An elementary school in the northeast valley honored its namesake Tuesday.  Long-time educator Lomie G. Heard had a previous school named after her but it closed.  

There was a new campus bearing her name that opened in the fall of 2017, but a dedication ceremony wasn’t held until Tuesday, which would have been her 113th birthday.

Lomie G. Heard was best known for her work with military students. She passed away ten years ago.  At the dedication ceremony, students sang happy birthday during the tribute.

“Lomie G. Heard, I really, I know that she was a legendary teacher for the Las Vegas community,” said Ashton Dyson, 5th Grader.

The elementary school is located about four miles away from Nellis Air Force Base where Heard was the principal of an on-base school for 21 years. She also taught at another school within the Clark County School District for six years.

“So everybody that comes to Nellis knows about Lomie Heard; knows about the school and shes a very important part of our history,” said Col. Cavan Craddock, 99th Air Base Wing Commander for Nellis AFB.

The Nellis Air Force Base school was renamed Lomie Gray Heard Elementary school in 1971, which was also the same year she retired. But the school closed at the end of the 2015-2016 school year.    

“There’s a lot of people in our community that has never actually put on a uniform but they’re just as important to our country, our nation, and our Air Force and what they’ve done with their lives,” said Craddock.

When she retired Heard moved to the small town of Payson, in northern Arizona, but she remained involved in education and even visited students on her 100th birthday.

Heard died at age of 103.

“She was a woman who did things before her time,” said Rebecca Mestaz, learning leader at Lomie G Heard, A Marzano Academy. “She was unafraid; a risk taker.  She showed learners that indeed you can do anything your heart desires if you work hard.”

Jan. 22nd will forever be a special day for the magent school and the countless families impacted by the years of dedication and work of Lomie G. Heard.

“It’s really cool and impressive,” Ashton said. “I wish I really got to meet her one day.”