School: Owen-Withee (New School
1983)
Contact: Kathleen E. Englebretson
Email:
kathy@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Brockhaus, Renderman, Sluzewski, Nelson, Laube, Feldman
---Source: Marshfield News-Herald (16 April 1983)
Owen-Withee breaks ground for school
OWEN -- Some Owen-Withee kindergarten students were not quite sure what to
expect Friday afternoon when they arrived by bus at the high school.
From what their teacher had told them, they expected to see the land east of the
school being split apart. It was a groundbreaking ceremony after all. What they
saw, however, were various school officials taking a gold shovel and digging a
small hole in the area where their new school will be located.
That act may not have seemed too impressive to the youngsters, but when they
begin class in a brand new school building in August of 1984 today's bewildered
kindergarten students are almost certain to be excited second graders.
Many of 385 students from the district's two elementary school who attended the
ceremony were already excited as they anticipated moving into the new,
56,000-square-foot building.
Sasha Brockhaus, a fourth grader, was excited.
"I've never been around when they were building a school," she said.
Classmate Mark Renderman said he expected the new building, which will open the
year he enters the sixth grade, to have better desks.
School administrators and Board members seemed equally enthusiastic, but for
more significant reasons than that the new building will have nicer desks.
"We've reached another milestone in education in O-W," said Board President
Edward Sluzewski.
District Administrator Gerald Nelson thanked the administrators, Board members
and architect who had made the groundbreaking ceremony and planned new building
possible. He offered special thanks to the 535 voters who had approved
construction of the new school in a December referendum.
Unlike four previous referendums voters decided to authorize borrowing $1.7
million for building the new school and some energy improvements in the high
school building.
"This is something we've been looking forward to for a long time." Nelson said.
The building will combine elementary school operations that are now divided
between deteriorating facilities in Own and Withee. The Owen building was built
in 1907 and the Withee school was constructed in 1890. A study a decade ago said
the buildings should be replaced because of their worsening conditions.
The new school will be built to the southwest of the 72,000-squarfe-foot high
school. Hallbeck and Group. Eau Claire, designed the structure and Johnson
Brothers, Tomahawk, will be doing construction.
The $2.6 million project is being financed through $1 million that the district
has been saving for such a building and bond sales.
The building's modular format will include a gym and media center in the center,
Nelson said. Four sections coming off that center will house administrative
offices and classrooms for students from pre-school age to sixth grade. The new
school will also include music and art rooms.
Nelson said the new facility is expected to allow school officials to make
better use of educational TV and computer equipment since everything will be in
one building and on one level, not three levels like the existing buildings, In
addition, Classrooms will be located side by side, making it easier to exchange
students and equipment for various activities.
Board member Harriet Laube, who took out the first scoop of soil from the school
site, didn't have any problems getting the shovel into the ground. Recent
precipitation provided extremely soft, wet conditions that may have made work
easier for the ceremonial ground diggers, but may delay actual work, which is
scheduled to start Monday, Nelson said.
Barring major delays, however, construction is expected to be completed by March
and the building should be ready for occupancy June 2, 1984.
Art Feldman, elementary school principal, said it could be a long 12 months as
teachers and students spend one last year in their older facilities, making
comments like -- "Just wait until next year and we'll be able to do this a lot
better."
© Every submission is protected by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998.
Show your appreciation of this freely provided information by not copying it to any other site without our permission.
Become a Clark County History Buff
|
|
A site created and
maintained by the Clark County History Buffs
Webmasters: Leon Konieczny, Tanya Paschke, Janet & Stan Schwarze, James W. Sternitzky,
|