Lawrenceville Elementary School

Lawrenceville Elementary School, located at 122 Gwinnett Drive in Lawrenceville, Georgia, opened in December of 1962. The school was named Lawrenceville Primary, and was known as that until 1974 when the sixth grade was moved to become a part of the Lawrenceville Middle School.

Lawrenceville Elementary was built in three stages with the first wing opening in 1962. It consisted of 12 classrooms and housed grades 1-2. The first teachers to occupy the new school were in 1st grade: Miss Ola Garner, Mrs. George Bagwell, Mrs. Ruby Harris, Mrs. Mae Seaboch; and in 2nd grade: Mrs. Paul Kelley, Mrs. Eugenia Craig McGee, and Mrs. Marguerite Dunson. The school did not have a lunchroom at that time and students were transported by buses back to the “school on the hill” at the corner of Oak and Perry Streets for lunch. In 1963 and 1964, the students were transported to Central Gwinnett High School for lunch.

In 1965, the addition of the second wing was made consisting of the office, library, lunchroom, and classrooms for grades 3-5. The third wing, consisting of eight classrooms and restrooms, was added in 1971. The gym also was added at this time. After the completion of this wing, Lawrenceville Elementary housed grades 1-6 until the sixth grade moved to Lawrenceville Middle School in 1974.

Due to extensive growth in the county, Lawrenceville Elementary students were rezoned several times through the years. Lawrenceville Elementary was first rezoned in 1969- 1970, when J. G. Dyer Elementary opened. Since Dyer was not completed until the latter part of that year, the students rezoned to Dyer in grades 1-3 were housed at Lawrenceville Elementary in portable trailers and grades 4-6 were at the “school on the hill.” The next rezoning took place in 1982 when Benefield Elementary was completed. In 1986, approximately 250 students were rezoned to Grayson Elementary. Another rezoning occurred with the completion of Cedar Hill Elementary in 1988 with approximately 350 students being rezoned to that new elementary school. In 1993, the original part of Lawrenceville Elementary was completely renovated. The work was so extensive that the faculty, staff, and students moved out of the building for one entire school term, moving into a new building that later opened as a new school (Simonton Elementary). The lunchroom was converted to a Media Center. A large two-story addition was built which houses 21 classrooms, two technology labs, and a new lunchroom was built. Another rezoning shuffled the Lawrenceville Elementary student population, providing the school with 850 new students from three other elementary schools, keeping only 100 of its former students. 

In August 2004, a fourth elementary school—Winn Holt Elementary-- opened in the Central Gwinnett Cluster. During the rezoning process, approximately 353 (37%) of our kindergarten through fourth grade students were rezoned to Cedar Hill and Margaret Winn Holt elementary schools, while at the same time, Lawrenceville received approximately 190 (20%) from Simonton Elementary.

Lawrenceville Elementary’s first principal was J. N. Timms. He served from 1962 until 1980. Mr. Timms began his career in Gwinnett County at Grayson Elementary in 1957. In 1962, he came to Lawrenceville Elementary and remained for 18 years. Mr. Timms retired in 1980.

Larry Smith was the school’s second principal. He served from 1980 until 1984. Mr. Smith began his career in Gwinnett County at Lawrenceville Elementary as a sixth grade teacher. He taught two years and then transferred to another county school. Mr. Smith returned to Lawrenceville Elementary in 1978 to be the assistant principal. He was promoted to principal of the school in 1980 and served in that position for four years before moving to the principal post at Dyer Elementary in 1984.

From 1984 until 1986, Virginia Moore was the third principal of Lawrenceville Elementary. She had worked as an Instructional Lead Teacher at Lawrenceville before taking a position at the County Office. Ms. Moore returned to LES as principal in 1984 and served in that position until 1986.

Freddie H. Williams was the fourth principal (1986-1989). He began his career in Gwinnett County at Sweetwater Middle in 1979, first as a teacher and then as an assistant principal at Summerour Middle in 1981. Mr. Williams later transferred to Dawsonville, but returned in 1986 as principal at Lawrenceville Elementary. He was principal for three years before he transferred to Rebecca Minor Elementary School.

Jane Robertson was the fifth principal of Lawrenceville Elementary School. Mrs. Robertson came from Norton Elementary in 1989. She began her 20-year career in Gwinnett at Dacula Elementary School as a counselor and then as an assistant principal. As an AP, she helped open Norton Elementary and was there for three years before coming to Lawrenceville. She felt that it was a privilege to be a part of the Lawrenceville community for 10 years as principal. During that time, Lawrenceville was selected as a Gwinnett School of Excellence, a State School of Excellence, and a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. Mrs. Robertson left Lawrenceville Elementary at the end of the school year in 1999 to open Stripling Elementary in Norcross. She retired in 2002 to work for the State Department.

At that time, Dorothy Hines became principal at Lawrenceville Elementary. She began her teaching career in Connecticut. Mrs. Hines came to the school in August of 1999 from Meadowcreek Elementary where she was an assistant principal. A veteran educator, she joined Gwinnett County in 1990, teaching second grade at Benefield Elementary and serving as assistant principal at Dacula, Simpson, and Meadowcreek elementary schools.

Mrs. Hines retired in 2010, leaving the principal post to Lisa Marie Johnson. A longtime Gwinnett educator, Mrs. Johnson had served as a teacher and assistant principal at McKendree Elementary and then an assistant principal at Berkeley Lake Elementary School. In 2017, Mrs. Johnson transferred to the leadership position at Head Elementary and Grelauris Calcaño became the leader of Lawrenceville.

The school’s mission seeks to provide an environment where students lead by learning, embrace diversity, achieve excellence, and develop citizenship. With a motto of “Today’s Learners … Tomorrow’s Leaders” the school provides students a wide range of learning opportunities focusing on their leadership potential. Along with engaging and rigorous instruction, students have significant opportunities to apply that learning in authentic and engaging situations through extracurricular programs. The rich history of this school serves as a foundation for educating tomorrow’s leaders.