Saturday, August 3, 2013

Entering year 51....

It's hard to believe that last year we spent the year researching the history of Rummel Creek.  We had the big 5-0 celebration and visited with all kinds of former teachers, parents and students...and now...after a short summer its time to go BACK TO SCHOOL.

This year we won't be celebrating 50 years, we will be looking forward to the next 50 years.  This year we finish the plans for the new building and end the year packing up for the transition campus for the following 18 months.  This year we will be cherishing memories and looking to the future.

It's hard to think of the Rummel Creek building actually coming down.  It's been in the community for 50 years in the present state...yes...we've added classrooms, a gym and a fine arts wing in the last 15 years.  And after a flood we had quite a bit of remodeling.  But the building has generally stayed the same.  In June 2014, Rummel Creek as we know it will be torn down to allow a new and beautiful building to be built and carry the next generation of students into the future.  Wow...what a year we will have!

For me especially, this will be a difficult year...this year marks 24 years that I have been at Rummel Creek in the library - although in many ways...it seems like just yesterday I walked in the door as a new parent and new staff member.  Just after my first year, we implemented a computer circulation system.  With the help of parents and students, we weeded the collection, attached barcodes and tried to correct mistakes in the catalog.   About 15 years after that, the bond issue funded a new library.  Again, with the help of parents and students, we weeded and boxed the collection (it was stored on the stage for 9 months!) waiting for the new and improved library - and yes...it was new and improved - nearly tripled the size of the library - and finally all of the books fit on the shelves.  Just a few years later - a flood and roof leak helped to weed the library yet again and another remodel followed - so we packed the books up for a summer, stored them in the cafeteria and came back to new carpet and an updated library.  Now, this time - another big job of weeding and packing up the library in two ways - a small library to go to the transition campus and a larger part of the collection to be placed into storage for 18 months.

When I look back over the last 23 years, a lot has changed at Rummel Creek (the concrete playground equipment, the tiny library with just a few stand alone computers, and NO gym - the kids had a t-shack for rainy days!); but a lot hasn't changed (the PTA is still strong and supportive, the teachers are willing a ready to try anything that comes along, the students want to do their best and the community supports the school).  No matter where or what building - Rummel Creek will still be Rummel Creek.  I am looking forward to this year....yes...there will be tears...yes...there will be many "lasts",  but...there is a future to look forward to....something that will be bigger and better and.......