New start, new hope, new school

KELLOGG — The staff and students at Kellogg Middle School had a ceremonial ribbon cutting assembly on Tuesday in the gymnasium of their new (sort of) facility inside the former Sunnyside Elementary School.

Principal Jan Bayer along with Kellogg School District superintendent Woody Woodford and school board chairman and vice-chair Art Krulitz and Bonnie Farmin discussed the importance of the school and what it means for the district to have the building open again.

“When this building was closed three years ago, we immediately began thinking about how he can repurpose the building,” Krulitz said. “When we got down to looking at possibilities, we got really excited about this and are excited for you guys to be the first group of students in the new Kellogg Middle School.”

Farmin extended a kindhearted welcome to the staff and students by using time tested wisdom.

“They say a house is not a home until the family moves in and a building is not a school until the staff and students are there,” Farmin said. “Well here’s the staff and there’s the students. Welcome to Kellogg Middle School.”

Following the assembly Bayer discussed how the first day of school went in the new facility, a first day that was surprising smooth minus one school-wide problem.

“Today went great, the kids did very well,” Bayer said. “We did have a hiccup with the lockers, and the students not knowing how to unlock them, which was interesting. This whole transition was planned out really well.”

Formerly Sunnyside Elementary School, a lot of the students attended the school during their elementary years before the school was closed during prior to the 2015/16 school year.

Earlier this year, KSD officials decided to move the junior high into the newest building in the district after a series of community and school board meetings were held to determine what would become of the elementary school building. With the current middle school’s out of date design it became more difficult to repair and it became clear that it was going to make the most sense to move the students from that location to 18-year-old building just 100 yards away.

The building had fallen into disrepair over the years and because of its design, fixing the issues would result in even more issues.

Cracked walls, uneven floors, plumbing issues, and difficulties with being able to control the heat are just a few of the problems that Woodford and the rest of the KSD administration were forced to take into account during the deliberation.

The district plans on demolishing the educational wings, but will preserve everything from the foyer entry and eastward and making a community building.

The KSD will continue to use the building for its technology purposes, as an extra gymnasium for athletics, and will also be available as a community center.

The decision wasn’t made lightly, but the school board is confident that this move will be the best for students and the school district.