Maclary Elementary School (1968)

Maclary Elementary School was named to honor retired Newark teacher Mrs. R. Elisabeth Maclary.

Miss Rachel Elisabeth Stroud (1897-1980) began her teaching career in a one-room school on the present Shue-Medill site on September 1, 1914, teaching grades one through eight.

After becoming a widow, Mrs. R. Elisabeth Maclary returned to her teaching career in 1931 and in 1935 came to the Newark Special School District. For ten years she taught grades five through eight, and from 1945 until her retirement in 1964, she taught mathematics in grades seven and eight at Central Junior High School.  Both her principal and superintendent commented that Mrs. Maclary was indeed a master teacher.

Mrs. Maclary was a member of the Delta Kappa Gamma, national honorary teachers’ society, Chairman of the Americanization Committee of the Cooch’s Bridge Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution, and many professional organizations. Both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees were earned from the University of Delaware. 

In September 1968, Maclary Elementary School opened to serve elementary students from K-5. When the New Castle County School District was formed in 1978, Maclary became a K-3 school. During the 1979-80 school year, several special education classes from the District’s Intensive Learning Center were placed at Maclary. The following year, Maclary was designated the District’s Intensive Learning Center for PK-3. 

In 1976 the Nature Center was completed. Mrs. Maclary’s interest in nature prompted the dedication of a living memorial located in front of the school in May of 1980.