Saying goodbye

DeKALB – Regardless of the year, it is a fitting epithaph: "These walls harbor memories that will never be forgotten."

Although that sentiment was written inside the front page of the DeKalb High School's 1966 Kalibre Yearbook, it could easily apply to this year's graduating class.

Like the 1966 class, which was the last to graduate from the old high school on North First Street, this year's class is the last to graduate from the current building on South Fourth Street. This fall, classes will begin at the new high school building, which is located on Dresser Road.

As one might suspect, the opinions of this year's seniors vary on what it means to be the last class to graduate from 1515 S. Fourth St.

"It's pretty special," senior Hananiah Wiggins said. "I definitely feel a deep connection to this building."

"I feel really honored to be the last  graduating class," fellow senior Katie Welch agreed.

As a music student heavily involved in chorus and band, Welch said she probably spent more time in the building than most students. So much, in fact, she said it almost feels "like a second home" to her.

Senior Jessica Lesniak said the last group of seniors were "kind of like marking our territory," but admitted the farewell made her a little sad as well.

Wiggins, who will attend Illinois State University this fall with plans to major in special education and theater, said coming home will take on new meaning.

"I think it will be interesting to visit my old teachers in a building I've never been in before," he said.

Laina Scheri, who plans to study nursing at Rockford College, shares a similar sentiment.

"I have younger siblings and them not being there (at the old school) will be weird," she said.

Since she won't know anything about the new high school, including her way around, Welch said she "won't be like I know that, I've done that".

Although she will miss out on going to the new school, Jenna Smith said it's really special to be in the last class at the current building. But not all of the seniors are sentimental about how their high school careers are ending.

"It kind of sucks that I didn't get to go to the new building," Nick Donnelly said. "But I'm just glad to be done."

A farmer his entire life, Donnelly said he plans to go to Kishwaukee College to study diesel design.

DHS alumnus Bill Montgomery, one of the Class of 1966, said his classmates shared the same sentiments 45 years ago.

"We said the same things," he said, after listening to current seniors reflect on the building last week.

Although he never actually attended it, Montgomery has a connection of sorts to the current high school building. He said his mechanical drawing class was asked by the school board to provide a working scale model of the new building.

"The school board asked us so they could save $10,000," he said with a chuckle.

Montgomery said students enjoyed the old building for a lot of reasons, even if it was for school. It held a lot of interesting features and unique passageways, he said.

According to Montgomery, the original high school building stood from about 1902 until 1976 on the grounds of what is now Clinton Rosette Middle School. After serving as a middle school for a few years, it was demolished and replaced by the current Clinton Rosette building.

Montgomery noted that the current high school building, which was built between 1964 and 1966, will soon be referred to as the "old school," while the original building will be the "old, old school".

When classes begin this fall at the new high school the current high school building will become Huntley Middle School. The current Huntley building will become a new elementary school.

DeKalb High School Principal Doug Moeller said the new high school has 410,000 square feet, compared to 240,000 square feet in the current building.

One of his strongest memories of the current high school building, Wiggins said, is when he accidentally got stuck in the library fish tank as a freshman.

"People would tell you not to get stuck in the tank, but they wouldn't tell you where the tank was," he said. "I was stuck for about five minutes until my older brother got me out."

Donnelly has a similarly disastrous memory.

"As a sophomore, I went to touch a light and the whole row dropped down," he said.

"There are all kinds of fun things in the basement and upstairs," Smith added.

Some past student, Smith said, left their mark by carving their initials in various places throughout the building.

"You can see the history of it," she said.

According to DHS Registrar Bonnie Stellatos, this year's senior class totals 390, more than one and a half times the size of the Class of 1966, which numbered 235. About 60 members of the '66 class still reside in the immediate DeKalb, Sycamore and Cortland area, Montgomery said.

Along with the Class of 1961, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary, the Class of 1966 has been invited to attend this year's commencement, which will take place at 10 a.m. on June 4 in the Northern Illinois University Convocation Center.

It is also the last time graduation is expected to held at NIU, as the new high school should be big enough to accommodate the commencement crowd.

During the ceremony, Montgomery said Moeller will endow the Class of 2011 with their own "last class to graduate" legacy, as was assumed by the Class of 1966.