The 2004 school closures - the pain will be with us the rest of our lives

Today the pain and the bad memories of the 2004 closure of Rattlesnake Middle School flooded back during a walk around the school.

During the closures and in the days following the closures when the Rattlesnake Valley's, East Missoula's, and Lowell School area 6th - 8th graders were transferred and bused to other schools, a fellow parent said, "This pain  [due to the closure of Rattlesnake Middle School]  will probably be with us the rest of our lives."  How right this friend was!  Eight years later and the pain just doesn't seem to go away. 

The pain comes back when driving past the school and seeing all the little children on the playground instead of the older children, the age of the children that were attending the school only a few years ago. It comes back when looking into the rooms and seeing little desks, not larger ones. It comes back when one remembers the science teacher's (Mr. Dunn) beautiful red geraniums in the window and when one remembers a 7th grade son hanging out with friends on the playground while driving by. It comes back when remembering parent-teacher conferences in the gym and in that same gym two son's 8th grade graduations. (The 8th grade graduations from Washington Middle School now need to be held in the Big Sky gym as the school is now so big.) And how wonderful were Mr. Schuberg's band concerts - they will never be forgotten by students, parents, and teachers. Gone is the Starlighters Ball. Gone are the RMS athletic teams, along with many other traditions.

The pain is not only due to the closure but also to the injustice of the decision, made in only 48 days!  The decision did not make sense. And no matter what people said the Trustees did not listen.  msw believes that the closure of not only Rattlesnake Middle School but Prescott and Mount Jumbo Schools was one of the most harmful decisions in Missoula County Public Schools history.


A loyal and responsible Trustee pointed out that all of the Rattlesnake, East Missoula, and Lowell area's children could attend a neighborhood school if the district converted to a K-8 configuration, which was the tradition prior to 1980. She stated that this plan would be radical, however, less radical than the closure of three schools.  These closures have negatively effected our entire school district (and county taxpayers wallets  as well).

We can go on with our lives, but there will never be closure. My friend was right - the pain will never go away and will be with us the rest of our lives.