an open ceiling that reveals the hay loft chutes and barn post-and-beam structure. In addition, the library/media center features a preserved horse stall as a reading nook for students. The barn’s original fireplace and mantle were refurbished and are now a non-working fireplace in the entry area. A visible improvement includes restoration of the four-sided clock tower.

As construction continued through the 2004-05 school year, school district staff worked to ensure a smooth opening in fall 2005. Dr. Ryan Rostine was named principal for Longview Farm Elementary during February 2005. During early 2005, staff were hired for the new school, a PTA was formed and neighborhood families became more involved in the project. Teams involving staff, parents and students developed recommendations for the school’s mascot, school colors, campus name and motto. Students scheduled to attend the new school had the opportunity to vote on the new mascot. The Stallions are the school’s mascot, and its colors are purple and gold. In addition, the Board of Education approved naming the school campus after Loula Long Combs, daughter of Robert A. Long and well known for her internationally recognized prize-winning show horses. Longview Farm Elementary’s motto is “The Legacy Continues …”