CARIBOU, Maine — Hundreds stopped by Hilltop Elementary School on Sunday, June 11, to reminisce during an open house held to let the community bid farewell to their school.
As part of Caribou’s plan to build a new $50 million pre-kindergarten-8 facility on Bennett Drive, Hilltop will be transitioned into a senior living center.
The new school won’t be ready until fall of 2020, so staff and students from Hilltop will be split between Teague Park Elementary School and Caribou Middle School until it is.
Other buildings, such as Caribou Middle School, Teague Park, and the Learning Center, eventually will be demolished. Demolition, as well as construction of the new school will be primarily funded by the Maine Department of Education, with residents in the RSU 39 towns of Limestone, Stockholm, and Caribou, paying roughly $2 million for expansions to the gym and music rooms.
Cary Medical Center CEO Kris Doody stopped by for the open house with siblings Susan, Debbie, and Steven, who explained that they grew up down the road from Hilltop and that they had just re-walked their childhood route to the school together. Doody’s mother Arlene also worked as a cook at Hilltop for more than 20 years.
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- Parents, students, and local residents said goodbye to Hilltop Elementary School during a June 11 open house, which gave guests a final chance to see the school’s classrooms, gym, and playground before it is converted to a senior living center. (Christopher Bouchard)
Susan said a noticeable difference between now and then is that girls had to wear dresses to school.
“We were not allowed to wear pants,” Susan said, “but in the winter time we could wear them under our dresses. I think I would’ve been in fourth or fifth grade when they changed the rule and let us wear pants.”
Debbie recalled seeing “10-foot tall snowbanks” on the way to school, adding that the banks were so high the children were told not to touch the telephone wires as a rule.
“There were no trees out here,” said Steven. “Even beyond Marshall Avenue, it was all potato fields up to the Evergreen cemetery.”
Steven currently lives across from his childhood home, and says he has spent 63 years of his life in Caribou, with the other four spent in Oklahoma during the mid-50’s.
“It was exciting starting at one side of the school,” said Kris. “You couldn’t wait until you were older and could go to the classrooms on the other side.”
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- Hundreds of guests filled Hilltop Elementary School’s halls during an open house held on June 11 to give the community an opportunity to say goodbye to the Caribou school before it transitions into a senior center. (Christopher Bouchard)
Laurie Dionne, an administrative assistant at Hilltop, spoke of the “strong family bond” she experienced at the school.
“Our staff puts all the children first,” said Dionne. “I’ve enjoyed my 17 years working with them and wish the best for everybody in the future.”
Principal Cheryl Hallowell, who has 25 years of educational experience, including five at Hilltop, which she said “has truly been a wonderful community school.
“It really is a great place to work,” Hallowell said, “and the new building is going to be wonderful. It’s a chance to expand our community and a good move for Caribou.”
Dick Sheldon, who served as the school’s head custodian for 43 years, had nothing but kind words about Hilltop.
“In all those years, I’ve had wonderful teachers to work with and wonderful supervisors,” Sheldon said. “I have never regretted a second of it, or thought about doing something else. This has been my life, and I couldn’t have asked for a better job,” adding that his wife tells him he practically lives at the building.
Hallowell added that in many ways, Hilltop is Sheldon’s building.
“He’s worked a lot of magic here,” said Hallowell. “My room had a very noisy heater. Every few weeks it would start screaming in the winter. I would put a note on his door and he’d come down and fix it.”
“It’s been more of a challenge in the last few years since they knew there is a new building on the horizon. It’s definitely time for a change in the building. It needs some TLC, which I’m sure it will get if they turn it into a facility for people like me,” Sheldon said, later joking about the room he wanted to stay in.
Tables with old yearbooks lined the main hall and newspaper clippings were displayed on the walls outside the gymnasium, where school employees and volunteers served guests ice cream.
All classroom doors were open to the public to get one last glimpse of their former educational stomping grounds. Kindergarten teacher April Belyea spoke to some guests in her classroom.
“This is a fantastic community to be a part of,” said Belyea. “I just think of this building as warm and inviting. People come in and they like being here. It’s a great place to be, and thankfully we all get to go together.”
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- Parents, students, and local residents said goodbye to Hilltop Elementary School during a June 11 open house, which gave guests a final chance to see the Caribou school’s classrooms, gym, and playground before it is converted to a senior living center. (Christopher Bouchard)
