![\"\"](\"https:\/\/holaamericanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/HI-SummerSeries-300x250-SP.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div>\n
With the recent closing of the school, it is easy to forget all the history of this school but Rico Navarro<\/strong> who is a 4th generation Ericsson alumni said Ericsson was built along Fourth Avenue because all the factories were in the area. \u00a0\u201cEricsson was a very neighborhood school with people of many races, outstanding volunteerism, community effort, baseball teams, parents who worked at the factories. Prior to the 1980\u2019s there were several generations of families going to that school. Ericsson was an awesome place to go with a lot of activities involved. A lot of good working people came from that school,\u201d Navarro shared his memory.<\/p>\n A special memory for Rico Navarro was the great tradition of the Dad\u2019s Club baseball team which did well in the 1950\u2019s to the 1990\u2019s. \u201cWe had 300 people from the West of Moline, coming to watch us play. Players from the teams, my dad coached still come to my dad\u2019s house today,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n With an increase of Hispanic immigrants in the 1980\u2019s school added more bilingual programs in English and Spanish. Bibiana Gutierrez<\/strong>, who attended the school in the 1990\u2019s said, \u201cEricsson means a lot to me, it\u2019s very special, it helped make me the person I am now. There I had some of the best teachers, ones who motivate you to become something big someday! They such a big impact in my life that I still keep in touch with some of them.\u201d She added, \u201ca lot of my best memories also come from Ericsson, like our quarterly award ceremony, our Christmas program, being part of patrol, The after school sports program, making mummies out of chickens in 5th grade along with many others. I was happy to have had my kids go there too so they too share some of the special memories. It makes me very sad to know that Ericsson will be closing after this school year, but I know that my memories made there will last forever!\u201d<\/p> Ericsson was a world of opportunity for <\/span>Maria Gonzalez<\/strong>. \u201cNo matter where we came from, or how poor we were, the teachers and staff gave us all great opportunities and made sure that we were treated just as equal as the rest of the students from other schools. \u00a0From awarding scholarships to attend camp at the University in Macomb to reaching out to the community for programs for new shoes,\u201d Gonzalez shared.<\/span><\/p>\n Leesa Hicks Delgado<\/strong> said she remembers when they moved here from Mississippi and her parents were looking for a place to live since they were living with a friend of her mother. \u201cWe moved to west end Moline and I started at Ericsson. Mrs. Carlton was my kindergarten teacher. I grew up in that neighborhood and had my struggles but Ericsson was my home. The teachers were there for me and understood things I was going through. I truly believe it is because of them I am the person I am today! Thank you Mrs. V, Mr. Healy, Mt. Stout, Mr. Carsell and Mrs. Nelson for all your support,\u201d Hicks Delgado shared her personal experience.<\/p> Ericsson was a school where every teacher cared, Ashley Simpson<\/strong> said. \u201cEvery teacher listened and if you didn\u2019t understand something someone anyone was there to help no matter if you were in their class or not there was no failing if you failed then they changed how they were teaching they never blame the children for not learning correctly. They taught you with so much pride they are happy to see each and every one of their students even now they still remember me after almost 15 years and love the updates on life and ask how my brothers and sisters are. Always supportive not matter what I\u2019m doing in life. I don\u2019t think any school can compare how much passion\/excitement my teachers had for us to learn. Thanks to each and every one of those teacher,\u201d Simpson remembers.<\/p>\n Ericsson Elementary raised a lot of wonderful people who are now thankful for this great experience. The memories are not in the building, but rather in the hearts of people, that means that many will always have beautiful recollections of Ericsson Elementary even the doors of the school are closed for good.<\/p>![\"\"](\"http:\/\/166.62.41.2\/~holaamericanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/ERICSSON%2002.jpg\")
Joel Esparza<\/strong> also had great memories of the baseball team. \u201cIt was a very awesome neighborhood school for the West end kid\u2019s. Especially walking distance. Everybody down graded us that it was a ghetto school cuz all the Mexican kids went there n the gangs. But we as kids when I went there in the early 90\u2019s showed them that we are not. We showed them academically and in sports especially baseball. That\u2019s one thing I did love about Ericsson was the baseball, it kind of reminds me of the movie Hard ball with Keanu reeves trying to be a coach to all these little kids from the neighborhood to keep them out of trouble. That was us the Ericsson Hawks baseball team. Now you know what we were pretty darn good from going from dead last to being #1 to a champion. Even my mom sponsored us until I went to middle school. So Ericsson to me was heart, guts and glory. Always be tough,\u201d Esparza told.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/holaamericanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Diabetes-Spanish-300x250-2.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div>
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/holaamericanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Progress-Iowa-Spanish-300x250-1.png\")
<\/a><\/div>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/holaamericanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/287-10024_MOUD_300BannersF_es-US_LaRecuperacion_01.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div>\n