Franklin says goodbye with lantern release

Sixty-four Chinese lanterns lit up the night sky over Franklin Elementary on Wednesday night as current and former students, staff and administration said a final goodbye to the school.

The final in a series of farewell events for the school was highlighted by the lantern release, one for each year of the school’s existence. Franklin will be closing at the end of the 2017-18 school year in preparation for the opening of Lehighton Area School District’s new elementary center.

Though she is now the high school principal, Sue Howland’s roots are at Franklin, where she attained the triple crown as a former student, teacher and principal.

“I recall entering kindergarten in 1978 and leaving as a second-grader, transferring to Shull-David,” Howland said. “Never in my wildest dreams could I envision re-entering as a teacher let alone principal. We set out on a wild journey with goals and tasks that led me to the roof, getting slimed, getting pelted with snowballs and leaping into pools.”

Before Howland, Gretchen Laviolette led the school and recalled hayrides to the Grange, the traditional Big Kahuna field day and the Franklin welcome song sung to her on her very first day by the kindergarten class.

“There will definitely be uneasiness,” Laviolette said of the transition to an elementary center, “but that will only last a short time. The memories and knowledge gained will last a lifetime.”

Laviolette should know as she went through a similar transition while a student in Palmerton Area School District.

“I attended Franklin Elementary School in Palmerton when it was closed down,” she said. “It was scary, but what change isn’t? I had great memories from my Franklin Elementary, but even better ones from S.S. Palmer.”

Wednesday night’s farewell ceremony featured Sierra Scheirer’s rendition of the Lehighton alma mater and a poem written and read by current high school student Jordan Cook.

“We will remember your hallways for life, even though your closure may cause us strife,” Cook read. “As we part, we always remember our start. A tear is formed to say our final goodbye, here we are as Franklin alumni.”

The Lehighton Area High School band also performed before the lantern release.

“As an educator, my message has been on growth during this transition and leaving better than when you started your journey,” Howland said. “Having now attended and worked in five of our six buildings here in the district, this is bittersweet. Remember though, it is the people that shape your progression. It is the building that provides the means, but it is what is inside that will mold you.”