DALMATIA - Of all the emotions for Line Mountain Elementary School Principal Jeanne Menko during Dalmatia Elementary School's final assembly Wednesday morning, it was one of unity that moved her to tears.
At the end of a slideshow in the gymnasium, text on the screen prompted the kindergarten through fourth-graders to chant, "We are! ... Line Mountain."
Their repeated chant grew in intensity until it reached a deafening roar.
"It got louder and louder; that brought me to tears," Menko said. "That got the loudest cheers today, and that goes to show that the teachers have done their job here."
"We are Line Mountain" is a telling phrase, since these students - as well as those at Leck Kill Elementary - will not be returning to their familiar small schools next school year.
Instead, all students in grades kindergarten through fourth will attend classes at Trevorton, where an addition is being constructed. Trevorton Elementary will become Line Mountain Elementary.
An addition is also being built onto the seventh- and eighth-grade wing at the junior/senior high school in Mandata to accommodate all district fifth-
and sixth-graders.
'Goodbye, Dalmatia'
At Dalmatia, a 36,000-square-foot building located at 162 School Road not far off Route 147, a colorful sign with the words "Goodbye, Dalmatia" hung facing the parking lot as parents and relatives arrived for Wednesday's activities.
The assembly started with Kelly Niederer, senior vice president and senior banking officer of Mid Penn Bank, presenting a $250 check to the school district to purchase new books for the library at Trevorton.
After an awards ceremony, first-grade teacher Jill Lundy presented the slideshow of past and present photographs of the school and students, and also photographs of the Trevorton school and the high school campus.
During the slideshow, songs were played and students sang along with enthusiasm.
Following the presentation, students paraded around the school one last time with parents while family and friends watched and took pictures.
Lundy, who as head teacher organized the majority of the events, has been teaching in the district for 13 years and has been a first-grade teacher at Dalmatia for seven of those years. Her daughters attended Dalmatia.
"It's bittersweet," she said about the closing. "I went to school here for my entire elementary career. I love working here, but I'm looking forward to everyone in one building."
As she was editing photographs for the slideshow, she said she had to wipe away a few tears.
"Happy tears, but not happy tears," she said in describing her conflicted emotions.
'It's a family here'
While elementary reading specialist Mary Ann Taxis loves Dalmatia and the surrounding community, she is also anticipating coming together as a team in Trevorton.
Taxis has been a teacher in the district since 1980 and has worked in Dalmatia, Leck Kill, Trevorton and West Cameron when the school was still open there. In the last few years, Dalmatia has become her home base.
Dalmatia was beloved by those who worked and sent their children there.
"It's a family here," said Tammie Wendt, of Dalmatia.
Her daughter, second-grader Jaidin Wendt, 8, said she is sad about changing schools and wants to stay.
"They (many students) want to stay, but I think they're excited, too," Tammie Wendt said.
She is worried about the long bus ride her daughter will have next year, some 18 miles from home.
Lundy said Dalmatia has been a great school consisting of quality teachers, parents and community members.
"It's a great place to have any child go," she said.
Teachers done Monday
While the last day for Line Mountain elementary students was Wednesday (high school students have a half-day today), the last official day for teachers is Monday. They will work quickly after the final school day to move items to their new classrooms.
"We took care of the students first, now we're just moving boxes and whatever we're taking," Menko said.
There will be no change in the number of teaching staff for the upcoming school year. Each grade level will have five classes, with the exception of first grade, which will have four.
This past school year, for kindergarten through fourth grade, there were 202 students at Dalmatia, 61 students at Leck Kill and 211 students at Trevorton. There were also 201 students in fifth and sixth grades at Trevorton.
'High hopes'
Over the last few months, Menko and the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) planned events and activities to help elementary students transition and build a sense of unity.
"The kids are adjusting well," Taxis said. "I think our administration did a good job with not only the kids, but the faculty as well."
Students at each grade level from Dalmatia and Leck Kill visited Trevorton to meet their teachers, experience lunch at the cafeteria and tour the building. Each student was assigned a pen pal from another school earlier this year, and were introduced to them when they visited the school.
Each class that visited Trevorton made items they'll see next year: in one grade, all students made a puzzle piece and it will put together with their grade level next school year. Another grade made leaves and they will be placed on a tree.
Even the elementary yearbook this year was changed. The history, traditions and memories of each of the three elementary schools were featured in the book, but the classes were only separated by grade levels and teachers, not buildings.
"Today was a true celebration of past, present and future," Menko said. "After today, I have really high hopes."A smiley face sign hangs in the hall way of Dalmatia Elementary School on Wednesday morning and says "have a terrific summer" and