Littlebrook School
Township Elementary School at 39 Magnolia Lane
Opened 1957. Closed 1981. Reopened 1988.
Littlebrook School was built in 1957 to accommodate post-World War II expansion in northeastern Princeton. It served the elementary-aged students of this rapidly developing neighborhood. Due to declining school enrollment throughout greater Princeton, Littlebrook was closed in 1981 and its students were sent to Riverside, another Princeton grade school. When the school reopened in 1988, a parade led by the school’s mascot (a giraffe stuffed animal named Ravioli) marched the students from Riverside back to the Littlebrook campus.
Understandably, giraffes are a common theme at Littlebrook. Planters shaped like giraffes and filled with seasonal flowers flank the school entrances. And mascot Ravioli led another parade in 2021, cheering the Littlebrook students learning remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Littlebrook School, circa 1960. PPS Archives.
A flag banner hanging outside the school entrance reminds today’s students, “In a world where you can be anything, be kind.”
Students in a Littlebrook fifth grade class write on a chalkboard. PPS Archives. Photo by Harriet Arnold.
Teaching music via cart. PPS Archives. Photo by Harriet Arnold.
Portia Sonnenfeld, the music teacher pictured here, later became the Orchestra Director at Princeton High School. She went on to found Princeton Symphony Orchestra.
A fun physical education class. PPS Archives. Photo by Harriet Arnold.