Article written by Tom Markland and published in The Journal on May 21, 2026.
INWOOD - Generations of former students and teachers gathered Wednesday evening outside Inwood Primary School to say goodbye to one of South Berkeley County’s oldest and most recognizable schools before it is replaced by a new early learning academy.
Originally built in 1924 with four classrooms and an auditorium, Inwood School became a central part of the growing South Berkeley community, welcoming children from nearby one-room schools and eventually becoming a home for elementary school students across South Berkeley.
During Tuesday’s ceremony, speakers reflected on the school’s deep ties to generations of local families
“Family - that is the legacy of Inwood Primary,” the school’s principal, Dr. Ryan Ott, said during remarks delivered from the school’s front steps. “In one word, family.”
The ceremony featured a presentation of colors by the Musselman High School JROTC, remarks from Berkeley County Schools officials and the ringing of the school’s final bell; one second for every decade the school served the community.
Ott traced the school’s history from its earliest years, when three teachers taught all eight grades, through decades of expansion and innovation that included Berkeley County’s first public kindergarten program in 1971 and later recognition as a National Blue Ribbon School in 2011 and an Apple Distinguished School in 2021.
“Inwood’s foundation was never just the concrete and creaky wooden floors beneath our feet, but the people who filled its rooms with hope, kindness and ambition,” Ott said.
For many residents, the school represented more than just a place of learning. Over the decades, its auditorium hosted school plays and community events, while generations of children played on its swings, slides and eventually the school’s iconic dinosaur playground equipment.
Ott himself will be staying with Berkeley County Schools, becoming the principal of Hedgesville Early Learning Academy when it opens.
Retired music teacher Samantha Spitzer, who began teaching at Inwood Primary in 1989, returned Wednesday to walk the halls one last time.
“This was my classroom,” Spitzer said while standing in the basement cafeteria where she once directed concerts involving hundreds of students. “The years here were just amazing.”
Berkeley County Schools Superintendent Ryan Saxe said the closing represents both the end of an era and the beginning of a new chapter for education in South Berkeley County.
“For so many families, Inwood Primary School represents first days of kindergarten, school programs, class parties, caring teachers and educators,” Saxe said. “Although this building’s time is coming to a close, the stories created here will remain a part of South Berkeley for years to come.”
The school will eventually be replaced by the new Inwood Early Learning Academy, a dedicated pre-kindergarten center currently under construction on the site. Officials broke ground on the project last month.
The academy, expected to serve about 220 pre-K students, will feature collaborative learning spaces and indoor play areas specifically designed for early childhood development.
Following Inwood Primary’s demolition, community members will be able to collect commemorative bricks from the building as keepsakes, school officials said.
As the ceremony concluded, former students and staff slowly filtered back inside, taking photographs, sharing memories and lingering in classrooms that shaped generations of South Berkeley children.