Artifacts aim to build bridges in LCWM

By Nick Hanson
The Free Press

LAKE CRYSTAL May 03, 2007 12:18 am

— It may be a new building, but it’s hard to walk into the Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial High School without getting nostalgic.
Old letter jackets, trophies, yearbooks, diplomas and various memorabilia line display cases near the school’s main entrance leading to its cafeteria/auditorium area.
And banners donning the school colors and mascots of the Wellcome Memorial Wildcats, Lake Crystal Lakers, Rapidan Raiders and Garden City Gardeners are draped high atop the wall above the main doors.
Students may wonder who the heck the Gardeners and Lakers are, but their parents, teachers, alum and elder community members probably remember clear as day.
Before multiple consolidations and school closings, most of the small towns — Garden City, Vernon Center, Rapidan, Judson, Butternut and Lake Crystal — that make up the consolidated school district of Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial were home to their own community school building.
That was then, this is now.
All that’s left in LCWM is a secondary and elementary building in Lake Crystal. As recently as 2000, the district was operating four school buildings, but in times of tight budget and declining enrollment, district administrators chose to close those buildings.
The history of school closings has caused animosity among some community members within the school district boundaries, Supt. Les Norman said.
It’s hard to say exactly what the long-term results of the school closings have been, but about 125 students from LCWM attendance boundaries are enrolled in Mankato Area Public Schools — by far the most of any community surrounding Mankato. About 760 students are enrolled K-12 in LCWM.
It also took Lake Crystal seven tries to pass a bond referendum to fund the new $18.6 million secondary school that opened in January.
The state-of-the-art building is an opportunity to move on and forget harsh feelings from the past, Norman said.
“Now that we have a new building, we’re trying to find ways to build bridges so we are one unified school district,” he said. “We need to recognize the contributions of the other schools.”
The artifacts and banners are a symbolic way to show that each of the communities LCWM draws students from is equally important while simultaneously recognizing the reality of the past, Norman said.
Thus far, the display and banners have piqued interest, Norman said. Many stop and gaze at the displays as they stroll through the building. Longtime area residents such as Linda Reid say it’s a nice tribute.
The 1981 graduate donated two letter jackets from the Wellcome Memorial High School. She grew up near Rapidan and understands why some may be upset about consolidations, but believes the new high school and artifact dedication area are a step in the right direction.
“I’m very impressed. As we get older, we appreciate it more,” Reid said. “For the kids to be able to see that those schools really exist helps them realize where they come from.”
LaVola Lewis, a 1949 Lake Crystal graduate and 24-year retired high school cook, donated her class picture and a program from the schools 50th anniversary. Her husband, a 1951 grad, donated some sports team pictures.
“I was thrilled to give it to the school,” Lewis said. “It’s helping to bring the school district together — even with those banners — how wonderful it is to have the banners from all of the different schools in our school now.”
That type of reaction was the goal of Annette Rode as she designed and collected items for display. The assistant to the superintendent is still looking for more items, but said she’s content with how the project has turned out.
If her effort can help turn a page in the school district’s history, it will have been well worth it, she said.
“We’re not trying to disband the communities,” Rode said. “(We’re) trying to unify this district again. We want them to join us. We would love for those kids to come back.”

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