New Schools in Duluth, MN

Central High School Closed June, 2011

                                                                         Built in 1971

You may remember maybe 2 years ago or so, when I blogged about our Duluth School District making plans to consolidate schools and remodel/and/or build new school buildings.  After much work, input from outside consultant, input from school board members, etc., the district came up with three plans, that they asked the voters in Duluth to vote on.  The board said they would strongly go with the outcome of that vote.  The RED PLAN is what was decided on by the voters and the school board members.  I really can't remember which year this was, but I do know that for a few years there has been construction toward completing this plan.

The plan involved closing one high school and going from 3 High Schools to 2, which really should have been done a long time ago, due to decreasing enrollments over the last 10 years...but politics were always involved...the schools were in three different parts of town...how to decide which one to close??  Anyhow, the plan chosen decided it would be  Central H. S. I know if you followed me on facebook the last year or so, when I wasn't blogging, you saw me post about the closing of the school that is my husband's Alma Mater.  Since our children grew up in our home here in Woodland neighborhood, our children graduated from East High School.  Now, the East H S building is not really being retired, it will be remodeled to be the new Middle School, in the eastern part of town.  The Middle School used to be housed at the farther eastern part of town, and was Ordean Middle School. (Our daughter's 6th grade class went to middle school there, because Woodland was too crowded) There will not be an Ordean Middle School anymore, as that building was remodeled to become the NEW East High School.  The western part of town will retain their building and name, Denfeld H. S. The last two years a major remodel and addition was done on their building.  Last school season, the Denfeld students moved to the Central HS building and went to school together in that building, to prepare the new Denfeld and prepare them to come together this school year...which they did on Sept. 8th (last week)!


The Middle School for the western part of town is presently being built on a hillside in West Duluth.
Are you still following me??  Well, that's the story on the middle and the high schools.  Add to this plan,
three brand new elementary schools, in west, middle and eastern parts of the city:  Laura MacArthur Elementary, Piedmont Elementary, and Lester Park Elementary.  These schools have all retained their names.  The eastern part of Duluth is losing one more elementary school, that closed that that was Rockridge.  The central part of town is losing Nettleton Elementary, which was completely remodeled and added on to, back in the middle 70's as a magnet school.  It was beautiful.  Our two boys went to elementary school there, and we credit the staff there and the diversity of students for giving them a good start in life.

                                               

                                                           Updated Denfeld High School

The week I was on vacation last month, I drove out to the Denfeld H. S. to see the progress and what the school looked like with the addition.  I'm posting those photos.  I also took my niece up to the Central H.S. because there is such a beautiful view of the city from up there, and wanted her to see it.  I took a photo or two there too.  When our daughter was in town over Labor Day, we drove to the old Ordean Middle school site and looked at how they transformed that building for the new "East H. S."

                            This is the lovely view of the city and Lake Superior that the Duluth
                                                         High School students saw everyday!

                                                                                   

                                                        Two photos of the front entrance of
                                                New East High School, opened Sept. 8, 2011
                                            (formerly Ordean Middle School- remodeled and
                                                           added on to for East H. S.) 

Tomorrow there is an open house at all the buildings...I plan to go, and 

will take photos