On May 1st, 2015, nearly 800 former students, parents, teachers, and administrators of the closed Fairhill Elementary School will re-assembled for the first time since their school was closed in 2013. They gathered together again on the anniversary of what Fairhill used to call Fun Day. Historically, Fun Days at Fairhill were a chance for the neighborhood and the school to come together over food and fellowship.

Now that the school is closed we organized this one-time reunion Fun Day as a way to reconnect under our own steam. This event launched a yearlong commitment by the neighborhood residents to re-imagine their education in the wake of the school district’s decision to close the school in 2013 and will feature speeches by neighborhood children, parents, and the former principles of Fairhill.

Including performances and speeches by former Fairhill students, teachers, and principal, the event will culminated with a procession of mementos and materials salvaged from the school and brought to Temple University’s Tyler School of Art. Here, these objects will be reassembled into an art installation and classroom by renowned artist Pepón Osorio that will open to the public on August 28, 2015.

Photos of the event are posted on the reForm Facebook page here.