North Springfield residents to fete school's centennial

Today, longtime residents and young families will celebrate the history and possible future of the North School. From 1 to 3:30 p.m., the North School Recreation Park Committee will offer an open house to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the day the school opened.

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North Springfield residents to fete school's centennial

By Josh O'Gorman STAFF WRITER Rutland Herald

Published: June 27, 2009

NORTH SPRINGFIELD — Today, longtime residents and young families will celebrate the history and possible future of the North School.

From 1 to 3:30 p.m., the North School Recreation Park Committee will offer an open house to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the day the school opened.

"The tour is intended to draw attention to the school's potential," said Committee member Jean Willard, whose involvement with the school and the surrounding property stretches back more than 60 years.

For the first 38 years of its existence, the school — which educated children in grades 1 through 8 — consisted of little more than the building itself. In 1947, the Parker family donated about 5 acres of woods and open field to the school. Willard, now 82 years old, was serving on the North Springfield Recreation Committee and is the last surviving member from that time.

When the school closed in the mid-1980s, the playground was dismantled and removed and the grounds became an eyesore as people used it as a dump, Willard said. In 2004, the current Committee formed with the intent of using the fallow property to create a community park.

After removing the garbage, the Committee raised money to install a new playground, and with the assistance of Springfield Parks and Recreation the land now hosts a soccer field and an ice skating rink, which together form a valuable community asset for young families in the area, including Willard's granddaughter Jeanie Willard.

"We love going up there," she said of herself and her two daughters, 2 and 10 years old. "They have something for everyone."

Jeanie Willard said the area is blocked off to cars so the children can run free without parents worrying about traffic and provides a clear line of sight for parents to keep an eye on their kids.

"All of the other parks are pretty far away, while this one is walking distance," said Angela Fraser, who frequently brings her three daughters — 10, 6, and 5 years old — to the park.

Both Fraser and Jeanie Willard said they wished the school itself were still open. The Springfield School District uses the building for cold storage, but Jean Willard said she hopes today's open house might promote ideas of using it for a community and creative arts center.

On a smaller scale, Jean Willard hopes to create an educational walking trail in the surrounding woods.

"Whatever is done should compliment the recreation area," she said.

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