Building support, brick by brick
<p>Bricks from the original Winton Elementary School, with a message added to them, can be placed in a sponsor well at the rebuilt school as part of a PTA fundraiser.</p>
Supporters of Winton Elementary in Coeur d'Alene have a chance to forge a permanent connection with the school.
The original bricks that formed the front of the school building erected in 1925 at 920 W. LaCrosse Ave. will have a second life in a new school facility slated to open on the site this fall. The bricks will be used to create a sponsor wall near the front entry of the new building.
Winton's PTA is selling the bricks for $50 each. The price includes two lines of engraving with 15 characters in each line.
"The people we're really hoping to reach is anybody who had a connection with Winton - people went to school there, or worked there, or lived in the neighborhood," said Marcia Dixon, PTA vice president.
Dixon said local businesses may also be interested in joining alumni in buying the bricks and becoming part of the new school - literally.
"The proceeds will go to the teachers, students and staff at Winton," she said.
Each year, the PTA grants Winton teachers as much cash as possible for them to purchase items needed in their classrooms.
"We have also supplemented field trips," Dixon said. "Or we could just buy Popsicles for field day at the end of the school year."
The rebuild, financed almost 100 percent with money from a facilities bond voters approved in 2012, is expected to be completed this summer. Students and staff have spent the last year going to school at Hayden Lake Elementary and will attend classes in the new building this fall.
Those interested in purchasing a brick for the donor wall can download an order form at www.cdaschools.org/winton or call the school at 664-3440 to have a form mailed.