School addition to be dedicated by Grand Lodge
PLAINS – The foundation walls of the new school addition are securely in place and as the project progresses a dedication ceremony is not far away.
According to Plains Schools Superintendent Thom Chisholm, the school will be dedicated to the service of the students, the school district, the community and the county itself.
Chisholm is the Most Worshipful Grand Master for the Grand Lodge. As both the grand master and the superintendent, two of his roles are coming together for the dedication ceremony.
The ceremony, which will take place on April 5 at 2 p.m., will have 18 line officers present from the different areas within Montana. The farthest officer is traveling from as far away as Wolf Point.
Many aspects of the dedication will include local members. Batt Lulack of Block Mountain Stone donated the cornerstone that will later hang in the building. The cornerstone came from a local quarry not even ten miles away from Plains.
Although years ago, the cornerstone would have been placed into the foundation, for this ceremony it will take on a more figurative role.
“We’ll symbolically place it as the cornerstone of an edifice that will live for generations that will bring about positive impacts to the students and the community,” Chisholm said.
The stone will later be engraved with the newly adopted school motto “Foundations for the Future” – providing both a literal and figurative meaning.
The ceremony is expected to last approximately 15 to 20 minutes and the public is more than welcome to attend. There will be a flag presentation, the singing of the national anthem and the dedication itself, followed by cake and cookies. The plans of the new building will also be available for the public to look over.
The ceremony will take place at the building site.
In Chisholm’s twelve years of involvement with the Grand Lodge, he has only been a part of three rededications. Now he will be able to preside over his first dedication that is near and dear to his heart.
According to Chisholm, the free masonry has a strong history in supporting the public education system in the United States.
“There’s a strong connection to the belief that the population has to be educated otherwise we’ll fall into tyranny and anarchy and that’s not what we are after. We are after the ideas of democracy to work for everybody regardless of any conditions,” Chisholm said. “Freedom to make your own choices and freedom to fall flat on your face too. The fact that it should never be denied to anybody nor should it be in education.”
The ceremony is special in a number of ways and it is even more so because Chisholm is the second Grand Master that has held a position in Sanders County. Charles “Bill” Johnson held the position from 1955 to 1956.
It is also unusual for a superintendent to be in this position of power.
“I can never think about another time where a superintendent of a school will be in this position to do this,” Chisholm said.
After April 5, the school addition will have a spot marked in history – dedicating it as a building of public service for many generations to come.