More than 20 faces from West Woodland Elementary School's past gathered in the library Jan. 26, the month of the school's 100th anniversary, to share memories of their time there.

Graduates spanned the decades, from the 1920s to the 1990s. Some hadn't been back in many years; others have children attending West Woodland.

One woman was the second of three generations of West Woodland students. Another has grandchildren attending the school. They asked her if the school did composting when she was there.

Alumni remembered extraordinary events from West Woodland, such as a teacher surviving a plane crash and a retiring teacher climbing out of the third-floor window because he was "escaping."

The memories that came up for others were of particular teachers who had an affect on their lives. One woman remembered her teacher taking her to her first art gallery. Another remembered a teacher who became a friend to her family of 12 and attended many of their weddings.

For some, bonds formed at West Woodland have lasted a lifetime. Graduates from 1959 are now neighbors on Whidbey Island. Ray and Jackie Hovick, now married, met in kindergarten in 1952.

"This has been one of the happiest schools I have ever been in," said a former West Woodland vice principal. "It really, really has."

Former principal Ed James said West Woodland stands out above all the other elementary schools he has been involved with.

After sharing their memories with each other, the former students and staff were assigned to classrooms, where current students interviewed them for an anthology project.

In one classroom, children asked Don Holert, a former West Woodland librarian, about old school rules (don't hit the lights in the hallway), the old West Woodland playground (the smallest in the school district), and the size of the old West Woodland school building (they could have fit half the school in the two-story attic).

West Woodland Principal Marilyn Loveness said the anthology project, which will be published with a grant from the Seattle Eduction Foundation, is important because it makes the 100th anniversary important for current students not just the community.

Librarian Paula Wittman is heading up the anthology project. She said it gives the students a reason to write, and because local history is more interesting than history books, it will be memorable for them.

"This is something that they will actually remember from elementary school," she said.

Jake and Sophie, current West Woodland students, said maybe they will be back in the future to share their memories of the school.

"I hope to remember as much as them," Jake said.