Generations of students, families and educators celebrated 50 years of Bulldog pride Saturday at Belair Elementary School's 50th anniversary.
"Today, we are celebrating 50 years of community, traditions and fall festivals," Belair Principal Elizabeth Milhollin said. "That's what it's all about."
Throughout the day, students, their families and Bulldog supporters were invited play games, win prizes and taunt their teachers with water balloons. Familes could also view pumpkin decorating entries and participate in a silent auction.
Belair serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade.
Milhollin said the pumpkin decorating contest was something she remembers from when she was student at Belair in 1993.
Later, when she moved on to high school, Milhollin came back and created more memories as a Bulldog by serving as a volunteer under the A Plus Program - a statewide scholarship program requiring service hours and other milestone markers. She returned again two years ago to serve as principal.
This year, she gets to see her daughter continue the tradition entering as a kindergarten student.
As the celebration continued, members of the Chamber of Commerce also came out to mark the occasion with the school, helping to cut a ribbon signifying the start of another half century.
A recent highlight of the school's tenure in the community is the Buddy Bench, which honors the late Joyce Kaiser who was a principal from 1991-2004.
The playground feature is for students who feel alone or don't know how to play the games. They sit on the bench and other students approach them, giving them a friend to play with, Milhollin explained.
Along with plenty of memories, old and new, Saturday's event featured performances from the Jefferson City Dance Team.
Among the performers were three former Bulldogs, who now attend Jefferson City High School.
They all said there were glad to be back to see how the school has evolved and help celebrate the occasion.
Toree Hamilton, an educator at Belair, remembers when classrooms were a lot more open than they are now, only separated by dividers.
As a high schooler, Hamilton participated in the Cooperative Industrial Education Program, much like the A Plus Program Milhollin participated in as high school student, and she eventually found her way to a classroom at Belair.
More than 30 years later, she is still a Bulldog.
"No matter where I went afterward, this has been forever my home," Hamilton said. "This is where I felt my allegiance. Now, as we celebrate our 50th anniversary, it's neat to see the changes in education and know that I've been able to see it evolve overtime in the very same building."