More than 50 years after opening its doors to Riverdale students, Selkirk Elementary School has seen three generations of Yukon families pass through it.

"I think that really keeps me attached to the school,” said teacher Verna Hart, who has taught at the school since 1989.

"It just amazing ... that families still feel that pride of Selkirk. That says something about the school.”

Selkirk completed its 50th year on Thursday.

Throughout that time, it has maintained its reputation as more than just an educational institution, but as a gathering place for the community.

Without the selfless efforts of teachers, staff and administrators, Selkirk couldn't have been what it is today, say current employees of the school, once known as the Selkirk Street Annex.

"It's a very child-centric place,” said former principal Dave Thompson. "There have been so many teachers of the years that I've seen who have given a lot of extra things to the children.”

When Thompson began at the school in 2000, he noticed something was missing – a mascot and school colours. So he grabbed teacher Grant Hartwick and others, and the team worked to brand the school.

"I remember him (Hartwick) faxing all the schools throughout the Yukon, seeing which animals were used,” said Thompson.

"A lot of us spent a lot of time, sort of, bringing these things into being.”

Finally, the team picked dark blue and yellow as their colours, and a coyote for a mascot.

Today, students and staff continue to live by the mandate "Coyotes Care”.

The branding project is not the only one Selkirk staff have headed over the years.

The school has continuously put an emphasis on literacy, physical education and community involvement.

One such project is the Open School initiative. That program invites children to use the gym, library, and computer lab in the mornings before school officially opens.

The Riverdale school also offers a lunch program, which offers students a free mid-day meal, and is planning a breakfast program.

Recently, Selkirk began the Reverse Lunch Hour program, which sends kids outside to play and do other extracurricular activities before they eat lunch.

Not only do the students have a better appetite when they come inside to eat, but there is less litter on the ground at the end of the day, said Hartwick.

Selkirk's monthly assemblies are another example of what the school is doing to make it a more comfortable, inviting environment for children, said Hartwick.

At each assembly, students have their achievements in art and academics showcased.

Also, throughout the month, if a child is caught doing something good, their name will be put on the Star Wall near the office. At the end of the month, students with their names on the Star Wall are awarded a certificate, a pencil or a pizza lunch.

"When instead of the only time people get extra attention is when they're doing something wrong, here they get extra attention because they're doing something right. And I think that does positively affect the atmosphere,” said Sean Secord, a parent and the school council chair.

Physical education has also been on the agenda for staff. With numerous sports teams, many of the staff have taken turns coaching everything from floor hockey to basketball.

As well as providing an encouraging atmosphere for students, staff work hard to get families involved with the school and their children's education.

This past school year, Selkirk started offering Learning Together, which is pilot projects for Riverdale-area parents and their preschoolers aged three to five.

The free program acts as a stepping stone, inviting parents to bring their toddlers into the school to teach them stories, songs and rhymes.

Learning Together will be offered five days a week starting in the fall.

Selkirk is also the host of a number of school dances and family meals each year.

"Those are the positive things that are beyond that academic realm,” said Hart. "It's trying to build that social community.”

Secord said he became involved with the school because he recognized it is a place of socialization, not just academic performance.

"In the hallway, everyone's so polite. And the kids, they learn integrity and respect and honesty, and I wanted my daughter to be part of that and I wanted to be part of that,” he said.

"It is a fabulous environment for people that do think that way – think much more than reading and writing, but the whole child, and being an intricate part of the community.”

Thompson said it is the staff, as well as the students and families, who make the school what it is.

"There's the old adage that a house is not a home; it has to do with the people in it,” he said.

"The school building doesn't make the school. It's the individuals, especially the teaching staff, that make the school.”

The staff's efforts benefit not only the students and their families, but themselves as well, said Thompson.

"There's a joy in our hearts as educators. And we don't get a lot of pats on the back, but I think most of us have learned that the benefits you get as an educator are intrinsic,” he said.

"They come from within.”