A Proud History Since 1908
Boyd Elementary has a long and proud history that reaches back to the earliest days of Springfield, Missouri. Public schools in Springfield began in 1867 with the help of “Miss Sophia,” as teacher Mary Sophia Boyd was called. A widow from the days of the civil war, Mary Boyd taught for over 41 years in Springfield. The school named for her, Mary S. Boyd Elementary was established in 1908 at the corner of Central and Benton. Miss Sophia Boyd came to the school as the assistant principal at age 76. That first school, a renovated home, was destroyed by a fire about 1911 during school hours. The story is told that Mrs. Boyd grabbed the school bell and rang it as loud as she could, then ran throughout the building to get the children out to safety. None were hurt. In all Mary Boyd worked in Springfield schools for 56 years, earning her the title of being the oldest teacher in service in the whole state.
The existing building was constructed in 1911 to replace the damaged one and has continued to serve the community ever since. Boyd Elementary is also the home of Springfield’s first PTA organization. Conservative estimates would list the total number of students educated at Boyd Elementary alone at over 15,000. Despite this long history there have only been 12 principals at Boyd Elementary:
1908-1914 Julia V. Fowler
1914-1948 Josephine O. Young
1948-1950 Cassie Moorman
1950-1953 Jane Erb
1953-1963 Virginia Renshaw
1963-1965 Robert Ferguson
1965-1970 Dillon Morrison
1970-1981 Granville Henderson
1981-1988 Tom Snodgrass
1988-1991 John Utne
1991-2002 Alana Lyles
2002-present James Grandon