Second graders at West Hollywood Elementary School learned about the history of the area during a centennial celebration on Monday (photo by Ian Lovett)

Second graders at West Hollywood Elementary celebrated the 100th anniversary of the school’s incorporation with the Los Angeles Unified School District on Monday.

Throughout the year, students will be studying the history of their school and learning about what West Hollywood was like 100 years ago.

The history project began on Monday, when Principal Julia Charles gave a quick lesson over the intercom. The earliest records of the school date back to 1903, when it was a single-room schoolhouse known as the Sherman Elementary School. The area around West Hollywood was known then as Sherman, and it was made up mostly of farmland. While most LAUSD schools started in the fall of 1910, the Sherman School did not go back in session until October, presumably because the children in that area were needed to help with the harvest.

In teacher Juliet Meltzer-Gutin’s second grade class, the students gawked at the news that West Hollywood used to be farmland. Either that or they were just opening wide for the cupcakes served during the celebration.