Remember When?

40 YEARS AGO • JANUARY 11, 1979

TROUT CREEK PUPILS

ENJOY NEW SCHOOL

Several boxes of tile are still piled in a corner of the basement lunchroom, workmen’s tools are still located temporarily in one classroom, but while some work remains, students and faculty of the Trout Creek Elementary School moved into their new building last week and they’re happy to be there.

Steve Hendrick, head teacher at Trout Creek, says even the inconveniences being experienced because the new building is not entirely finished, beat the conditions under which classes were held the first half of this year, in the open gymnasium.

The new building includes six classrooms and a lunchroom in the basement multi-purpose room. The new structure is attached to the district’s old classroom building, which has been turned into its library and also provides one remodeled classroom. The school will continue to use its old gym, but a surplus building formerly used for classes and a lunchroom has been sold and will be moved off the campus.

The school construction was financed with a bond issue of $375,000.

The building is of frame construction with sheet vinyl floors. Electric heat is used.

The school has about 80 students. Faculty and staff members are: Hendrick, eighth grade teacher; Robert Thomas, seventh; Lois Caauwe, fifth and sixth grades; Hildur Krause, third and fourth; Sandy Stedman, first and second; Audrey Flockerzi, head cook, Mary Rogers, assistant cook; Brent Prophet, janitor, Marlene Nelson, district clerk and part-time librarian.

Mark Matthews is chairman of the board of trustees. Board members are Dan Loughery and Bruce Linderman.

The move into the building was made over the New Years Holiday with the first day of classes Jan. 2. The first hot lunch prepared in the new lunchroom was Thursday.

“They really make good food,” was the accolade handed the two cooks by Hendrick.

And it’s evident from the smiles on student faces and staff members that they take pride in their new educational facilities.

Trout Creek’s last major building project occurred about 25 years ago when the building now being used as the school library and a classroom was erected. The building was completed just in advance of the start of construction of the Noxon Rapids Dam.

ALLEN UNOFFICIAL JAPAN CHAMPION

The next time you see Shawn “The Hulk” Allen greet him with the word, “Ohio.” That’s Japanese for “hello.”

The “Ohio” greeting is appropriate for Allen; for he’s now the uncrowned heavyweight champion of Japan. At least he beat the All-Japan high school champ, Atsushi Sahai, in a freestyle wrestling match at Kalispell Tuesday night of last week.

Shawn was one of only four American wrestlers to win against wrestlers from Japan and his victory came after he had points taken away from him twice because of different rules under which freestyle wrestling is performed.

The night before, the Japanese wrestlers won all but one match at Arlee.

In the eight dual matches they competed in while in Montana, they went undefeated.

Shawn didn’t let his victory go unnoticed. The next day he commented to his coach, Rich De Witt, that he wondered why he had to continue to practice, since he now was an international champion.