Save Foster, Vote No

[XLFD]

I can still fairly remember sixth grade going to Mason County Central schools in Scottville during America's bicentennial back in 1976.  I and my classmates had ruled the roost at the elementary school that housed kindergarten through fifth grade the year previous, just to be shipped to two double-wide trailers called the 'portables' just a little south of our old building and a bit closer to , and just west of, the iconic 'old school house' originally built in 1888.  That building still stands over 40 years later, defiantly weathering the elements without seeing any sort of renovations. as that year would be the last year it saw MCC students matriculate through it.

I felt a bit cheated at the time.  I had looked forward to having classes at the school where the bigger kids would go when they got off the bus in the morning, but my twelve year old self wasn't totally aware of why the school was in flux at the time due to a new middle school being built north of the high school, many blocks away at the edge of town.  My fellow sixth graders were relegated to two 'trailers' with a classroom on each side, and the only time we got to go to the 'old school' was during physical education/health class and for assemblies in the gym.  

Yet, classes in these modified mobile homes in the middle of the 1970s turned out to be a valuable learning experience.  I never felt cheated out of a quality education, whether it was Mr. Nasson teaching us about chemistry and physics in science class, or Ms. Meeks making English enjoyable and interesting (she clued me into reading '1984').  Mr. Hodge did fine at inspiring my mathematical aptitude, but unfortunately he moved on to another field, leaving us with the orthodoxy of 'Doc' Hittle for the latter part of the year.  I'm fairly sure Mrs. Wanamaker rounded out the field teaching social studies.

That coming fall I would have the privilege of being among the first seventh grade class at the new MCC Middle School (now about 43 years old), and the change was noticeable.  Each of the three grades had their own wing in the school, and almost everything was new.  Was it any better than the instruction and amenities we received in the portables?  In my perception, not really.  Sixth grade ruled.

I actually missed the full insulation from the other grades we had at the portables, but the thing I missed most was the opportunity to have classes in the old schoolhouse that would come close to serving Scottville for nearly a century.  For a lot of that time, as the only schoolhouse.  All I will ever have is stories from my brother telling me of the exploits he had there, the sounding of the bell, the memories of gym and assemblies, and the creaking of the old wood flooring, the sight of classical wood paneling, the few times I was able to go beyond the gym.

What makes me remember this more than forty years later is that Foster School may soon suffer the same fate as the old school house.  Though a bit less classical in construction, Foster School was built during a time (1925, some parts before that) when schools were made to last more than 40 years, and allowed for remodels should the enrollment wax upward, technology improve, or the district's needs otherwise change.   

I never went to Foster as a student, but both my father and mother attended the school as children and had fond memories of it.  All of my daughters went to Foster Elementary beginning late in the last century, and walking, riding bicycles, or pulling them behind me on a sled allowed us to bond while getting them to school in the morning, and sometimes bringing them back home. 

When attending their conferences and other events, the school classrooms always impressed me as something akin to the college classrooms at slightly older buildings of MSU (but with more posters and crafts by kids littering the walls and shelves).  I always felt comfortable they were getting quality education in what I saw was a quality school building (albeit not as historical as the old school building in Scottville) and they never had any problems with the school-- maybe a teacher at times.

It's not very surprising then that when I have mentioned to them that Foster Elementary is slated to be eliminated as a school building if the bond proposal is passed, their first reaction is melancholic, followed by either anger or frustration.  This seems to be a common reaction when I go over this with others in my circle.  Such a valuable, historic structure, thrown to the curb simply because they want to consolidate four buildings rather than three.  

Most can see a certain amount of logic in consolidating a lower elementary combining Lakeview, Franklin and PM Early Development, but Foster is currently the only building housing upper elementary students in the Ludington Area School District (LASD).  Abandoning Foster runs counter-intuitively with the direction MCC went when it recently split their K-5 facility into a lower and upper elementary. 

Does this not seem like a step backward?  Isn't there an inherent safety issue by having fifth graders in the same complex as pre-kindergarteners?

You have a couple decisions this coming Tuesday if you live in the LASD.  You first must decide whether you are want to or are able to vote (lest you've already done an absentee ballot).  If you do go to your normal polling place and decide 'yes' or 'no' on this one issue mull over: 

The ramifications your vote may have on those youngsters who have not had the privilege of going yet to Foster Elementary. 

The consequences your vote will have on those alumni of Foster Elementary who will never be able to revisit the place and reminisce about the place and share those thoughts with students.   

The psychological effects an empty schoolhouse block will have on this area of town where it has served as a vibrant center for so long.

The parents who will never have the joy of walking, riding, or sledding their kid to the neighborhood school that moved way out of town.

For me, personally, I will choose to vote 'no',  Not because of the inflated amount of dollars our school officials have allowed the improperly-chosen contractors to ask for, but because what they desire to do is just wrong for Ludington, in my strongly-held and honest opinion.  Please vote 'no' and restart a process that considers your viewpoints stronger for the next round, not to mention the economic realities of the area.

[AQUAMAN]

I too remember the same feelings for Lakeview Elementary as a kid. My mom also had attended school there, and even one of her teachers, Grace Coleman, was a teacher for her as well as me years later. Such memories are priceless imho. That old school also had an emergency metal slide down from the highest floor for emergency fire drills, and it was a long steep drop and fun. When it suddenly years later was determined to be outdated and a hazard to safety, the decision to knock it down and rebuild a new school came sadly for many in that neighborhood. Safety? Hazardous? That was emphasized over and over again, falling apart. Well, when the wrecking crew came on site to knock it down with a crane and big steel ball, they found out different. It took three times longer than estimated to get her to come down all the way, very sturdy brick and mortar held that school up forever, and the wrecking crew was stunned and disgruntled at all the extra work involved to level it. Twill be the same I fully expect of the old Foster school, sad, and unfair to all locals that care about preserving many buildings we so enjoy.  Thanks again for the interesting view and research for this article X.

[XLFD]

Thanks for that recollection of the old Lakeview School, if you or anybody else can hunt down some old pictures of that or of Foster or of some mostly forgotten schools of Ludington please post them here.

Hyperbole seems to be in order on the other side where they claim everything is either falling apart or otherwise incurable.  Let's not forget, we had an architect and construction contractor assessing these buildings trying to find any fault they could.  Those same companies were chosen despite irregularities in the school's competitive bidding rules, and so the pain in your pocketbook and soul is not at issue for them, just the hunger in theirs.

[Willy]

I got to thinking. It doesn't matter if this is voted down the first time or not. We all know it will be back on the ballot next year or sooner until people get tired of being nagged and finally vote yes. This is how the lefties operate. I vote no for many reasons. Dooming buildings that are still useful makes no sense monetarily or otherwise. Going deeper in debt for trivial reasons makes no sense. Spending money where not needed while ignoring major areas that need immediate attention makes no sense. But keeping our money in our pockets and telling them to shove it where the sun don't shine makes a lot of sense, at least to me. While looking for old photos of Ludington schools I ran across other old photos of Ludington Past.