“I’ve heard from people that I haven’t even met before that saw it on Facebook or were contacted by old friends,” Perez said. “Word is getting out.”
Perez said that while the celebratory atmosphere will last all year long, teachers and school officials will be paying close attention to make sure all the kids are getting the attention they need in what could be a difficult time.
“As with any separation, different people grieve in different ways and I’m expecting that,” she said. “I think I can help the staff and the students and parents on getting through this time by focusing on the positive. You can’t learn when you’re stressed out and you’re concerned about other things.”
Redistricting process
While the school’s closure is certain, where its students will attend elementary school next year still has yet to be determined. School board President James Shaughnessy said that the district’s transportation staff is focused on the needs of the entire district for the time being, but they’ll join other school officials in redrawing attendance boundaries as soon as possible. Once that occurs, Perez said, students will likely be given the opportunity to take field trips to their new schools while their final year at Meagher is still under way, meeting their new teachers and getting a sense of what it will be like to move through the halls of a new building.
Perez said that, as the school’s principal, she’s noticed first-hand that the students, faculty and surrounding community feel there’s something quite special about Meagher.
“Meagher has done so many great things and so many great people have come out of this school,” she said. “Generations of children have gone through this building. People have chosen their houses because they’re in the Meagher district. We just want to celebrate that.”
Gretzinger agreed.
“Meagher has always been really well known for being a supportive community school,” he said. “We want to celebrate that success.”
I love this school and to see it close is sad indeed. Its true that a lot of this country is in financial ruin. My question is, why is it that the School board officials got raises in the middle of this deficit? What is it they do to justify receiving such ridiculous salaries? Is it better to destroy tradition,community, and children education in order for them to buy their 3rd home or a yacht? Let me be the superintendent and I would fix our deficit starting by cutting my salary in half. this is the issue with this country. People are only concerned with their own well being and too uneducated or blind to see the bigger picture. Your wallet is full but it is making our country soo empty. Without “the little school that makes a big difference” I would not be who I am today. I can only hope that my own kids can attend a school just like it.