JEAN'S OLD ORDER MENNONITE SCHOOL-1

 

I felt I had to put on the first post for 2013.  I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and Happy, Healthy, New Year.  We had Christmas at our house this year because we are moving and just wanted the last Christmas in our old house.

Part of this post is going to be by myself, today and another part of it from Marilyn on Friday.  This is the school that our daughter, Susan, goes to.  It is an Old Order Mennonite School.  It goes from the first grade up to the eight grade.  Eighth grade is the highest grade that our children go to school.

Our original school had been built many years ago.  David and I went to school there.  Any work that had to be done on it was done.  Every year the school was inspected by the local building inspector and it passed-until 2012.  We were planning on an addition to the old school to make it a bit larger.  The plans were all drawn up and our school board was going to apply for permitts when the school did not pass the inspection.  The school had originally been grandfathered in when the new regulations on buildings went into law.  But over the years, even though we did all repairs on it, it was not in a condition that the inspector could pass last summer.  The building wasn't falling apart-it's just that new regulations had been passed and the school didn't make them. 

The discussion came up as to what it would cost for us to repair the old school.  After figuring out what it would cost to fix it to meet the regulations-it wouldn't cost much more to build a new one.  So it was brought before us after meeting (church) one Sunday and explained-then we voted-to build a new one.  The old school was torn down and the new school was built on the foundation of the original school-extended a few feet so the school would be a little bigger-which it is.

As our Bishop told Marilyn, one thing led to another.  While the school was under construction the board realized that the desks, book cases, etc. really looked old.  They had scratches, scrapes, etc. just from normal use.  So all the school desks including the teachers and book cases were all refinished by our members-while they were constructing the school.  The board decided they would put the same wooden floor in the new school that was in the old school-so all those floor boards had to refinished.  Those that were damaged were replaced and more boards were added for the extension.  All those boards matched when they got done.

The new school has more windows than the older school, but they are smaller, so we ladies made new curtains for the windows. New shades were also purchased for all the windows. After looking at some of the books that are in the school had been used for many years so they had to be replaced or updated.  We did put the same bell on top of the new school that was on the old one.

All this was done in eight weeks.  The building was done by Old Order Mennonite, Amish and Englishers.  There are a few Amish children that attend our school as they don't have their own school, yet.  Where we are moving Susan will still attend the same school.  We will be further away, but it is the same which is important to her and us.  Martha and Joseph's children go to the same school, so between our families, when we get our new house built, transportation will not be a problem. 

The picture at the top is the one our Bishop liked the best when he saw them, so it was put on top of my post today.  The new school was inspected by the building inspector and passed "with flying colors" as my Mother says. Marilyn will have more pictures in her post on Friday. 

Hope you like out new school.

Be With God,
Jean