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Union editor

When this school year comes to a close, it will be the end of Washington Elementary as we know it.

And while that is sad news for the staff and students who attend this more than 100-year-old Anoka school, they are working hard to celebrate Washington’s history and place in the community.

“Overall the staff are doing very well and staying focused on our job to be here for the students and here for our families,” said Principal Janel Wahlin.

“No matter what building we are in, that’s why we are here – to help the students succeed.”

To cope with declining enrollments, Washington Elementary was one of six schools the Anoka-Hennepin School District announced it would close in June.

The building, located at 2171 Sixth Ave. in the heart of Anoka, will reopen in the fall as a sixth grade campus for Fred Moore Middle School for the Arts.

Next year, the bulk of Washington’s kindergarten through fourth grade students will be transferred to Wilson Elementary. Others will attend Franklin, Lincoln and Crooked Lake elementary schools.

Fifth-graders who thought they would be moving on to a brand new school will likely be spending some time within the familiar walls of Washington when it becomes an extension of FMMS.

Currently there are plans underway to mark Washington Elementary School’s history at the academic and fine arts night in March.

It will also be a time to thank the many volunteers who have dedicated their time to Washington, as well as the support the community has given to the school’s fund-raisers.

People will be invited in to see some of the history staff members are currently getting together.

As part of that process, staff are looking outside the school to help fill in some of the blanks.

They are calling on members of the community to share their memories of Washington through photos and stories.

“We know there are a lot of people who went to Washington or who taught here that would be able to share that history,” said Nancy Zickermann, a secretary at the school for the past five years.

Some of the current students at Washington have grandparents who also attended the school.

There are plans to dedicate a 10-page spread of the yearbook to highlight the history of the school.

“This is a sad time for us, but we’re trying to make it as fun as possible,” she said.


History of Washington

The school was first built in 1880, paid for with the issue of $8,500 in bonds, according to the Anoka County Union Bicentennial issue.

It had four classrooms, each with 48 seats.

A fire destroyed the school in 1884, but was rebuilt.

In 1954 a new school building was constructed next to the old one, and an addition including seven classrooms was added in 1959.

Dedicated staff

Washington Elementary School has a history of long-time service, both for teachers and other support staff.

Sharon Kvamme started her teaching career at the Anoka school in 1975.

She has spent almost 35 years in its classrooms, teaching first grade for 29 years (including two years in a split class with first- and second-graders), along with five years dedicated to second grade.

This year she moved to kindergarten, a change she said she really enjoys.

Kvamme intends to continue teaching, so she will be relocating to a new Anoka-Hennepin school in the fall.

“There is a sense of community and family here,” she said. “We’re a close knit group so it is going to feel really strange (to move on).”

For her, like much of the staff, it’s the little things that are a reminder of the changes to come.

“Like driving into the parking lot and I think about not doing that next year, the last Halloween parade or the last December here,” she said.

While Kvamme has been at Washington the longest, there are many other staff members who have spent two decades ore more at the Anoka school. Several past and present staff also dedicated entire careers to Washington.

“I’ll miss the smallness of the school and the community feeling from the families I have known,” said Kvamme. “Small is good...until it is time to close.”

She has at times taught kids whose parents were also in her classroom years ago.

Kvamme has seen changes in the building, changes in principals and changes in education styles over three decades.

She has volunteered to be part of the committee that is working on both the transition and celebration of Washington’s life as an elementary school.

According to Principal Wahlin, Washington’s transition team is being put together and will start meeting in January.

An inventory of all the school’s capital assets is also underway, something that is taking place in all District 11 elementary schools, to prepare for the shuffle of students next year.

Parents at Washington (PAW), the school’s parent teacher organization, is also planning to have commemorative T-shirts made for all the students and staff at Washington.

Wahlin said students will be able to participate in a contest to create the design for the shirts.

If you have historical information you would like to share – with pictures or stories – contact Washington Elementary School at 763-506-4600.


Mandy Moran Froemming is at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it