By Sarah Gray/Managing Editor
One year ago, crews walked beneath the steel framed skeleton of what would become Marshall Intermediate School. It towered in the backdrop as the city of Marshall officially transferred the remaining 123 acres of land of the former Marshall Habilitation Center to the public school district.
On Thursday morning, Aug. 14, the building was ready for students. A drove of community members filled bleachers set up in the parking lot, awaiting a ceremonial ribbon cutting and the first tour of the school.
“Marshall – I feel it, and I hope you feel it – the pride is back,” Caleb Petet, superintendent of Marshall Public Schools, said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Marshall Intermediate School. “Safety and security are better than ever. And our future – wow. Our future is literally as bright as we want to make it.”
The ceremony took place Thursday morning before the district would later have Open House for students at all school buildings. Administrators, staff, residents, supporters and a trove of design, engineering and construction representatives celebrated together.
They gathered in front of a modern glass entrance, where the two-story façade cast a shadow onto the sidewalk below. Hints of pendant lights cast a glow through the entrance.
Deputy Superintendent David Reinke gave opening statements, welcoming city officials, the Saline County Commission, State Senator Kurtis Gregory, Missouri School Board Association Director Melissa Randol and DESE Area Representative Shelly Aubuchon to the celebration.
“This has truly been a special journey, and it would not be possible without the work and support of several incredible people. This project took an entire community to complete. So, I want to start out by first saying thank you to Incite Design … your vision was second to none. Nabholz Construction … you have poured your hearts into this building, and it will never be forgotten,” Reinke said. “The Marshall Public School … teachers and staff, your hard work in so many different areas, from the start of the project to completion, I don’t have enough time to mention you all or thank you all, but in all the areas, we would not have been able to bring this together without all of you.”
An immense sense of gratitude came through Reinke’s speech and that of four others: Petet, Sen. Gregory, School Board President Bryon Jacques, and MIS Principal Amy Heuman.
“As your principal, I would like to say this new school building represents a significant investment in our community and in the future of our students,” Heuman stated. “It will provide a modern, inspiring place for learning, foster a sense of community, and, hopefully, inspire generations to come. We are thrilled to see the positive impact it will have on our students and our town. On behalf of the entire school community, I want to express our sincere gratitude … to everyone who played a role in making this dream a reality.”
Heuman paused to stifle tears when addressing the crowd. The construction of the building was possible because of the tax levy increase passed by voters in April 2023. The district also closed three of the old neighborhood elementary schools this year – Benton, Northwest and Eastwood – which had been the schools for third, fourth and fifth graders, and staff spent countless hours physically cleaning them out and transferring belongings to storage and then to the new intermediate school.
“We are excited to embark on this new chapter and look forward to all of the amazing things that will happen within these walls,” she continued. “Let’s work together to make this building a place of learning and growth in our community for years to come.”
Growth for students and community were echoed throughout the morning – Reinke noting a saying “If a town loses its schools, the town slowly dies.”
“I also believe the reverse is true, and I’ve seen it happen in several cities across the state,” he said. “When a school makes strides and progress, the community grows right along with it. My hope is that now with this building complete, both the school and community of Marshall will continue to grow, progress and prosper together. This building is so much more than concrete and glass. It’s a sign of progress. It’s a space designed for innovative learning, and there’s something every single person here can take pride in.”
Senator Gregory noted the opening of the school was a historic day for the city of Marshall and the Marshall Owl community. He lauded Petet’s leadership, as well as that of the school board, for seeing the project through to fruition.
“He comes in and gets the right people in place on that Vote Yes committee to get the community buy-in with the vision to show ‘this is what we want for the future of our kids here in Marshall and in Saline County,’” Gregory stated. “Hopefully for many years to come, hopefully for a hundred years … this will be the home of Marshall Owls and the future of the Marshall community.”
Prior school boards had addressed the need and desire for a new facility, but with lackluster community support. Current school board members have often praised the members of the Vote Yes committee for the determination they had in speaking to the public about the tax levy increase proposal. Their footwork reached a large swath of Marshall residents, who ultimately voted for the increase in 2023.
Jacques commended them and the voters again Thursday morning.
“There were over 75 individuals that actually met, planned and worked on this levy, including co-chair Michelle Pointer,” he said. “That does not count the many of you that had discussions, raised funds, and shared stories with friends and neighbors, and then felt compelled to vote yes for MPS when it mattered most. … I want to thank the educators that spread the word and shared the need with the community, the classified staff, the summer crew that have supported our efforts in countless moving days in the hot Missouri summer to get this building in place … and, as Mr. Reinke said, ready for students on Tuesday.”
With band music and cheering, the sounds of poms shaking in the background, supporters watched as three ribbons were cut and the doors to Marshall Intermediate School were finally opened to the public.
Inside, the lobby was a grand entrance. People turned left down one hallway, moved forward toward the library, art room, cafeteria and gym, or climbed the impressive staircase toward the fifth-grade classrooms. They toured rooms, flanked by informational wall art about animals, passed by murals of tree trunks and colorful décor hanging from the ceilings, noticed design details like the frosted glass partitions separating the main traffic areas from water fountains and bathrooms. Teachers and staff members greeted people at the doors, answered questions and invited them into the space. After all, it was space made possible by the community’s votes and, essentially, trust that the school board and administrators would responsibly handle the task.
That trust isn’t something Petet took lightly. The first thing he said at the podium was “I’m going to try not to get emotional.” But he did. The past year-and-a-half working closely with his team, with the board of education, and with the representatives of the design and construction companies.
“I really want to emphasize and thank our community and our board of education,” he stated. “Our board of education gets elected by their neighbors to lead a district and to, hopefully, reflect the values and priorities that a community holds for them. I think that our board of education has done a tremendous job of representing our community, and I think our community has done a tremendous job. It is a special place.”
He went on to highlight members of his family who worked in education for decades, noting that when community comes before self, before titles and before personal agendas, a great impact can be made. Petet also referenced a quote from Booker T. Washington from 1895: “Cast down your buckets where you are.”
“He used those words to say draw from the good from the circumstances that you have right now. Build relationships with the people you have to build them with right now. Leave the past in the past that doesn’t help you. And build off the good and what is possible right here where we stand. … And today, that we stand here is proof that success that is greater than self and individual interests is possible, and it is beautiful.”
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Find many more photos in the online photo gallery: https://www.marshallnews.com/marshall-intermediate-school-ribbon-cutting/
