Paradise School confirmed to shut down

PARADISE - The confirmation of the closing of historic Paradise School has many in the Plains-Paradise area wondering what they can do to help, but as Paradise School board chair Karval Pickering said, “the only constant thing is change.” Yet now, the focus remains on the future of the building itself.

The 102-year-old school has been well-maintained by the school district, a fact Pickering was proud to point out, and because of this, they hope once the building is vacated by schoolchildren, teachers, and books, it can still be used for something good.

“It’s the people’s school, it’s time for them to decide what to do with it,” Pickering said Monday. “We’ve been tossing around ideas, but the biggest thing is how to keep the building heated and  well-maintained. The building is in good shape; we’re very proud of the building and how we’ve kept up with it. But keeping it open for enrollment did not seem practical or feasible.”

The school board voted in Oct. 2012 to close the school, making the 2012-2013 school year the last one. Pickering stated the decision was not an easy one, and she herself has been part of Paradise Schools since she was five years old. Before her, her parents attended Paradise School. Pickering’s children and grandchildren also attended Paradise School. But through the years, enrollment has declined as the community has gotten older, and also the Plains-Paradise communities have not seen a lot of growth such as the Kalispell and Bitterroot areas have seen in the last decade. According to Pickering, Paradise School students are actually from Plains; however, Plains School District has no interest in the Paradise School property, for now.

“We have to do the responsible thing, and since there was no indication that enrollment would increase next year, we decided to close,” Pickering said. “It’s a very, very supportive community and they’re just as heart-broken about it as I am.”

A meeting was held in the Paradise School gymnasium Tuesday night, and ideas were shared on what can be done. Community members, alumni and school officials attended. Details regarding the meeting were not available at the time of press due to timing.

“We want to encourage people to come with an open mind, and to please share ideas,” Pickering said. “Lots of alumni have spoken, we would all love to see it remain a school, not see it fall apart. Because old buildings take a lot of maintenance.”