Get your piece of South Park Middle School By AMY MOORE April 6, 2010 Posted: April 6, 2010, 8:53 AM CDT Last updated: April 6, 2010, 11:06 AM CDT A chain-link fence separates the public from the demolition site at South Park and thousands of pieces of the school that many are hoping to get their hands on. As an excavator tore through the 87-year-old building Friday and through the weekend, many people watching wondered whether the district would allow them to take debris as memorabilia. But people who already have ordered their portions of the school building from the school district could have them as early as next week. Last year the district allowed South Park Middle and High School alumni to request certain pieces to keep after demolition, including chalkboards, bricks and doorknobs. Jessie Haynes, district spokeswoman, said someone even requested a locker. Deadline for requests was before Aug. 1, 2009, in preparation for the proposed September demolition of the school. That was fought in court for months by the Beaumont Heritage Society, however, and the building is just now coming down. Haynes said requested items were brought out before the demolition began Friday and have been set aside. "For the ones who sent them (request forms) in, we'll set aside time for those people to pick them up," she said. "We're making sure they got what they wanted." Haynes said there will be extra bricks available, but not bigger items, like lockers, for those who did not request them in advance. "We're not selling anything and some things will go into the new building, things with historical value," she said, specifically mentioning the trophies that decorated the lobby of the school. For information about getting a piece of South Park, contact the school district at 617-5200. COMMENTS: AverageJoe wrote: Im gathering I know where a few of those bricks might end up! 04/06/2010 01:02 PM CDT fredsaid wrote: Ya'll come and get some bricks now, save some hauling. That is green demolition! 04/06/2010 11:41 AM CDT HillebrandtHoney wrote: It was a totally integrated high school. No majority, No minority. 04/06/2010 11:39 AM CDT East Vidor wrote: Thanks for the correction Lookintothis. Many have made it sound that way. 04/06/2010 10:59 AM CDT lookintothis wrote: East Vidor - What's strange is, from what many of the Greenies have said here, South Park High School wasn't all-white, it was a model of harmonious racial integration before it was broken up and turned into a middle school and the neighborhood declined. One of the Greenies said something like "we weren't black or white, we were all Green". It'd be great if everyone could get along like that. 04/06/2010 10:31 AM CDT Michelle Cate wrote: All in all, it's just a Nother brick in the wall 04/06/2010 10:19 AM CDT TexasGirl1960 wrote: It will be interesting to see what all they saved that was requested. I've already seen in the pictures that some things that were requested were destroyed by the bulldozer. 04/06/2010 10:03 AM CDT East Vidor wrote: Don't you people get it he is going to erase any trace of a white South Park from the map 04/06/2010 09:58 AM CDT lookintothis wrote: And as if we should be impressed/grateful that they didn't demolish the building while it was still full of trophies?? Obviously trophies should be saved and displayed. But they are not part of the building. What "things will go into the new building" aside from the obvious things like trophies, and perhaps some old photos? They should at least make some kind of outdoor display area with the cornerstone and the historical marker (and should've also included the carvings from above the doors...). 04/06/2010 09:48 AM CDT lookintothis wrote: Why did they not save the carvings and letters over the entranceway? And lest anyone forget, there were a lot of people upset about how they handled the 'request' process last summer. No publicity to ensure as many people as possible knew about it, and a very short timeline from the time the request form was quietly made available on their website until the arbitrary deadline. 04/06/2010 09:39 AM CDT beaumontenterprise.com/get_a_piece_of_south_park_debris.html