Emden Elementary School pops with color

[July 15, 2011]  EMDEN -- Paint layers tell a lot about an old building's past. Chip away at the changing hues and find society's fickle paint palette and a reflection of decision-makers who wished to stay on top of the trends. But one grand old building has been maintained without many of those changes, and it continues to serve its purpose well.

The elementary school building in Emden will celebrate its 100th birthday next year. It is receiving a makeover this summer, and according to observations by Dr. Mary Ann Manos, Hartsburg-Emden superintendent, it is only the third time the walls have received a new coat of paint.

Summer workers have dusted, scrubbed, polished, shuffled furniture, stacked boxes and painted walls. Their progress is obvious to the visitor taking a tour, as new colors combine with large spaces to create inviting classrooms and offices.

Students on the work crews applied for the positions and were interviewed prior to being selected. The individuals are either current students or recent graduates of Hartsburg-Emden High School. The crews began the cleaning and painting process June 15, and the target date for completion is mid-July.

"We should be finished on schedule," said supervisor Roxanne Rude, a substitute teacher in the area during the school year. "We start at 7 a.m. and work until 3:30, with a half-hour lunch and a couple of breaks so we can step away from the work for awhile."

Students will be surprised, but the teachers will be delighted when they return in August. They were asked to choose a color for their classroom's focus wall, one wall that would receive a special color. It made a big difference for the tall walls to receive a new coat of paint, but especially so when accented with the exciting color of choice.

The new look will be a good way for the historic building to begin its second century.

[By MARLA BLAIR]