A new school year is nearly upon us! As it approaches we want to share some memories of 2014-15.
Classes opened Aug. 25, 2014, with the exciting addition of the Stillwater Science Center. Contractors and faculty members labored throughout the previous spring and summer to correct a leaky foundation and to upgrade and update the entire facility. When they finished, students were welcomed into an air-conditioned building that features a state-of-the-art chemistry lab, a large Gathering Room for community functions, a life sciences lab and several classrooms. Completion of the project was celebrated at the end of September with an open house that drew a few hundred visitors over three days.
Before we knew it, the Pumpkin Festival had arrived in Barnesville. That meant the Olney kitchen was buzzing with activity as various student groups baked the school’s famous pumpkin bread and prepared the loaves for sale. Those activities were followed closely by Homecoming and Parents Weekend, featuring the annual Distance Race and the Faculty vs. Student soccer game.
As first quarter classes concluded, most students went home for the Thanksgiving break. A few remained on campus, however, to enjoy a holiday meal and a weekend of activities with members of the administrative staff. It seemed everyone had just returned to campus when the long winter break began in December.
While the holiday season progressed, generous Olneyites launched a pair of fundraising challenges that were ultimately successful. Wilmer Tjossem `40 pledged $10,000 toward renovation of the Stillwater Science Center if the school could raise an additional $90,000 for a grand total of $100,000. Wilmer’s pledge was matched by a $10,000 gift from his classmate Horace Autenrieth. Unfortunately, both Wilmer and Horace passed away before the fundraising goal was met.
An anonymous family pledged another $10,000 match on the condition that the school must raise an additional $10,000 from first-time donors. By June, community members had met both challenges!
Students returned to campus just in time to choose new roommates for the remainder of the year and to engage in a little friendly competition by preparing their living spaces for the annual Room Beautiful activity. The dreary days of February were then brightened with numerous special events and enrichment activities during February Fridays.
The spring thaw came late, leaving Livezey Lake covered with ice well into March. Baby goats, spring seedlings and Gym Ex came soon enough. An April college fair brought several visitors to Olney, and farm interns arrived just as the workload picked up with the warming temperatures. The “FARm OUT!” program attracted several middle school students to spend four days at Olney, learning lessons about the land and the farm-fresh food it produces.
Traditions such as Junior Social and the Awards Dinner kept students and faculty busy for the remaining weeks until Commencement. On May 30, we bid farewell to the 17 members of the Class of 2015, but we did not say goodbye. Like the 120 alumni who stood to be counted during the Meeting of Alumni and Friends, we know they will return to the place that has become their second home.
