Cristobal Elementary School
This first image of Cristobal Elementary School is taken from street level, while the second is a birds-eye view that includes Cristobal Elementary School near the foreground. The building is identifiable by the distinctive triangular roof section resting above four columns.
What are your memories of Cristobal Elementary School?
10 Comments
Malcolm Stone
I attended Cristobal Elementary School in the 1940’s. I remember a Ms. Moomaw and a Ms. Baker. One was the Principal and one taught handwriting. I do not recall buildings between the school and the waters edge. Colon Hospital was too the left of the school and it included a Dispensary and a morgue. The two black poles behind the school were part of a power plant for Colon, the building in the center of the picture was the Cristobal Union Church, The town of New Cristobal was Canal Zone community that was actually located in Colon, R.P. We had to drive/walk through Colon to get to the Canal Zone. At one time we had a Canal Zone police officer patrol the town, but ultimately we had a plain clothes CZ police officer riding in an unmarked car driven by a uniformed Panamanian police officer. New Cristobal was closed as a CZ town site about 1955..
Robert Dillon
It’s so cool of you to point out the hospital in this picture. John McCain’s birth certificate states he was born in Colon Hospital, and based on what I’ve found so far, this would be the one.
I found some good Cristobal pictures here…
http://www.angelfire.com/tx/CZAngelsSpace/Memories.html
Sharon Tully
I attended Cristobal Elementary in the late 40’s and early 50’s. I cannot recall my kindergarten teacher. Mrs Henry was my first grade teacher. Not sure who was my second grade teacher either. Wish I had written them down. We moved to Margarita in 54 I think. It was right after my granddad died. He had worked at Mount Hope Dry Docks where all the loud machines were and you had to go down a ladder to get to it.
Lois Kalander Casson
I attended the first grade and part of the second grade at Cristobal Elementary, 1948 & 49. They had no kindergarten until 1948 so I had attended kindergarten at the Catholic school. Mrs Henry was also my first grade teacher and our classroom encompassed the first three windows on the lower left side in the picture. The breakwater was in view of those windows and we watched many a ship sail out to sea. Mrs. Weber was my second grade teacher, she was also my father’s second grade teacher. I transferred to Margarita Elem in 1950.
Cody E Staples
I attended first thru sixth grade there. Mrs Mumaw taught penmanship and floated around to other elementary schools. My teachers were Mrs Godwin, Miss Henry, Miss Graham, 4th grade ?, Miss Hallowell and Miss Baublits for sixth grade. Miss Kern for 4th grade. Like Malcolm Stone said , many of the buildings surrounding the school weren’t there yet. Behind the school in Colon was a power plant and an ice plant. Colon Hospital where I was born was across the street and parallel to the bay. Cody Staples
Robert Whitney
I attended the Christobal School from March 1947 to the summer of 1952.I had miiss Henry in 1st, Miss Baublits 2nd, Miss Graham 3rd, Mrs. Jones 4th, Mrs.Von Poley 5th, and Mrs. Crosher for 6th. There was a Miss, Halowell in the other 5th room.
Andrew W Fraser
Ahh the memories. The picture above listed as Cristobal High is actually an Army barracks which was probably at Ft. Davis or Ft Clayton.
As to the reply on John McCain, he claimed to be born at a clinic at Coco Solo Naval Base. A lie; there was no birthing clinic at Coco Solo and Coco Solo Hospital wasn’t built until WWII, early forties. Like the rest of us, he was born at Colon Hospital and his birth certificate states so and has a US Consular stamp on the back allowing him to ride on his father’s American citizenship until he was 21 at which time he should have had to go to the Consulate and declare whether he wanted to be a US or Panamanian citizen. If his passport was properly obtained in later years, it would state like the rest of us that his place of birth was Panama. I remember hearing that the Navy and Army personnel that had housing at Coco Solo, France Field, and Ft Randolph during this period always complained that if they had to have surgery and/or birthing, they had to schedule services at Colon Hospital or in emergency situations had to be transported from the Base to Colon Hospital ergo the construction of Coco Solo Hospital during the War.
I was born in 1937 and attended kindergarten at what was called The Girl Scout Shack which was the building between the new Cristobal High and the Gym. I attended the Grade School for all six years. My first grade teacher was Ms. Godwin, second grad was Ms. Lansome, I had Ms Henry for one grade but can’t remember which one. She was the one that couldn’t pronounce “hs” so when she would take the role she would say “if you’re present, answer ere”. So every once in awhile if we were looking for a trip to the principals office we’d answer “ere”. Damn Canal Zone Brats.
How many of you remember the Chinese shop that was cattycorner to the Ice Plant were we would often stop in to buy candy on our way back to school after lunch at home. Fireworks also pre 4th of July and Nov 3rd.
Cody Staples
Hey, Andy, great to read your memories About Cristobal Elementary and the grade school years. you’re the first person from my class to write about those times. Thanks, Cody Staples at codacillin@bellsouth.net
Isaac Cabase
I was born at the Colon Hospital in 1943, lived at the US Navy housing area called Cocosolito. I attended Cristobal Elementary from 1949. The only name that I remember is Brenda Collins. I also remember that they had built a small room in the classroom and it was to be the US Post Office for Valentin’e day, and I got to work in the Post Office sorting and delivering Valentine’s Day cards to the rest of the class.
ROBERT K MEEK
I went to 1st grade at Cristobal in 1946-1947. Our quarters were at Ft Sherman-Shimmy Beach. I rode a round bottomed ferry boat across the harbor except on stormy days when we got to ride in a PT boat which was of plywood construction (The ferry boat, being round bottomed, was scary as hell as it rolled on the waves). We kids rode in the hold area and it was loud as heck cresting the waves as the sailors always wanted to show their boat off to the kids. My younger brother went to kindergarten there and the “little” kids rode to school in a 4×4 3/4 ton truck across the locks. Unfortunately, I don’t remember my teacher’s name. I do remember that 2nd and 3rd grade were together at the time. Our quarters were literally on the beach. We swam nearly every day except when the beach was closed due to sharks, My Dad and I fished off the break water from time to time. Our most unusual catch was a parrot fish.