School's out for summer

The steady rainfall paused on Thursday, just in time to help the Plains school children celebrate the end of the school year and beginning of summer.

The steady rainfall paused on Thursday, just in time to help the Plains school children celebrate the end of the school year and beginning of summer. Pearly white smiles and the laughter of eager children ready to close their books and start summer vacations were in abundance late Thursday morning. Kindergarten through seventh grade students gathered on the Plains middle school grounds for their last hours of the school year to celebrate summer and bid their friends and teachers a fond farewell.

The end of the school year is always an exciting time as teachers and students look forward to a short hiatus from lectures. This year it was also a time for celebration for Plains schools as superintendent Richard Magera and three teachers say goodbye to their years as educators in Plains.

Thom Chisholm, the shop teacher who is filling Magera's shoes as the new superintendent, deemed Thursday "Mr. Magera Day" in honor of Magera's eight-year run as superintendent. A sign was made and placed on the fence of Wild Horse Elementary in celebration of Magera's years of dedication.

It was an important day for Magera as he was celebrating his last day with the kids. His official last day is June 30.

Before the buses came for the kids at noon, Chisholm and elementary school principal Jim Holland grilled a plethora of hot dogs and hamburgers for the students to enjoy while playing on the school grounds.

In addition to Magera's retirement eighth grade and high school teacher Les Caprenter and second grade teacher Jo Carpenter are retiring from Plains schools. English teacher and track coach John Stamm is also retiring from Plains schools and moving on to work for JObCorps.

In addition to these multiple celebrations, Thursday was also the official grand opening of the new playground equipment at the middle school. Magera said they decided to have an official grand opening because they were not able to when the playground equipment was first installed during the winter months.

Magera and the school board were instrumental in getting the grant funds together to purchase playground equipment in replace of the old swing set, which was the only equipment previously on the school grounds. Magera said the equipment cost around $30,000 all of which was raised through grant money and only took three days to install.

"We needed it for a long time and the kids had been good about it and the parents were excited and it's been nice. We get tons of use after hours with it and we have a lot of parents coming with kids that aren't school age," said Holland. " We had a lot of free labor and volunteers and we were really happy with that, so it was just great. It was one of those deals that once it gets going it just takes a life of its own."