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Westwood School marks 50 years of memories
(by Sue Hoffman - September 10, 2009)
Westwood School marks 50 years of memories
By SUE HOFFMAN
Sally Siegler remembers when her children attended Westwood Elementary School in the West Geauga School District about 30 years ago.
A former teacher and now the school's guidance counselor, Mrs. Siegler said the school environment basically has remained the same over the years.
"Everybody has worked so well together," she said. "It's a close-knit community and very family oriented."
Mrs. Siegler taught at the former Chester School, which has been razed, as well as Westwood and Lindsey elementary schools, and West Geauga middle and high schools.
Working at Westwood School, she often saw her children in the hallway, she said. "When I started, many of the staff members were local. That's changed a little, but the staff still bonds and the students are saying they're happy."
Memories like Mrs. Siegler's of Westwood Elementary School abound as the school approaches its 50th anniversary. The school plans an open house ice-cream social from 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 24 in the school's pavilion, 29-acre land laboratory and new playground. The event is free and open to the public.
The school also will hold a breakfast for current and former staff members from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Sept. 25. Dan Butler, a custodian for 26 years, will travel from Alabama for this event.
In the interim, students will work throughout September with artist-in-residence George Woideck. They will help design and create a tile mural commemorating the school's 50th year.
Principal Denise Brewster shared information about other activities during the week of Sept. 21. Students will celebrate their school's half-century mark with a birthday cake and assembly. Students also will participate in a Westwood Walk to raise funds for programs throughout the year. They'll cap off the week with a flavored ice on a stick party.
PTO volunteers will work with children to place handprints on one of the walls as part of the commemoration. To add to the fun, staff members will display an elementary school picture of themselves and students will be challenged to find their teacher.
PTO member Tracy Suba is creating a digital scrapbook which she is organizing by decade. "Participants can purchase pages by decade or the entire book," Mrs. Brewster said. "During the open house, we'll also be selling commemorative books. Brick pavers for the front of the school will be available to order."
Dedicated in 1959, Westwood School includes kindergarten through fifth grade and a county integrated preschool for special-needs students and typical peers.
Philip Runyon, the school's first principal, remained at Westwood School for 21 years. His successors included Jack Powell, Henk DeRee and Don Robinson. One year, Deborah S. Delisle, currently state superintendent of public instruction, Glenn Bitner and Dean Fleanor shared the responsibility as principal. Mrs. Brewster has been principal for 10 years.
"When I arrived, we had 575 students. We now have 420 and fewer staff members," Mrs. Brewster said. Other changes at the school include a "more complex program," she said. "We're now offering all-day kindergarten and we have the integrated preschool."
The school's playground, replacing one built 30 years ago, was funded by the district's open-enrollment program, Mrs. Brewster said.
Many other improvements have taken place over the years, she said. A school addition was constructed about 12 years ago, and the PTO has been working on landscaping since then. The school has a land lab and pavilion for outdoor education, with the help of donations from Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District, PTO and Kiwanis Club.
Kindergartners and their parents created a butterfly garden, said Linda Domonkos, school secretary, former PTO president and health aide. Children plant vegetables and the kindergarten parents help maintain it over the summer. The garden was funded by grant money, the West Geauga Education Foundation and Westwood's PTO. Many parents have donated mulch and plant material, she said.
Mrs. Domonkos, who started in PTO when her boys were in fifth and third grades about 30 years ago, said much research went into the previous playground at the school.
"We always felt Westwood was a family oriented school," she said. "You knew the staff members and they knew you." The biggest change over the years has been that more parents are working, she said, but "it always has been a warm place to be."
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