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History

Ross School Opens

Ross Elementary School opened in 1957. The School opened with only 12 classrooms.  The remaining 12 classes from the original design were added in 1958. Presently Ross has 34 classrooms.  The school was named after Lulu M. Ross, a first grade teacher who taught in the Milford School District for 50 years (1898-1950). Ms. Ross taught many important Milfordians including Ruth Ann Minner (Past Governor of Delaware) and Marvin Schelhouse (Active Member of the Milford School Board).

The Delaware ladybug - Ross played an important role.

On April 25, 1974, nineteen Lulu M. Ross Elementary School Pre-Second graders made Delaware history! After reading in their Weekly Reader about the state bugs from other states, they decided that Delaware should have a state bug also. After much discussion, the class voted for the ladybug. After many months of hard work and campaigning, the second graders and their teacher, Mrs. Mollie Brown, lobbied state legislators to have the ladybug named as the official Delaware State Bug. Their efforts were successful and the children learned first hand how petitioning and lobbying for a particular cause can result in having a new state law.

 While visiting the Delaware Internet web page, Mrs. Vincent’s and Mrs. McQuaid’s  1999-2000 class noticed that no credit was given to Mrs. Mollie Brown’s class for their efforts. Therefore, they petitioned the webmaster of the Delaware homepage and asked that credit be given to Lulu M. Ross school and to Mrs. Mollie Brown and her pre-second graders for their part in history. This credit was added to the website in the spring of 2000. So, once again, Lulu Ross second graders helped to make a difference!

Each year the City of Milford holds a Bug and Bud Festival that celebrates the beauty of our town. Among the many activities are parades, artwork, and crafts centering around our ladybug! The now grown students that made this legislative change in 1974 often attend this event as well.

In 2007 the city was surrounded by huge ladybug statues that were painted by local artists and auctioned off at the festival. Lulu Ross Elementary received one of those ladybugs as a gift to commemorate our role in the ladybug's importance to Delaware.

WHO WAS LULU M. ROSS?

Miss Lulu May Ross was born on June 24, 1873. She was the daughter of Andrew Jackson Ross and Mary E. Argo Ross. Her dad was a ship carpenter and her mom was a housewife. She had a sister Elizabeth Postles Ross. She grew up in Milford and attended the North Milford School where she was one of six girls in the first graduating class in 1891.

Her teaching career started in September of 1894 in Milford Neck at Bennett's Gate. She taught there for two years. Next, she taught at Postles School (one year) and the Williamsville School (one year) before teaching at Milford North School. She taught first grade for Milford for 48 years before retiring. This gave her a total of 52 years of teaching children in the Milford area.

Miss Ross worked hard to do her best to teach each child that was in her class. Her first grade students fondly remember her playing the organ during their school days. Her memories included: playing that organ (even with the broken pedal), taking the students to roll Easter Eggs at Silver Hill and going to her students' homes to visit the parents and tell them how they could help their children with their school work. Her sister, Elizabeth, often accompanied her on those home visits. When Miss Ross retired in February of 1946, it was to help her sister, who had become ill.

Miss Ross was a true Milfordian, still living on West Fourth Street when the Milford School Board voted to name the new school after her in 1956.  She graciously accepted the honor.  She stated, "I feel richly rewarded to know that future generations will remember that I was a teacher". She was 87 years old when she passed away on December 11,  1960. She is buried in the odd Fellows Cemetery. A portrait of Miss Lulu M. Ross now hangs in the lobby of the school.

Among the students Miss Ross taught :
Mr. Macklin - a former school board member
Mr. Marvin Schelhouse - a former school board member
Mrs. Ruth Ann Minner - past Governor of Delaware

NOTE: If you were a student of Lulu Ross and want to be added to this list please let us know.  Also, if you know more facts about Lulu Ross we would appreciate your sharing that as well. Please send your information to info@msd.k12.de.us