WINDHAM – About 40 staff members who once taught at Manchester Elementary School in North Windham made an appearance at the school’s 40th anniversary reunion last Saturday, sharing memories and old photos from when the school was first built.

“It’s like the old family is back together again,” said Bill Diamond, the first principal of the Manchester school and main organizer of the event, as the school’s first staff members poured into a classroom, some coming from as far away as North Berwick and Cape Elizabeth.

A majority of the staff members still live in the Lakes Region, including Isabel Taylor, 99, who taught third grade at the school in 1973.

As the school’s first teacher, Taylor was recognized with a bouquet of roses by former teacher Bruce Small and his wife, Gail, a former intern. Taylor was praised by many for being a wonderful “mentor,” “role model” and “inspiration” to others.

Like the Boston Post Cane, which traditionally goes to the oldest member of a community, Taylor was presented with a “golden ruler,” which she gladly accepted.

The reunion began in the school’s old gymnasium and cafeteria, with handshakes, hugs and plenty of laughter. Attendees signed in at a small table, each taking a nametag, and were instructed to write down memories they had of working at the school on a note card. The cards were placed in a fish bowl to be shared aloud during a light luncheon after a tour of the school.

Former teachers Brent Olsen and Barbara Brown led the group on the 45-minute tour, pointing to the different classrooms, and explained how the school has changed since its beginnings.

In 1973, the school incorporated an open-concept design, meaning that physically it was one large classroom with few dividing walls.

“I certainly would get lost if I was around here now,” said Isabel Taylor, commenting on the school’s transformation, which now includes many walls.

According to a Sept. 4, 1973, newspaper clipping from the Portland Evening Express, which was on display Saturday, at the time, the school that was originally called Windham Elementary School had bookshelves, desks and other furnishings that divided the area into separate functional units.

As recalled by everyone who attended, the open-concept design was “non-traditional” and was meant to facilitate individual instruction. The unique design bolstered a new educational method at the school, which the teachers put into practice and seemed to have mastered, Diamond said.

“The teachers did a wonderful job,” he said aloud during the luncheon, as Bruce Small presented old photos on a projector of some of the first students.

Staff spent two hours or more reminiscing about their day-to-day instruction and what the building once looked like in the 1970s.

Many shared their memories of the infamous “pit,” a carpeted room where lectures, meetings and other activities were held. Today, the room functions as a library and computer lab.

“You had to step down into it,” said Gail Small. “You could sit on three sides and it was like a little amphitheater and had curtains to draw. It was just a fun area. Not every school had ‘The Pit.’”

The main lobby, however, was added on in 1999 and renovated this summer to include a security system, said Olsen, who retired from the school four years ago.

“It’s very different than when we came in,” Olsen said, as he herded the group into the school’s new gym, smelling of fresh paint.

Also added through the years were two wings of classrooms, a school store and an outdoor greenhouse. Some noticed that the classrooms no longer have sliding doors leading outside and the removal of the original furniture, including shelves and desks that once had tote trays hanging off the sides.

Everyone marveled at the high-density drawers that the school still uses for storage, 40 years later. Lyndon Philpot said one of his fondest memories is when students placed individual ketchup packets under the wheels, causing them to explode.

“There’re a lot of memories in this school,” said Laura Menezes, a former teacher’s aide who also worked in the library. Her husband, Joe Menezes, who has since died, also worked at the school for years as a custodian, she said.

Diamond, a columnist at the Lakes Region Weekly, said he was pleased with Saturday’s turnout and thanked the search committee for their efforts in locating the staff. His personal favorite memory is the “tremendous challenge” teachers overcame with the school’s open-concept design, placing the school under a microscope.

“It was just amazing,” he said. “It was a really unique experience.”

At what is now known as the Manchester School, former staff members and teachers gathered Saturday to remember a time 40 years ago when it was brand new and known as the Windham Elementary School. Organized by Bill Diamond, the first principal of the school, the attendees took a tour to see the changes made over the years, followed by a lunch and lots of reminiscing. Charlotte Neuberger, the longtime music teacher at the school, greets a former colleague in the cafeteria.Former Windham Elementary Principal Bill Diamond and Ingrid Lord Thomas, a former third-grade teacher, were delighted to find a few familiar structures, like the sliding storage shelves, still in use.Having just turned 99 years old, former teacher Isabel Taylor was the oldest returnee.Barbara Brown came to the school in 1981 and just retired last year after serving as a teacher and administrator. With her is Brent Olson, who taught fifth grade in Windham for 39 years. On Saturday, they led the tour of the Manchester School for their returning colleagues, and shared mostly affectionate memories about an area known as “The Pit,” now the computer room.