Foster Elementary opened its doors to allow former students to walk the halls for the final time before the school is torn down for repairs. Kingwood Park students participated in the event since many attended Foster, including senior Courtney Daniel. She especially wanted to see the cafeteria mural one more time.

‘My grandmother painted it,” Daniel said. ”She painted it when my mother went here.” 

Opened in 1971, Foster was the first elementary school in Kingwood. Foster received its name from the Foster Lumber Company which originally owned the land that Kingwood was built on. 

With over 50 years of history, Foster’s campus was starting to rundown and repairs were becoming costly.

“It’s being rebuilt because the cost to fix all of the problems and rebuilding the school is way more expensive than starting from the ground up,” principal Brandy Heckman said. 

When the Humble ISD 2022 bond passed, Foster Elementary was looked at and deemed worthy of a total rebuild of the campus to provide students with more technology and safety features. While Foster is being rebuilt over the next two years, its students are spread out among multiple schools in the Humble ISD district. 

The walkthrough happened due to the efforts of Foster Elementary staff. Heckman and the rest of the staff decided the community could use a final farewell to a school with so much history and impact. 

“We wanted to give them an opportunity to reminisce, think back on the memories that they have,” Heckman said. 

During the walkthrough, alumni from throughout Foster’s history gathered to honor the school one last time. 

Mary Ann Grayson originally attended Foster in 1971 as a part of the opening class. After graduating, Grayson became a teacher in the Humble ISD district and sent her kids and grandkids to Foster. 

“It’s an honor and a privilege because it was a great school, great education,” Grayson said. 

Shelly Vaughn and her daughter Savannah Vaughn, who graduated from Kingwood Park in 2015, both went to Foster Elementary. When visiting the cafeteria, Shelly was brought to tears by remembering her and her daughter’s little moments at Foster. 

“We had meetings in here and just all the recitals and stuff,” Shelly Vaughn said. “I could see my little girls on the stage.”

Alumni said the joyful childhood memories revisited in a single day made the day special. While the decision to demolish the school and rebuild is upsetting to some, Heckman said there is a lot to look forward to in the new building. 

“It’s bittersweet, but let’s just focus on the positives,” Heckman said. “It’s going to be all right.”