Prairie RCDC members, from left, Ben and Patricia Howell, Gwendolyn Blake, Torey Reese, James Paul Chandler, Dorothy Ewing, Cathy Robinson, Laura Carothers, Matthew A. Chandler and Eric Jonas stand in the auditorium of the former Prairie Elementary School. The club acquired the school, which has fallen victim to vandals since it closed a decade ago, with the intentions of revitalizing it as a community center.
RAY VAN DUSEN/BUY AT PHOTOS.MONROECOUNTYJOURNAL.COM
Prairie RCDC members, from left, Ben and Patricia Howell, Gwendolyn Blake, Torey Reese, James Paul Chandler, Dorothy Ewing, Cathy Robinson, Laura Carothers, Matthew A. Chandler and Eric Jonas stand in the auditorium of the former Prairie Elementary School. The club acquired the school, which has fallen victim to vandals since it closed a decade ago, with the intentions of revitalizing it as a community center.
RAY VAN DUSEN/BUY AT PHOTOS.MONROECOUNTYJOURNAL.COM
Stacks of old textbooks cover tables.
Robinson points toward a floor mat, which is among several items left behind at the school.
Insulation and books cover the floor of the library’s entrance.
PRAIRIE – Instead of hosting sixth-graders for the past decade, the former Prairie Elementary School building has steadily deteriorated and attracted vandals and copper thieves since its closure. The last time it hosted a class was at the end of the 2009-2010 school year.
It was vacated because of a reassignment of grade levels throughout the Aberdeen School District beginning in School Year 2010-2011. Then school district superintendent Chester Leigh said the school building could find a possible use as a community center.
