Students, families and staff often use words like “family,” “community” and “home” when they talk fondly about their schools in the Jefferson Area. As families are priced out of the area, they will still drive miles so their child can attend Edgewater, Lumberg, Molholm or Jefferson.

So when we heard last night that Molholm Elementary School is on the list of recommended list of schools to close, our hearts broke. We thought of the students, families, teachers and staff that call Molholm “home.” When our family first moved to Edgewater, I was an assistant pastor at Mountair Christian Church which is in the Two Creeks Neighborhood near Molholm Elementary. I listened and learned from people in the area who have lived there for years and invested in that neighborhood and school. Since our organization launched in 2013, we’ve been committed to all the Jefferson Area schools, including Molholm, so that all students in the 80214 area can succeed from cradle to career.

The Two Creeks Neighborhood doesn’t have many community spaces within the neighborhood bordered by 6th Avenue, Sheridan Boulevard, Colfax Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard. Molholm Elementary School is one of those essential community spaces and places within the neighborhood.

Molholm Elementary School is named after one of the early White residents of the land that would one day be named Lakewood. Eli C. Molholm was born in Denmark and moved to the United States in the late 1800s. In 1891 he moved to Jefferson County and spent most of his life dairy farming. He was deeply committed to the community and was instrumental in developing many community improvements. Molholm was an advocate and supporter of better public schools. He passed away on June 3, 1953 and Jefferson County Public Schools decided to name the soon to be built school in Lakewood after Molholm in 1954.

Molholm Elementary School was completed and open to students in September 1955 in the midst of rapid student enrollment growth in Jefferson County Public Schools. Enrollment was over 400 students in that first year.

Fast forward sixty-seven years, and due to the impacts of rising housing costs, Molholm Elementary School’s enrollment has dropped 46.5% since 2015. The projected enrollment for this school year is 205 students which means that only 51% of the building is being utilized.

If the recommendations are passed on November 10, students from Molholm will attend Lumberg Elementary School with the start of the 2023-2024 school year, unless they chose another school.

There are many details to work out through this transition, but we are committed as an organization to support the Molholm community as they grieve the loss of their school home, family and community. In transitions like this, inequitable structures of power prioritize White, wealthy families with privilege. We are committed to ensuring that students and families at Molholm are heard, valued and prioritized at the decision-making tables.

Let us know (joel@edgewatercollective.org) if you would like to help support the Molholm community through this process. We are in communication with Molholm Principal Jim McKenney and are listening to him on ways we can support the Molholm family.