The Oak Harbor community is invited to say its last goodbye to Oak Harbor Middle School during a tribute ceremony on Oct. 15.

BY SHERI TRUSTY

For more than 100 years, Oak Harbor Middle School has been the cradle of education for the children of the Village of Oak Harbor. On Sunday, Oct. 15, the community is invited to say goodbye as one of the highlights of the annual Apple Festival on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 14-15.

The Benton-Carroll-Salem Local School District will host a tribute to Oak Harbor Middle School to celebrate the impact the school had on the village and to give former students the chance to walk the halls one more time. The event is open to everyone.

The Oak Harbor Middle School is being replaced by the Oak Harbor Intermediate School, which is under construction.

Tours will begin at noon, and a ceremony featuring talks by community members and alumni will begin at 1 p.m. Oak Harbor Middle School is at 315 Church St., Oak Harbor.

When the building was built in 1911, children arrived by foot, horse and carriage to learn math and reading on chalkboards. Today, education is imbedded in computers, and students have access to a world of knowledge through online resources. During the ceremony, visitors can reminisce about simpler times in the history of the village.

The construction of the new $13 million Oak Harbor Intermediate School for children in grades 4 through 6 is scheduled for completion in late November. The goal is to have students report to the new building for classes when boys and girls return from winter break in early January.