Gammon School Age Child Care

It was with an eye to the future that the Board of Education, on September 15, 1975, purchased land in southeast Wichita for a new elementary school. Three years later another site was purchased in northeast Wichita for the same purpose. August 4, 1980 the architectural firm of Griffith and Bonham was appointed to design two elementary school buildings, identical in plan but not in finish, to be located on these two sites.

E.W. Johnson, Inc. was awarded the building contract for both locations in the amount of approximately $3,250,000 per building. Construction began in September 1982 and the doors opened for 506 students at the northeast site in August 1984 and named Delore O. Gammon Elementary School.

Miss Gammon became assistant superintendent in charge of elementary education in 1953, and in 1958 Miss Gammon became director of elementary curriculum. She retired in 1966. She had attained the highest position any woman ever had in the Wichita Public Schools system at that time. She died September 30, 1981.

Already overcrowded, the Gammon pre-kindergarten program was moved to Minneha Elementary School in 1985-86. That year enrollment reached 563. Kindergartners from Gammon were moved to Minneha for one year only in 1987-88. The staff was involved in a Mastery Learning pilot project for five years. The project concluded in the spring of 1987.

Beginning the 1988-89 school year, fifth and sixth graders were sent to the re-opened Kistler School which was referred to as the Gammon Annex. Both fifth and sixth graders from the Annex left for the newly created Coleman Middle School in 1989. From 1989-1993, third graders were sent to the Annex. After four years at the Annex, third graders eagerly anticipated being on the same campus with other grades. After much thought and planning, it was decided kindergartners should be the class of choice for the Annex. Parents were happy with this choice because they did not have to worry about the older students running over their youngsters.

The Annex was chosen to be the site of the new Leicle Bostic Traditional Magnet School beginning with the 1994-95 school year. Gammon lost around 60 children to Bostic. For the first time since Gammon opened in 1984, the facility was able to hold all of the students K-5.

In April 2000, the voters of the Wichita School District approved a $284.5 million bond issue. The projects began in the fall of 2000 and were completed over the next five years. The plan built 19 multipurpose rooms, upgraded science labs, replaced portable classrooms with permanent construction, improved handicap accessibility to all buildings, rebuilt five existing elementary schools, added a new elementary and middle school, expanded seven other elementary schools and provided nine new libraries as well as the expansion of nine others. Building infrastructure in 82 buildings was also upgraded, including the replacement of antiquated plumbing, updates and expansion of electrical systems, replacement of inefficient or broken windows and doors, upgrades of heating and cooling systems, and asbestos abatement when required.

National Contractors, Inc. was hired to complete the Beech, Gammon and Isely Bond projects. Gammon's Bond project dedication ceremony was held January 19, 2006.