Memories and history were shared at a soon-to-be-closed Manitowoc elementary school over the weekend.
A little over 250 people attended the Madison Elementary School Legacy Celebration last Saturday (April 24th) to look back at the building’s opening in 1956.
The district collected numerous artifacts from every decade of the building, which were displayed.
Wendy Arnold was a student when the school first opened, and she said she remembered the new smell and how excited she was to be there.
She reminisced a lot, including the fact that students at the time had to do bomb drills due to the Cold War.
“We all had to go down into…a room downstairs,” she recalled. “Big, dark. They kept AV equipment in it, and it wasn’t finished.”
Teacher Deb Robinson has been teaching in the Manitowoc Public School District for 11 years and loves the classroom she’s been teaching in.
She tells Seehafernews.com that her favorite part is working with the wonderful class she has this year.
But she admitted she doesn’t want to get emotional just yet, given that the school will close its doors at the end of the school year.
“It really breaks my heart,” she stated. “It’s going to really be hard. It’s going to be a hard last day.”
Attendees at the Madison legacy celebration were treated to a presentation by district staff that looked back on the school’s history.
That included talking about the first Madison Elementary School building, built in Manitowoc in 1872 near Union Park.
Madison Elementary Principal Stephanie Korte opened the presentation “Welcoming Everyone Home” to the school.
“While I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of this story, the true heartbeat of Madison has always been our people,” she told the crowd. “It lives in our amazing staff, who gave their all every single day. And in our wonderful students, who are the reason we are all here. I am so grateful for to each and every one of you for joining us here today to celebrate this great school.”
After a speech from former Principal Michael Dunlap and Former Teacher Chris Able, a special presentation was given by Jim Bjorkland, the son of Evelyn Bjorkland.
Evelynn is a retired teacher who’s still alive at 102 years old.
Although she couldn’t make it, Bob gave her a speech to talk about her time as a teacher.
Evelyn wrote, “I have fond recollections of Madison being a bustling, positive, happy place. The staff worked very well together. Mr. Green and B.J. Marshall were supportive and pleasant and very well organized. Kids felt the caring environment in the halls and in the classroom. There was no confusion about who was in charge. And there wasn’t much in the way of difficult discipline issues in those days.”
As the presentation ended with the school’s song, sung by current students, the district calls Madison “more than a building, but a place of belonging, growth, and connection for generations of students, families, and staff. While the building may no longer serve its original purpose, the impact of Madison Elementary will live on in the lives it has touched.”
Superintendent Lee Thennes says the district wanted to help everyone who attended remember, “Staff members who’ve worked there over the years, school leaders…The people who spent time working with our children there. And the children themselves really become the legacy of that school. And that continues on.”
Madison and Jackson Elementary Schools are closing at the end of the school year as part of a district realignment plan.
The plan comes as the district is seeing a shrinking student population.
The City of Manitowoc is interested in purchasing the property for $1.00 to develop the land, after it was given to the school district in the 1950s.
Jackson will also have a legacy celebration this coming weekend.
It will be on Sunday, May 3rd, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
