Back in 1968, we imagine, Driver Elementary School was a much different place.

There were different desks and chairs, different paint in the corridors and very different cars in the parking lot. There were different styles of clothing on the students and teachers and radically different teaching styles. The technology available to teachers in the classrooms was limited to a chalkboard and chalk. Driver wasn’t even part of the city of Suffolk then, and in fact, the city of Suffolk didn’t even exist.

But one thing has never changed, and that is the teachers’ passion for education and the students’ passion for learning.

If those walls could talk, they would tell of thousands of students who got the best start possible in life when they had a great teacher at Driver; of teachers who dedicated year after year to their noble chosen profession; of support personnel who provided great role models for kids while keeping the school running; of administrators who represented the school well in the community.

The 50 years of the school’s history as Driver Elementary School have nearly come to an end, and after this year, its student population will attend the new Florence Bowser Elementary School under construction on Nansemond Parkway.

Music teacher Jeanie Baird and the Driver PTA organized a grand affair last week to say goodbye to Driver Elementary. The event included music, speeches and sweet treats to send the school off in style, and they did an excellent job with the event.

In the future, work will begin to transform the building into an academy for Suffolk Public Schools students who struggle academically. We hope the love of learning fostered in Driver Elementary sticks around for a while.