Willard celebrates 100 years of school history

The Willard School District observed the 100th anniversary of its consolidation with a celebration at the Willard Baseball Field on Friday, April 29. The event featured a special display of the district’s history, including a timeline which focused on important events in each decade of the school’s history. School memorabilia, including trophies, pictures, old team uniforms and yearbooks were also part of the display, each also separated by decade.
Display a chance for alumni to “walk down memory lane”
Renee Applegate, 17, a junior at Willard High School, helped set up the display while working as a participant in Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG), which she described as a new class at Willard.
Applegate said the point of the display was to let alumni reminisce about their days as students in the Willard School District.
“Graduates come in and just walk down memory lane and get acquainted with people they may have graduated with (but) haven’t talked to or seen in a long time,” she said.
Another student who helped with the set up was Gina Sellers, 16, a sophomore.
“We put together the timeline that goes all the way around,” she said. “We went under the bleachers in the gym and pulled out all the trophies and went through them, separated them and just kind of found history (and) put it up.”
Applegate said that, as part of their research, they also spoke with past Willard students.
“We did interviews with a bunch of alumni and had them come in and talk to them about what their experience was in school, and what they’re doing now,” she said.
Display a hit with alumni
Matthew Young, school board vice-president, said he appreciated the opportunity the display gave people to learn about the district’s past.
“(I’m enjoying) seeing all the families have a good time and to get to learn a little about the history of the district,” he said.
Jim Crighton, class of 1968, was one of the alumni who came to view the display and was able to view his old baseball uniform on display. He said some his family had also attended school in Willard, which led him to come see the display.
“Our family, my dad and my mother and my grandmother graduated from Willard, and I wanted to see all the memorabilia from past years,” he said.
A more recent graduate, Kailie Crews, class of 2021, said she also enjoyed the display.
“I liked seeing the stuff from over the years,” she said.
Amy Sims, who helped coordinate the display, said that many alumni told her how much they took delight in seeing the district’s history.
“(They said) that they appreciated the history being preserved, and they would love to be able to see it not just now but in the future some way,” she said. “Also, they loved being able to see the different decades, and each one of them represented to the fullest that we can.”