Sangamon Elementary school has been a place of learning to thousands of students, including me. In fact, it is one of the first things I can remember when I first moved to Mahomet.
As of this month, Sangamon shut its doors as a school and will soon have a new purpose. I know I love Sangamon very much, as I know others do too. Fond memories help me remember Sangamon as a fun place to learn, instead of mourning its closing.
I came to Mahomet as a first-grade student, nervous but excited to meet new people. Sangamon was my new big kid school. It didn’t take me long to meet new people and figure out how great Sangamon really was.
I had never had a reward system before, so the rewards, “Good News”, were completely new and fascinating.
The start of my memories at Sangamon were just as important and joyous as the last. I often look back at raising chicks in my first-grade room, the egg drop, and the music concerts that the second-grade students put on. I remember the library where I always checked out books. I remember the gym where I would play dodgeball with my friends. The music room was an inviting place to inspire creative drum solos.
I enjoyed the cafeteria where my classmates and I got to ring the bells on the robot and sitting quietly.
In my mind, part of what made Sangamon so wonderful was the people that worked there. Everyone gave to the school’s successfulness. Whether it be my first and second grade teachers, Mrs. Mitchell and Mrs. McGill, to the librarians that I learned from, Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Cox
In my opinion, Sangamon is not only a school but an experience, because you didn’t need to be on the property to have an amazing time. For instance, the many field trips were entertaining and unique. Sangamon gave you the chance to break from routine and learn about agriculture at the fieldhouse instead of math in a classroom.
Sangamon was a very safe and welcoming place to me, and it has impacted me greatly. I will always have happy memories from my classrooms, the playground, cafeteria, and hallways.
Mourning Sangamon’s closing is not going to change anything. I will be sad to see it go, but I am happy to have known how great the school was and be as significantly impacted as I am by it. I will still see the Sangamon building every day, and I hope it is going to stay that way.
Sangamon is closing, but in my heart, it will never really close. Because I know that it will live on in memories and the hearts of everyone who was touched by the school.
