By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

NAPLES — It’s a piece of cake for two teachers to remember how old Songo Locks School is.

Both women were on maternity leave when the school opened so the school is the same age as their now-grown daughters.

“This opened in 1993. I remember because I was out on maternity leave and I had my first daughter that year. I came back in about February. That is how I remember the age of the building because it is the same age as my daughter,” according to Paula Boyce, who is now retired.

She taught first grade at SLS. Prior to that, she was a first-grade teacher at a very crowded Naples Elementary School and before that Casco Memorial School.

“We were thrilled with the new building:  more space, more colors, the facility, the amenities,” Boyce said.

“It still feels like a new school,” she said. “I am retired from teaching now. But I went from here to the middle school and worked as the librarian. I come back and visit the Songo Locks librarian. I still look at that library and I think, ‘This is such a beautiful space for kids to come in and learn and teachers to come in and grab books or whatnot,’” Boyce said.

“The school still feels new. It feels fresh and alive and fun for kids,” she said.

Kim Flanagin, who is still teaching after 34 years with the district, missed out on the moving day in 1993 because she was on maternity leave.

However, she and other employees had a valuable voice in the architect’s designs.

“We were all part of watching the plans being formed and then coming over and seeing the developmental stages,” she said. “They moved in January. In December, I was actually home on maternity leave with my daughter, I came back at the beginning of September.”

“We were talking about how we can still remember which rooms were ours,” Flanagin said. “It’s been 30 years. That’s pretty amazing.”

Time to Celebrate

This year marks the 30-year anniversary of the building that is Songo Locks School. This year the student body has been learning about the school and about things that happened in 1993, according to Principal Bridget DelPrete.

On May 17, the student body was treated to a birthday lunch and cupcakes as part of the celebration. An invitation was extended to family members of the students. Additionally, more than a half-dozen former employees showed up and shared memories about the birth of Songo Locks School. 

Linda McVety recalls that students learned a song called On The Right Track for the school’s official opening in 1993. She is a music teacher who retired in 2021, but has continued to be involved in the district’s music department through long-term substitute teaching and mentoring. 

McVety was the music teacher 30 years ago when the school was ready for occupants.

“For the opening of the school, we had a pride song and we sang the pride song. We sang for parents here and the children sang on the steps of the cafeteria — just to dedicate the school. It was a lot of fun,” she said. “We had a formal dedication on a Sunday afternoon and the students were all here singing.”

McVety shared a laminated newspaper article about the grand opening.

“When we opened, it was K through 3. School board chairman was Ronald Bell, of Naples, at the time. On the Right Track was the pride song and the school motto,” she said.

Helping to Shape School Building

As the former co-workers sat down for lunch together, they discussed the empowerment they experienced by being involved in the process of creating the school building.  

“This school was the only school that we were allowed to talk to the architects, and we got to design our own rooms. I got to design the music room. They let me put whatever we needed in there,” McVety said. “That was the best thing about the school. We all had an input on how to build the school.”

Boyce agreed that having a voice in the little details 

“When we were in the Naples Elementary School, we were invited to come in as the new school was being developed. So, we got to see the music room. We got to see the computer lab. We got to see the classrooms. We got to see the bathroom,” Boyce said.

“Back then, teachers did have some initial input. For example, kindergarten teachers wanted to have bathrooms in the classrooms. The other teachers wanted bathrooms in the hall. Little things like that, we had some input.”

Jane Foye, a kindergarten teacher who worked for 34 years in the district, recalls details about the transition to the new school.

“The best part of moving for me is that every bit of it involved the parents. It really got the parents into the school. I can remember Buster Coy’s father driving up with his truck, loading staff. The whole process was neat,” Foye said.

“We were blending staff. We were given time by the school board to meet as a blended staff several times before school opened. It’s hard. You leave that school and you leave that school and you come together in a new school,” she said.

Flanagin expanded on the transition for the teachers.

“We all left very small schools. I was over at Casco Memorial School. We had about six or seven staff members and couple part-time people. To come into this big building of 20 or 30 was a little intimidating because I only knew half the staff instead of knowing everybody,” she said. “We found that we all jumped in pretty quickly and learned to become a team.”

Casco resident Bonnie Wetmore taught second and third grade. She retired in 2012.

“We got to come tour the school and give ideas to talk to the people. We were talking to the people who designed the school. They listened to us,” she said.

“It opened in 1993 in January. We went home for Christmas break and came back to a new school,” Wetmore said.

Deb Bilodeau also taught second and third grade with Wetmore.

“We were team teachers and worked across from each other. We had to move our books. It took forever to line up our books,” Bilodeau said.

Wetmore remembered the excitement that comes with moving into a new space.

“When we moved in, it was like kids at Christmas,” she said. “We were putting up things and finding new things everywhere we went. The whole building was brand new.”