Former Silver Lake School Students, Staff Share Memories
July 24, 2022 at 9:35 p.m.
Former Silver Lake School Students, Staff Share Memories
By Jackie [email protected]
Town Council President Hugh Murfin said the school opened in 1930, teaching all 12 grades. The cost of the building was about $88,000, according to a document found in a memory box dug up Wednesday that was put on the school grounds when the school opened. The school stopped being a high school in 1966 and was exclusively a grade school until it was closed.
In 2004, the Warsaw School Board decided to close Claypool, Silver Lake and Atwood. In 2008, the Board decided to reopen and renovate Claypool, build new Madison and Leesburg elementaries and renovate and expand Jefferson Elementary. The site of the former Atwood school became a park and walking trail.
Mike Baur bought the building and had promoted plans to fix the structure up and repurpose the space. However, the building sat empty and fell into further disrepair, according to a March 2020 Times-Union article.
Murfin said the town now owns the property.
Clerk-Treasurer Tonya Conley said the Council realized it was too far gone, so in 2018 the Council decided to tear down the school. Baur appealed the demolition in court, but lost.
The school will be demolished by Advanced Demolition Services and should take a couple weeks, Murfin said. A community center will be built on the property.
Conley said starting the construction of the community center will be a while since the town is still in the planning stages of construction. At the end of Saturday’s dedication, Murfin said the town will send out flyers to get input from residents on what they want in the community center.
During Saturday’s event, Murfin said there was some paperwork, such as the deed to the school and a Bible with faded photos, found in the memory box. It is hoped those items will be put into shadow boxes and displayed in the community center when it is completed.
People shared their memories of the school on Saturday.
Sam Whitaker told a story of how he and a couple other students had a project for biology class and they decided to launch a rocket with a frog in it. The first attempt didn’t kill the frog, but when they went out the next day for a second day, the biology teacher let the frog go because she didn’t want it to die.
Miles Huffman said he didn’t go to Silver Lake School until his eighth grade, so he only had five years at the school. Silver Lake had more to offer as a school than the one he previously went to. Playing basketball was a big thing at the school. John Miller was a basketball coach when Huffman went to school and Miller “ran us to death.” Huffman said he thinks he still knows every step of the school from running laps around the school.
Huffman said there are a lot of good memories at the school and it’s a shame the school has to come down, but that’s they way things goes over the years.
Huffman said 23 students graduated in 1960.
Carolyn Davis-Montel said there were 28 in her graduating class of 1965. Of those 28, she believed there were at least 15 students that went all 12 years at Silver Lake School and she was there. It was like a second home to them for many years. She thanked the teachers they had, their parents and community leaders that established the school. She said the school will always be cherished.
There are also some bricks on the lawn that people can take, Murfin said.?However, there are some bricks in boxes toward the back of the school and people should avoid taking those as they will be used to create a monument for the school.
Town Council President Hugh Murfin said the school opened in 1930, teaching all 12 grades. The cost of the building was about $88,000, according to a document found in a memory box dug up Wednesday that was put on the school grounds when the school opened. The school stopped being a high school in 1966 and was exclusively a grade school until it was closed.
In 2004, the Warsaw School Board decided to close Claypool, Silver Lake and Atwood. In 2008, the Board decided to reopen and renovate Claypool, build new Madison and Leesburg elementaries and renovate and expand Jefferson Elementary. The site of the former Atwood school became a park and walking trail.
Mike Baur bought the building and had promoted plans to fix the structure up and repurpose the space. However, the building sat empty and fell into further disrepair, according to a March 2020 Times-Union article.
Murfin said the town now owns the property.
Clerk-Treasurer Tonya Conley said the Council realized it was too far gone, so in 2018 the Council decided to tear down the school. Baur appealed the demolition in court, but lost.
The school will be demolished by Advanced Demolition Services and should take a couple weeks, Murfin said. A community center will be built on the property.
Conley said starting the construction of the community center will be a while since the town is still in the planning stages of construction. At the end of Saturday’s dedication, Murfin said the town will send out flyers to get input from residents on what they want in the community center.
During Saturday’s event, Murfin said there was some paperwork, such as the deed to the school and a Bible with faded photos, found in the memory box. It is hoped those items will be put into shadow boxes and displayed in the community center when it is completed.
People shared their memories of the school on Saturday.
Sam Whitaker told a story of how he and a couple other students had a project for biology class and they decided to launch a rocket with a frog in it. The first attempt didn’t kill the frog, but when they went out the next day for a second day, the biology teacher let the frog go because she didn’t want it to die.
Miles Huffman said he didn’t go to Silver Lake School until his eighth grade, so he only had five years at the school. Silver Lake had more to offer as a school than the one he previously went to. Playing basketball was a big thing at the school. John Miller was a basketball coach when Huffman went to school and Miller “ran us to death.” Huffman said he thinks he still knows every step of the school from running laps around the school.
Huffman said there are a lot of good memories at the school and it’s a shame the school has to come down, but that’s they way things goes over the years.
Huffman said 23 students graduated in 1960.
Carolyn Davis-Montel said there were 28 in her graduating class of 1965. Of those 28, she believed there were at least 15 students that went all 12 years at Silver Lake School and she was there. It was like a second home to them for many years. She thanked the teachers they had, their parents and community leaders that established the school. She said the school will always be cherished.
There are also some bricks on the lawn that people can take, Murfin said.?However, there are some bricks in boxes toward the back of the school and people should avoid taking those as they will be used to create a monument for the school.
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