Imagine all of the novelties of an elementary school classroom. “You can do anything if you try” posters hot glued to the wall, books like “Goodnight Moon” sitting on the shelves, math workbooks and folders stuffed inside desks, maps of Europe and maps of Orrville on display. All these things that once breathed life into Five Points Elementary are now in crates and boxes, labeled “Salem.”

On Thursday, every last staple was plucked from hallway bulletin boards, as the school was packed up, seemingly forever. The Dallas County School Board in May voted to close the school due to a dwindling school population and a want to save money.

Originally opened in 1965, Five Points Elementary served students in third through sixth grades. Those students will now join Salem Elementary School. In the case of those entering sixth grade, they will attend Keith next year.

“Students, I wish for you a wonderful and safe summer. It has been a joy to be your principal. Farewell,” Five Points Elementary School principal Lou Ella Guthridge said over the intercom, her voice breaking up as she held back tears.

Guthridge has been principal for the last six years and she hopes the students and teachers will transition smoothly to their next school.

“Even though the school is closed, the memories will forever be within them,” Guthridge said. “And the things we tried to instill in them, they should carry that on even though the physical building is closed.”

She said the school closing has been emotional for her because the students and teachers are a close community.

“Five Points is a small school and we know each other and we all love each other, it’s like a home away from home and now it is closing,” Guthridge said.

Several staff members have worked at Five Points for more than 10 years. Staff members like Candace Nichols, who has taught at Five Points for 23 years, calls Five Points her home. In those 23 years she has seen students with all different types of learning needs, but she said she hopes she have made an impact in their lives.

“I hope that we have given them a foundation of learning for the rest of their life,” Nichols said. “I hope that they feel safe and they can talk to us about anything that they really want to.”

Nichols will be going to Salem Elementary along with most of her students. So while the school building will be closing, she will remain with what matters most to her — her students.

Annette Johnson has worked in the lunchroom cafeteria at Five Points for 16 years. She hung up her hair net for the summer Thursday, but will be back next fall, this time at Salem Elementary.

She said she would always keep Five Points in her memories. Her relationship with the students is especially close because she checks out their chocolate milk cartons and trays of food every single day.

“Oh, I’m a mom to all of them,” Johnson said. “Some call me momma, some call me auntie and some even call me grandma.”

Johnson said the students will often make requests for lunch and she has done the best she can to give them what they want.

“Well the favorite meal is chicken wings and french fries,” Johnson said. “But they don’t care too much for bologna sandwiches.”

Fellow cafeteria worker Esten Thomas said her favorite memories in the lunchroom are from Christmas time. Students walk up to her with smiles and balled up fists, only to open their palms to give her bubble gum as a holiday present.

“They bring me Tootsie Rolls, suckers and they bring me cards for presents,” Thomas said.

As school ended Thursday — a half-day for students — the last of the students loaded onto the bus, while teachers and students hugged and said goodbyes. Every faculty member stood at the front entrance to wave to the students, while unsuccessfuly fighting back tears.

“You’re always happy to see [the students] go home, but that is because you know they will come back the next day. Tomorrow they wont come back here to Five Points,” Thomas said.

As for the students, they too take away a lot of memories from Five Points.

There was a trip to the Montgomery Art Museum, the Valentine’s Day Ball, a math competition and Functional Fridays, where the students learned how to read a newspaper, look up numbers in a phone book and how to order off of a menu.

For now, Five Points is closed, but the students and faculty who move on, guaranteed the school will live on through what they accomplish moving forward.