History

Fairview Elementary School is located near the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park at 2130 Old Niles Ferry Road, in Maryville, Tennessee.  The history of Fairview and its community is one of change.  The first school, Mt. Emory School, was nicknamed Shake Rag because the teacher would stand at the door and shake a rag to signal the beginning of the school day.  Located on the site of the new Fairview United Methodist Church, Mt. Emory was replaced by Niles Ferry School in 1920.  It was a two-story frame school with a gymnasium on the second floor.  This school had three teachers and a teaching principal.  As stated in early PTA minutes, electricity was added in 1940, and in 1945-1949 a coal range was purchased for the lunchroom, which had been constructed from a dry hole under the school.  Children would carry coal from home to be used in the stoves heating their classrooms.  Niles Ferry School was replaced in 1952 with Fairview, a new brick structure housing four classrooms, an office, and a cafeteria/gymnasium.  Fairview received its name from the magnificent view from the playground looking toward the Great Smoky Mountains in the distance.  From 1954-1959, rooms were added with major renovations completed in 1973.  This provided two kindergarten rooms, an open-spaced pod area, a gymnasium, and a library.  Fairview retained these basic structures of 1952 and the renovation of 1973, and added thirteen portable classrooms, as needed, between 1973-2002.  The last renovation from 2002-2004 provided a new wing with eight additional classrooms.  The open-spaced pod area has been remodeled into individual classrooms, a conference room, rooms for speech and special education classes, and storage areas for teachers.  The kindergarten rooms added in 1973 are now the music and art classrooms.  With the renovation of the southeast wing brings space for five classrooms and a technology lab.  The front office area is now open to the front of the school with individual offices for our School Resource Officer, Attendance Secretary, Bookkeeper, and Principal.  A larger conference room has been added to the office area as well.  A classroom was renovated for the clinic, the staff workroom, and an office for our School Psychologist.