‘A wonderful challenge’

The drive through the peaceful pines that tower over the newly paved road that leads to Lakeland School District’s newest school is a drive to someplace special. Principal Mary Havercroft agrees, saying Twin Lakes Elementary has gotten off to an A-plus start. A longtime Lakeland School District employee, but a first-time principal, Havercroft says opening the new school “has been a wonderful challenge.”

She credits the “smooth” beginning to an excellent building design, the latest in school technology, a great bunch of kids and the many hours her experienced staff worked before the first day of school. “I just can’t say enough nice things about my staff,” she said.

The staff used the summer work to get to know each other and “to work out a million little things we had to do to get started,” said Havercroft. “With nothing in place, we didn’t have to worry about, ‘Well, we’ve always done it this way.’ But that was a challenge for us – because everything had to be decided and thought out.”

One of the biggest challenges, said Havercroft, was making the students feel comfortable in their new school. All except kindergartners had left other schools and friends behind.

“All of our kids came from different schools – we had some from Garwood and Joe Brown, some from Spirit Lake and a few from Athol,” she said.

The staff decided early on that choosing a mascot might be one of the things that would tie the kids together as a school family.

“We thought, well that’s an activity where they can really get some ownership of the school and get involved with.”

The decision was made to hold a mascot election. Each classroom was asked to nominate a name for consideration; then a teachers’ committee narrowed that list to the two most popular suggestions – a choice between Mustangs and Moose. Timing the election for the traditional second Tuesday in November date, the school held the election, complete with volunteers helping with sign-in registration, voting booths, a prepared ballot, “I Voted” stickers and borrowed “real” ballot boxes.

The whole school enjoyed the process, according to Havercroft. “There was a lot of campaigning,” and one little guy even wore a shirt that read “Vote Moose” on the back. With about a 90 percent turnout (the voting was not mandatory) Havercroft was happy with the amount of student participation. In the end, the moose won. Not without a little extra campaigning, though – the day before the election one of the teachers snapped a photo of a mother moose and two baby moose ambling by the schoolyard.

At the end of the day the winner was announced. “It was neat,” said Havercroft, “the kids were really a part of it, and when the announcement was made, we could hear all the yells.” Down in the third-grade wing, teacher, Rachel Gill agrees. “We heard some real whoops and hollers,” she said.

Havercroft believes a great school design has helped everyone get used to the new school, and feels “fortunate” to be part of a school designed with the most up-to-date conservation and technological advantages. Each classroom has designated space for at least three computers, ample storage space and built-in overhead projectors. Spacious, well-equipped rooms house the library, computer lab, science room, music room and cafeteria; and alcoves in the hallways hold convenient study desks.

The kids think their new school is “cool.” Third-graders recently wrote to Havercroft confirming they are beginning to feel at home in their new school. One wrote, “Dear Mrs. Havercroft, I’m Alec. I used to go to Garwood but now I go to Twin Lakes. I have the best new teacher ever, Mrs. Kinzer. The first day I was so nervous that I felt I would have a heart attack. When I walked into my classroom everybody was smiling and happy. Finally I felt comfortable. I like my new play equipment with red, yellow and blue. I still like to hang upside down on the monkey bars. I like the lunch room because it is bigger than Garwood’s. I think you take care of the school nicely.”

Cassidy, a former Spirit Lake student wrote, “My old school was good, too. I kind of miss my friends and the teachers. But I love being part of this new school!”

It still smells “new” when you walk into Twin Lakes Elementary. The paint and carpet are fresh, there are empty spaces here and there and the grass is just beginning to grow in the playfields. Although Havercroft says “the school is still a work in progress and we will be fine tuning for a couple of years,” the feeling of a new school family is strong. As Ty Bennington would say, “Welcome Home, Moose Family!”