The Sonoma Community Center coordinated the art project as a way to honor the school’s legacy as it closes this month. photo credit: Regina MellingerStudents painted tiles for a commemorative mural honoring the legacy of Prestwood Elementary School.
Schools around Sonoma County and the state are closing due to financial issues and declining enrollment. KRCB shares the story of a school in the Sonoma Valley and the way the community is celebrating a long legacy before they sing their school song for the last time.
Prestwood Elementary School closes in May after more than 75 years of educating generations of children. One of its former students is Regina Mellinger, who currently teaches a second/third grade combination class there.
“I got a long family history. So, um my mom just retired. She taught at Prestwood for 38 years. And after her retirement, I moved into her classroom, and it was the classroom that she had been teaching in for 30 years,” said Mellinger. “So, um this closure – I don’t think I could even put into words of, um, kind of the devastation of this. Um Sorry.”…