The History of Robert Russa Moton Elementary

Robert Russa Moton Elementary School is located nineteen miles south of Miami in the town of Perrine.  In 1912, there were few houses, families, or children in the area.  The community was without a school or church.  In September of 1913, Rev. S. H. White held a successful revival at the Richmond Air Base and established the region’s first church which later moved to Perrine. During this time, the children were taught their basic skills at Sunday School.

The necessity of a school was so pressing that Miss Mamie Acrum started a private school in 1915.  A year later, Miss Annie Bostflald opened a school in Cutler Ridge.  Although the school was more than four miles from Perrine, the children walked to school anyway.  This school closed in 1917 and Miss Glenda Cash opened a new private school in Goulds, which remained open until 1921.

In 1921, the Rev. W.H. Maddox, the A.M.E. Church minister met with the School Board with the intention of opening a school in Perrine. Miss Mary Murphy of Goulds became the school’s first teacher.  Because of her limited salary, Mr. Dan Rolle provided free room and board for Ms. Murphy in his home for two years.

At first, school was held in church.  During the early 1940’s land was purchased, five portable buildings were built and additional teachers were hired.

Since that time, the following individuals have served as the school’s principal: Professor Turner, Professor Johnson, Mr. Franklin Stirrup, Mrs. Smith, Mr. Leo Jenkins, Mrs. Roberta Chayter, Mrs. Elizabeth Espy, Mrs. Linnie W. Fannin, Mrs. Zola J. Sullivan, Mrs. Andel W. Micklins, Mrs. Maedon S. Bullard, Dr. Bernard J Pennington, Dr. Rasamma Nyberg, Mrs. Yvonne Hinson, Mr. Jimmie L. Brown, Mrs. Rosbin Ivery, and currently, Mr. Todd Morrow.

Though completely destroyed in 1992 by Hurricane Andrew, R.R. Moton Elementary School was redesigned, reconstructed, and in 1997, reopened as a state of the art facility. The school’s longstanding Visual and Performing Arts magnet program was core to this revitalization, as evidenced by new arts facilities that include a freestanding 100-seat theater, theater classroom laboratory, dance studio, two music laboratories, art gallery, and two visual arts studios. In the Fall of 2011, through the support from the U. S. Department of Education’s Arts in Education program funding, Robert Russa Moton Elementary School transitioned from a small, audition-based Visual and Performing Arts magnet program to a successful interest-based, arts-integrated program in which all students in the school participate.