Camas Ridge community says goodbye to 73-year-old school building, but not its spirit

Since graduating from sixth grade in the spring of 1955, Linda McLarrin and Julie Jones had not stepped foot in their childhood elementary school.

But on Thursday evening, McLarrin, Jones and hundreds of other community members came to Camas Ridge Elementary School to say their last goodbyes before the school is torn down for a complete remodel.

The elementary building first opened in 1949. After 73 years, it will be getting a rebuild. Construction will begin this fall. Students enrolled in Camas Ridge Elementary will be temporarily displaced to the Willard School Site for the next two years while construction is ongoing. They will come back to a revamped Camas Ridge in 2024, one of three schools that are being rebuilt thanks to a $319.3 million bond that was passed in 2018. Edison Elementary and North Eugene High are both currently under construction. They will open in fall 2022 and 2023, respectively.

The farewell ceremony was an opportunity for past and current students, community members and families to make their peace with the school. The halls and walls were brightly colored with chalk and paint. Groups of people took photos in places around the campus that were significant to them.

The crowd featured a broad range of ages as well, from young students currently enrolled in kindergarten to those who graduated decades ago.

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McLarrin remembered being at the school on the very first day the school opened in 1949.

McLarrin said she had chickenpox at the time, but didn't want to miss her first day. She recalled that her mother contacted the school nurse to let her know she just had some scabs and they let her in. She denied spreading any chickenpox to her classmates.

McLarrin began first grade at Harris Elementary, Camas Ridge Elementary's former name, in 1949. Jones began second grade in 1950. The two have been close friends ever since.

"I will be sad to see a landmark go," Jones said. "It makes me feel like an old timer... (But) I like things sleek and modern. I like convenience. I like things to smell new, shiny."

Remembering a good friend

A mix of emotions was a common trend for attendees at Thursday's farewell celebration. Many laughed at old yearbooks that were on display, dating back to the 1960s. Other cried with the flood of memories.

One group of students shared a bittersweet reunion.

In April of 2018, Camas Ridge unexpectedly lost one of its students, fourth-grader Mouhammadou Faye. His classmates, now in eighth grade, gathered at the school Thursday to share memories and take photos.

"It was just really kind of bittersweet I guess to all see each other and say goodbye to this place where we all became really good friends and made lifetime bonds," said Gus Nelson, a classmate of Faye's.

Nelson said that when Faye passed, it brought his class closer. They were all friends with Faye and connected through the grief his death brought.

A community made stronger

The culture of Camas Ridge Elementary is based on community, according to Principal Mike Riplinger. He said it has been this way since 2009 when the school was renamed, but even before.

"What this is really about here is you're trying to blend students and staff and families into one community, really trying to do that outreach. So that families felt like, wow, this is part of their home, when they're sending kids off, it's not like saying off to school, but just going to another part of your family.

Even those newer to the school, like Parent Teacher Organization President Lindsay Selser, feel that community connection.

"I'm definitely feeling a lot of gratitude for the service this building has given to our community over the years," Selser said. "It's just a special place. This school has an amazing heart and community, and that wasn't created overnight. That's because it's been here for years and years and years. The building just holds amazing memories for people."

Riplinger said they will be taking this community mentality to Willard School Site, which will be the staff and students' temporary home until 2024. Once the school reopens in 2024, some aspects of the old school also will be incorporated, including some murals and tiles the students made to commemorate its last year.

"One of the things we've talked about this year is how do we keep the legacy, even just going to the swing site that will extend for two years," Riplinger said. "This is the most challenging year that pretty much anyone in Oregon has gone through in education (because of the pandemic) … We're going to keep a positive spirit about closing the school, so there's a lot of people's plates."

Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her on Twitter @mirandabcyr.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Eugene says 'goodbye' to 73-year-old Camas Ridge Elementary building