A Century of Success: Randolph marks 100th year of memories at school building

October 16, 2025

Randolph Elementary School students, staff and families celebrated a century of success at the corner of 37th and D during a joyful birthday party this fall.
 
A large turnout of happy Roadrunners came to Randolph’s campus to mark the upcoming centennial of the 1926 structure. Many generations of students and teachers reminisced about landmark moments from their school days at the celebration, which featured a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities.

 
Vicki Fasnacht has worked at LPS for 26 years and is the current Randolph executive secretary. She spent a large portion of the summer researching the school’s history and planning for the centennial event. She said it was encouraging to share smiles with people throughout the day.
 
“I thought the celebration went really well,” Fasnacht said. “We had current Roadrunner families, former Roadrunner families, former staff and even some community members come join us.”
 
Marlan Kaufman spent the afternoon recounting memories from his days as a Roadrunner. Kaufman began his Randolph career as assistant principal from 1966-68, and he guided the school as its principal from 1968-76. He said it was a thrill to walk through the familiar hallways again.
 
“Things have changed dramatically in 50 years,” Kaufman said. “But it looks like all for the better.”

 
Jim Jensen shared Kaufman’s positive view as he stood by a 1912 Ford in the parking lot. Jensen and other Randolph alumni brought many antique cars to the school to highlight the building's lengthy history. He said Randolph was especially important to him because it was the starting point for his future Lincoln High track and field career.
 
“When it used to rain a lot and the weather was where we couldn’t go out on the playground, we used to run relays on the cement on the other side of the school,” Jensen said. “That’s how I got started in track.”
 
Lincoln Public Schools built the first Randolph building at the corner of 26th and H Streets in 1901. Charles Olsen was the contractor for the new structure, which cost $12,179.24 to complete.

 
Construction on the current school began a little over two decades later. A total of 311 elementary students from Hawthorne, Elliott, Prescott and the former Randolph building came together for the first day of classes on Jan. 25, 1926. Maude Rousseau, who had been assistant principal at Whittier Junior High, was named the first principal of the new school. The building was 53,578 square feet in size and cost $188,000.
 
LPS leaders placed Randolph in the middle of a field because they anticipated future growth in the neighborhood. Many streets around the school remained unpaved for several years after construction, and none of the current large trees had been planted on campus.
 
That began to change as Lincoln’s population continued to expand. Multiple evergreen trees stood next to the building by 1953, and three construction projects in the 1950s added 14 classrooms for students. The extra space increased Randolph’s footprint to 78,244 square feet.
 
Fasnacht said it was fun to share school memories with the help of her Randolph staff family and her own family. She is part of a third-generation line of Roadrunners that includes her husband, children and grandson.
 
One of Fasnacht’s top goals was to incorporate Randolph’s history into educational displays, banners and activities. LPS Library Services helped her track down names of every Randolph administrator for the past 100 years, and she separated information by decade at stations throughout the building. For example, Rousseau was highlighted in a 1920s section that featured a banner that said “The Roaring Twenties” and a binder that contained memorable pictures.
 
Fasnacht’s research led to many historic gems that were on the tour. One of those was located outside Door 13, which was the entrance to a bicycle storage area.
 
“One of the best pictures I found was a picture of what the ‘bike room’ used to look like,” Fasnacht said. “With the help of LPS Graphics, I was able to turn that photo into a banner that hung outside over the current bike room door and display several vintage bicycles.”

 
Many alumni shared Fasnacht’s appreciation for the school’s centennial items. They pored through books of old photos and memorabilia, wore special 100th anniversary buttons with pride and smiled when they recognized the main hallway’s arched ceilings. They also enjoyed watching more than three dozen current students sing several songs on steps outside the building.
 
Kaufman said he made long-lasting friendships with Randolph staff and fellow LPS administrators during his decade at the school. He said those close-knit bonds helped everyone make decisions that benefited many Roadrunners. For example, he and former assistant principal Lois Eno formed a strong administrative team throughout his eight years as principal.
 
“That’s why we keep coming back, because half a dozen of us were so close over the years that we worked kind of like brothers and sisters,” Kaufman said. “None of us felt like we were all alone out there adrift.”

 
Jensen said Randolph would continue to hold a special place in his heart because of the way it shaped his childhood.
 
“I’ve lived in Lincoln all my life, and so I still go by this school frequently,” Jensen said. “It brings back a lot of memories.”
 
Want to learn more about Randolph Elementary School and how it is preparing students for success? Visit randolph.lps.org to view many details such as the school’s calendar, handbook and staff list.
 
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