PACT Groundbreaking Brings Back Memories
Bethany (Grade 12 / PACT) Originally published November 2003
As PACT breaks ground on a new building, a long-time student reminisces about the classrooms she knows so well
I am presently a senior at PACT; this is my seventh year at this school. Everything that has been happening lately, leading up to and after the groundbreaking, has caused me to look back on all the history in our old building. I love to reminisce about all the memories that are held in those old, slanted walls. I can only imagine what wonderful memories those who come after me will have in the new building. Many of the seniors and I have been around for a lot of firsts at PACT, and have watched it grow and change over the years. I remember everything from being on the first safety patrol in sixth grade, to the first newspaper in ninth grade.
I was also on the first volleyball team the last couple of years. And though I was never a part of it, I remember when the first mention of a student council was made. Our first symposium, which is now a yearly tradition, started with a bang four years ago, and has been building momentum ever since. And with every passing year, our sports teams improve drastically.
Justina, PACT senior, spoke at the PACT groundbreaking ceremony
I went to the groundbreaking; and even though I will never personally set foot in the new building as a student, I felt like I should still be a part of its beginning. In one respect, it was much like I expected: PACT is a small school until you try to get us all parked. There have been very few events where the school has come together outside of school but it does happen. Every time the scene is the same: one can expect a long walk back to the car. Students, teachers, parents, everyone showed up, and sure enough a couple other seniors hauled themselves out of bed on our weekend to join in this important event (the cake was also a good incentive). I was told that something like this Ramsey Town Center project has never been done before, where they start building residential, commercial, and educational buildings all at once. I am proud of the fact that my school can take part in such a project.
I guess it is only fair that I should graduate from the old building, because over last couple of years watching the endless battle trying to find a new home for our school I often doubted that anyone would ever open their arms to us. And much like a doubting Thomas I didn’t believe it could really be true, until I was standing there on that dirt where soon my own friends will be walking down a real hallway. Going to class rooms where they won’t have to climb over and around desks to get to their seats, and where the future drama students will have to learn how to project to a real full house not just a small class room stuffed from wall to wall. Many of us have plans to come back next year if for no other reason than to get our feet on that stage we’ve been dreaming of for years. Our make-shift stage at the moment consists of four wooden boxes we push together, that raise the actor about a foot off the ground.
Students and staff at PACT celebrate breaking ground on a new facility
Even though I won’t really be a part of the hallway shuffle, or the bathroom gossip, I can’t help but get excited. The possibilities are endless. Things that only months ago were beyond our reach are now on their way to becoming a reality. I only hope that the environment of our school never changes. Justina Coons said it well in her speech at the ground breaking; we are a community, kind of like a large, loving family. I enjoy the fact that on any given day I can walk from one end of the school to the other and name every person I pass by.
Lastly, how many people can say they stayed in contact with their sixth-grade teacher all through high school? Well I can, and so can many of my classmates. Of course, many wish they didn’t, since their fifth and sixth-grade teacher is now our principal. At least we don’t have to listen to the “see spot run” jokes anymore.
But all bad jokes and strange inside jokes put aside, by inviting our community into the Ramsey community, the Town Center has ensured a united environment. By helping our school to grow we can help the community to grow and so the cycle is complete. I am excited to see what is in store for the next few years. PACT is not perfect — I can be one of the first to tell you that. But as schools go, you couldn’t ask for better.