DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker records about Dora B. Lantrip Elementary School in Harris County. Now, some schools you drive past and you think — just a building.
But every now and then, a building holds a story worth pulling over for. This is one of those. Eastwood Elementary School was constructed in 1916, on land deeded by a man named William A.
Wilson — the developer of Eastwood, one of Houston's first master-planned neighborhoods. The city of Houston's own architect, Maurice Sullivan, designed it in the mission architectural style. And here's the first thing worth noting: this was the first Houston school arranged on what they called the "cottage plan." Instead of one big institutional block, the classrooms occupied a series of free-standing pavilions — designed, as the thinking went, to feel more home-like.
Less like a fortress of learning, more like a place you might actually want to be. Now. Into this school walked its first principal.
Her name was Dora B. Lantrip, born in 1868. And she would serve in that position for twenty-six years.
Twenty-six years. Let that settle a moment. She was known for innovative school administration, and the record bears that out.
During World War I, she directed her students in planting flower and vegetable gardens right there on the school grounds. While the wider world was in turmoil, her kids were putting things in the earth and watching them grow. Every year, Lantrip's students elected a city council, a mayor, and a health inspector — introducing them to the government process and public participation before most of them were old enough to vote.
That's not a civics textbook. That's a rehearsal for citizenship. And then there were the summers.
During the summers of the 1920s and 1930s, Dora B. Lantrip traveled throughout the world. She brought back souvenirs and costumes — things students could try on each fall when she returned.
Those souvenirs lined the halls of the school, teaching geography and culture in a way no map on a wall ever quite could. You want to know where something is in the world? Try wearing it.
Lantrip retired in 1942. And in the early 1950s — not long after, by any measure — the school was renamed in her honor. Some recognitions take decades.
This one didn't linger. The story doesn't stop with the renaming. Beginning in 1975, Lantrip Elementary instituted an ecology magnet program, drawing students from all backgrounds with an interest in the specialized subject matter.
And today, students grow flowers and vegetables in the campus greenhouse — perpetuating, as the marker puts it, the science and nature focus first initiated by Dora B. Lantrip. She planted gardens during a world war.
Decades later, the gardens are still growing. That's the kind of principal who earns a building named after her.
What the marker says
Eastwood Elementary School was constructed in 1916 on land deeded by William A. Wilson, the developer of Eastwood, one of Houston’s first master-planned neighborhoods. Designed by city of Houston architect Maurice Sullivan in the mission architectural style, it was the first Houston school arranged on the “cottage plan,” featuring classrooms occupying a series of free-standing pavilions that were designed to be more “home-like” and less institutional. The school’s first principal, Dora B. Lantrip (1868-1951), served in the position for twenty-six years and was known for her innovative school administration. During World War I, she directed the students’ planting of flower and vegetable gardens at the school. Each year, Lantrip’s students elected a “city council,” “mayor,” and “health inspector” to introduce them to the government process and public participation. During the summers of the 1920s and 1930s, Lantrip traveled throughout the world, bringing back souvenirs and costumes that students could try on each fall. The souvenirs lined the halls of the school and helped to teach the students about world geography and culture. Lantrip retired in 1942, and the school was renamed in her honor in the early 1950s. Beginning in 1975, Lantrip Elementary instituted an ecology magnet program to encourage students from all backgrounds with an interest in the specialized subject matter to attend. Students now grow flowers and vegetables in the campus greenhouse, perpetuating the science and nature focus first initiated by Dora B. Lantrip.