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Dent says goodbye to school
Published 10:48 a.m., May 28, 2009
Wednesday marked the end of an era in the Dent and Perham communities.
Due to budget cuts and a dwindling student population, the Dent Elementary School is closing its doors this year once and for all.
When teacher and assistant principal Rex Kingsbury started at Dent Elementary 11 years ago, the school had just adopted the motto, “The Little School That Could.” As he sees it, that train made a long run up the hill, but has finally landed at the station.
“We’ve had a good run,” Kingsbury said.
Kingsbury will move on to teach in Perham next year, along with his fellow Dent Elementary colleagues.
In honor of the role the school has played, past students and community members came together Wednesday for a day-long celebration.
The school’s alumni and community members gathered during the day for a slide show presentation, depicting photos of the school and its students over the years.
“This is really sad,” said Emily Young, a Perham junior who attended Dent Elementary as a child. “This is my school.”
Leah Restad, a senior at Perham High School, considers the time she spent at Dent Elementary to be an important part of her life, inspiring her to feature her experience for her senior English final.
Carl Scifert, who lives just down the road from the school, worked as a janitor in the school system for 14 years. While he’s claimed to have retired, he still makes his way down everyday to check on the boiler and bring in the mail.
“It’s just the way time goes,” Scifert said. “They just can’t keep it open anymore.”
Other activities included an afternoon barbeque, presentation, and time for alumni to post favorite memories on poster boards lining the gym walls.
“There are a lot of memories,” said Nellie Kratzke, who has worked as a paraprofessional in the school for the past 20 years. “It’s hard to say good-bye.”
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