Our History

Education at Kimberley Park Elementary School first began when an architect by the name of Charles Rufus Faw designed Classical Revival- style building as part of a 1920s campaign to improve the educational facilities city-wide.   This new building had up to date amenities, which was great for the neighborhood youth.  Previously, many had attended an overcrowded school by the name of Oak Street School.  John W. Paisley, Oak Street’s Principal since 1913, headed Kimberley Park after the 1925 building was completed.  He was the principal until 1940.  An addition was done that almost doubled the original structure’s size in 1929.  This addition resulted in a space that had 29 classrooms, a library, auditorium, cafeteria, kitchen, and office spaces.  Enrollment had reached 1,177 students during the 1937-1938 school year.  This continued until a fire in September 1965.  After the fire, a general contractor by the name of C.J. Kern began erecting the replacement building which still houses elementary students today.  

During the building of the structure, energy saving initiatives, aesthetic shifts, and new teaching strategies had transformed the exterior and interior of the organization.  An architecture firm in Winston-Salem, Stinson-Hines and Associates helped with the design and prepared plans for two campuses that were almost identical by adapting a plan originally used for Bolton Elementary School.  The 1966 buildings feature open classrooms with folding partition walls that allowed for co-teaching.  This has been changed to now have permanent walls. 

The building also contains a rectangular administration block and three octagonal classroom wings.  There is a combination gymnasium and auditorium that features a stage.  The granite retaining wall at the North Cherry Street sidewalk remains from the original 1925 campus. 

The history of leadership of Kimberley Park Elementary:

            1925-1940 – John W. Paisley

            1941-1946 – Albert H. Anderson, Jr.

            19?? – 1965 – Ruth Lewis

            1968 – 1983 – Andrew L. Yarborough III

            1983 – 1984 – Annie Hairston

            1984 – 1992 –

            1992 – 1996 – Norris Baker

            1996 -2002 – Rev. Richard Watts

            2002-2008 – Dr. Sheila Gorham

            2008-2019 – Dr. Amber Baker

            2020 – present – Diamond L. Cotton

Mission Statement

• Promote communication and understanding between home and school.
• Provide a nurturing atmosphere where each child is given the hope for success.
• Provide a climate that enhances multicultural understanding and fosters culturally sensitive behavior.
• Challenge each student to utilize his/her own unique talents to achieve and succeed.
• Encourage students to become problem solvers, set individual priorities and make appropriate choices to become responsible citizens.  

Vision Statement