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FIFIELD SCHOOL MEMORIAL MONUMENT DEDICATED SEPTEMBER 19

FIFIELD—A Fifield School Memorial Monument was dedicated at a ceremony on the campus of the Price County Historical Society (PCHS) in Fifield on, September 19, 2009 attended by about 75 former students and friends.

The dedication was topped off by the annual all-class Fifield School reunion celebration held at the Northwoods Supper Club in Fifield attended by over 100 former students and their spouses organized by Irene Fleming, Mary Lou Nicholls, and Mary Jane Lobermeier with logistical help from Douglas Severt.

The monument was designed by former student Douglas Severt and built by local mason Jack Jirschele with help from John Walaseck and Ray Poetzl. Ron Ernst Lumber, Howard Neeck, and Todd Redi Mix all provided materials or work to successfully complete the project.

In 1922, Town residents voted 64 to 53 to build a new, modern school for $80,000 that included a 64 x 53 ft gymnasium and stage. The last school term was held in Fifield in 1961-62 after which Fifield became part of the Park Falls School District No. 2 which used the school a few more years. The school, after several owners, fell into disuse and became an eyesore/hazard for the community, so it was razed by the Town of Fifield in December 2005 with a $100,000 grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Many students who couldn’t bear the loss of the school without preserving something from its past decided at the 11^th hour before the school was demolished to preserve the FIFIELD SCHOOL marquee atop the once magnificent building built in 1923. Through efforts by the Fifield Community Action Plan (FCAP) Committee, the Town of Fifield, and former students who raised $600 to rent special equipment to save the marquee it now adorns the monument serving as a living memorial to the school and its former students.

Fifield School Memorial Committee (FSMC) Co-chair Ron Bernoski read the following at the dedication reflecting on the many pleasant memories students had of the old Fifield School that served the community well for many years.

“Former students proudly dedicate this memorial to the Hilltop Fifield School. On a beautifully wooded hill off Linden Avenue and overlooking the village and the South Fork of the Flambeau River, the first school stood there between 1889 and 1922. This was replaced in 1923 by a new red brick school that housed grades 1-8 on the first floor and 9-12 on the second. In the basement were a hot lunch kitchen and dining area, a gymnasium with a stage on one end and a balcony along one side, hot water showers, a utility room, and a coal-fired furnace. In 1962, when the system was consolidated with Park Falls, the last seniors graduated from Fifield. Between 1962 and 1979, the building served all 7^th and 8^th graders and some residual lower grades in the consolidated system. After many attempts to repurpose the building, it was razed in 2005.

Led by dedicated teachers, small classes of students formed life-long friendships, developed fundamental educational skills, and nurtured personal and civic values. May this school be long remembered. The full history of the school will be placed in the Greenfield School adjacent to the monument. “

Bernoski went on to explain that the history of education in Fifield, beginning with six one-room schoolhouses and carrying forward through the consolidation with the Park Falls district, will be published by Jim Chizek and Ed Griffin this fall. The book features recollections of residents and school alumni, old pictures, a chronological list of alumni between 1889 and 1972, an alphabetical list of donors, and a brief history of the FSMC. The Town Hall Museum will house a history of education in Fifield as well as a leather-bound copy of the book.

Over $2000 in scholarships will also be distributed by the Fifield American Legion, the Legion Auxiliary, and the Lions Club to deserving Fifield students.

Those interested in making a tax-deductible donation to the FSMC, purchasing engraved bricks for $100 apiece, or reserving a copy of Chizek and Griffin’s book can do so by sending checks and/or book reservations to FFFI, P.O. Box 167, Fifield, WI 54524. Please note “Fifield School Memorial” in the memo line. The price of the book has yet to be set. The PCHS and the Township of Fifield will share profits from the sale of the book. Unspent funds will be used for additional scholarships for Fifield students.

Current members of the FSMC are Ronald Bernoski and Vince Tollers, Co-chairs, Jim Chizek, Irene Fleming, Ed Griffin, Mary Jane Lobermeier, Lud Miller, Bonnie Salm, Douglas Severt, and Warren Fellinger. Also, considerable assistance to the project was given by Bob Plant, Treasurer of the Friends of The Fifield Firefighters, Inc., Tom Nicholls, FCAP, and Jerry Movrich, PCHS board member.

FSMC thanks many Fifield students and other supporters for making this community project a reality.