The Cheltenham Elementary School will host its long-running Summar Carnival on Friday, May 31.
From the event’s description:
Welcome to the Cheltenham Elementary PTO Summer Carnival! Join us at Cheltenham Elementary School for a night of fun, games, and excitement. Get ready for carnival games, arts & crafts, inflatables, a foam slide, a dunk tank, delicious food, and awesome prizes. This kid-focused event is the perfect opportunity to come together as a community and support our school. Don’t miss out on this fantastic event – mark your calendars now!
According to local historian Chuck Langerman, who was a student at Cheltenham Elementary, the carnival dates all the way back to the 1950s.
Langerman says attended the fairs from 1962 to 1967 and invites fellow residents to share memories of any of the district’s fairs or carnivals in the comments.

When Cheltenham High School was Top 10
On May 12, 1974, the Philadelphia Inquirer published an extensive article on the best 10 schools in the Philadelphia area.
“Cheltenham High School’s inclusion on the list was an amazing testament to its high-achieving student body, a competent and dedicated faculty, and strong community support,” Langerman said, pointing out that from 1972 to 1974, the school was in a state of flux with no permanent leader.
During the 1972-1973 school year, Principal Dr. Edwin Keim was on sabbatical and his replacement in the fall of 1973, Dr. Donald Glines, a controversial principal from Minnesota, was forced by the community to resign after only seven weeks.
The vacuum at the top didn’t seem to hurt the quality of the school, Langerman noted. The Class of 1973 produced 26 National Merit finalists and 34 seniors from the Class of 1974 were admitted to the University of Pennsylvania.
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