Poodle skirts and penny loafers for the girls and white T-shirts and rolled-up jeans for the boys were all the rage again on Jan. 27 as Austin Elementary School celebrated 50s Day with parents and grandparents joining current students for the traditional on-campus event.

Ever since former principal Sam Thomas instituted 50s Day more than 40 years ago, the school has taken one day during the school year to go back in time, giving students a chance to be part of an era celebrated in movies like “American Graffiti” and TV shows like “Happy Days” and “Laverne & Shirley.” It was an era dominated by Elvis Presley and Rock ‘N Roll, and it also introduced America to the term “Baby Boom.”

Students took part in a makeshift “Sock Hop” on the stage in the media center and had their pictures taken with vintage cars parked in front of the entrance to the school. Many enjoyed lunches with parents and relatives to enjoy another 50s Day or maybe even re-live memories they made on 50s Day when they were students at Austin.

“My first experience with 50s Day is one that I will never forget,” said first-year principal Clay Johnson. “I am so thankful for our faculty, staff, and PTO for all the planning and organization it takes to pull off such a massive event.”

Austin third-grade teacher Christin McClain said her students had almost been getting ready for 50s Day since school started last August.

“This is my second year at Austin, but I began looking forward to my first 50s Day since I first found I would be working here,” she said. “I have watched friends and family participate in this day, which was a major plus when deciding to work at Austin. I can tell you that my students had been looking forward to 50s Day for months. As soon as our music teacher, Mrs. Shelly Reed, starts discussing their dances and costumes, it becomes topic No. 1 in the classroom.”

Some of the dances made famous in the 1950s were the Bop, the Jitterbug, the Boogie Woogie, and the Bunny Hop, and versions of those dances could be seen on the stage as students danced to music by Buddy Holly, Elvis, The Five Satins (“In the Still of the Night”), the Everly Brothers, and Little Richard. 

In some cases, it was hard to tell who was having more fun at the dance: the students participating or the older generations who were watching their children or grandchildren and remembering their own 50s Day experience … or remembering back to their days growing up in the 1950s.

“The students were easily the highlight of the day,” Johnson said. “Watching them all arrive in poodle skirts and leather jackets was so much fun, and you could tell how much they loved dressing up. 50s Day has been such a long-standing tradition at Austin, and it was so neat to hear multiple generations talk about their experiences with it when they were at Austin.”