Just a 10-minute walk away from Lafayette is another school on College Hill, one much smaller in scale and occupied by students much smaller in size.
Francis A. March Elementary School, which was founded by Lafayette’s own professor Francis Andrew March, has been serving the neighborhood’s students for 111 years.
“We pride ourselves on being a warm, inviting place where you’re going to grow,” said Daniel Gonzalez, who has been the principal of March Elementary for the past eight years. “One of the goals that I have every year is for all students to grow socially, emotionally and academically.”
March Elementary teaches pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and is focused on helping students reach their full potential to become leaders in their lives, according to Gonzalez. This is perfectly aligned with the school’s guiding acronym, FAME.
FAME stands for the institution itself, Francis Andrew March Elementary School, but also ‘Focusing on respect,’ ‘Act as a leader,’ ‘Make myself proud’ and ‘Expand my knowledge,’ all to lead students to make March School and the greater community around us a great place to be,” Gonzalez said.
The elementary school has a special relationship with Lafayette and the greater Easton community, something they pay tribute to through the students’ nickname: the “little Leopards.”
“Without a doubt, our partnership with Lafayette College in particular has probably been our biggest supporter,” Gonzalez said. “Anytime you have the opportunity to get these ‘big Leopards’ in with our ‘little Leopards,’ it’s just great to see the mentorships that are happening, the bonds that are happening between our young students and then the college students.”
The Landis Center has been an important channel through which Lafayette students can volunteer at March Elementary by participating in events, providing support during class and supporting students’ academic and social needs. In particular, the America Reads program sends tutors to help out in classrooms that could benefit from the support.
“March is very friendly, very open,” said Haley O’Shea ‘26, the current America Reads volunteer assigned to March Elementary. “All the teachers there are really nice. Principal Gonzalez is amazing and the kids are really awesome too.”
The college has also coordinated events in which March students visit the campus library and print shop to tour and speak with employees. Vice versa, campus organizations and departments have paid visits to the elementary school, including the biology department to perform experiments with the students and the International Students Association to give cultural presentations.
The partnership with Lafayette allows March’s students to be exposed to college and university life, according to Gonzalez.
“These are things that some of my students would never have had that opportunity unless we provided it to them, so I am very grateful for all that Lafayette’s brought to us and our students,” Gonzalez said.
Along with Lafayette College, March Elementary has also established bonds with other organizations across Easton, such as the Valley Youth House and the Kellyn Foundation. Gonzalez credited the Landis Center for helping connect the school to potential partners all around the Easton community.
“They’ve done a phenomenal job of connecting all of the Easton community with one another and just making sure that there are resources available to those that would be in need,” Gonzalez said of the center.
According to Gonzalez, Francis A. March Elementary School is always happy to have more Lafayette students help out at the school. Students interested in volunteering should get in contact through the Landis Center.
The relationship between Lafayette and March Elementary “is growing even more as time goes on and as more people get interested in it,” O’Shea said.
