A Not so Grand ending

She stands alone.

Fenced off from all contact….No more does she hear the footsteps of young children.  No more books will be read…No more lunches, Christmas plays.   No longer will footsteps echo.  No more bouncing balls, no more running. No more sounds of laughter.

She stands alone…..

The end is near.  From every angle the signs of age and neglect can be seen.  The indignity of abuse is evident.  Once regal and grand, she now show the signs of old age.  A sad ending to something as old as she. 

She began her life in 1917.  She has existed alone since 2004.  People came close, they walked their dogs on the lawn, and children played on the swings….but she could only watch.  She even has her own Facebook page where people leave their comments, and their memories.  But she can not hear them.

The end is near.

Now you may think I have been talking about an elderly lady.  I wanted it to sound that way.  “She” is North School and this is what she once looked like.

…a grand old building that has seen many people pass through her doors. She was built in 1917 as a replacement for the previous North school.  She is the third North school built on this site.

Some have come as very young students on their very first day of school and many others have spent their entire elementary years there.

Several of my grand-children spent time there as students. I remember attending my grandson’s Kindergarten Halloween parade, another grandson’s Christmas Program, and many a book Fair and Parents days….I miss those days now but they will always be with me as precious memories.

She will no longer exist soon as she has been scheduled for Demolition.  The date had been set for December 10th, but so far she is still standing…although she has changed quite a bit…

Soon there will be a Fourth North School on this site.

In all, there are 7 Elementary schools in our community; North, (vacant since 2004), South, East, West, Medill, Tarhe and Sanderson.  All are scheduled for replacement…all of these school will be replaced one at a time….Many will be on the same sites, but others will move to new sites.

It’s a sad thing to think that most of these building are under 100 years old and in such disrepair that they are being condemned… Yet in some countries, their buildings are centuries old and still in use.  It doesn’t say much for how we treat our elderly….whether it be buildings or humans.

Rest in Peace , dear lady…..You have served your community well, and she is the one who let you down.