I watched a love affair unfold online during the Valentine’s Day weekend that left me feeling less loved.
For two years, I have waited eagerly for friends to add me to their Facebook list. I figured it was normal for it to take a while.
Instead, I watched something else gather more friends in three days than I could in 730.
On Saturday, a Facebook fanpage request made its way through Morton.
By Monday night, 420 members had joined the “Save Jefferson School” fanpage.
It is the type of popularity I can’t even reach with a two-year-old Facebook account. My total — 374 friends. It took three days, and the “Save Jefferson School” fanpage exceeded any amount of friends I will ever attract as a social buddy. Suddenly, my weekend to feel loved felt somewhat insignificant.
I quickly learned why.
People were posting their memories of the Jefferson School — former teachers, sounds during the Pumpkin Festival, lunches with parents, playgrounds. It was almost like a class reunion, except a variety of generations from Jefferson School were posting their thoughts.
“Just seeing that picture, with the swings up front, brings back memories of trying to swing high enough to touch the sky. I can see that corner in the front of the building where we would all go and hide and talk. I remember every year before the Pumpkin Festival hearing the sounds of preparation and daydreaming about what fun the rides would be.
Then there was discussion of “The Rock.”
Honestly, I have no attachment to “The Rock,” nor do I know what it is — I did not go to Jefferson School. But, that is the beauty of every school. We all have memories of certain features at our alma mater. You know the type — where you played, said your first obscenity or got your first kiss on the cheek.
The outpouring of love for Jefferson School fills the page. It, alone, has become the first and only forum Jefferson School supporters have had since the Morton District 709 facility study committee finalized two survey options for the first phase of districtwide improvements — both resulting in the closure of Jefferson.
However, the fans of this Facebook page were not all against the closure of the school.
“It’s the oldest school in the district, I believe. And, because of that, it doesn’t meet many of the state’s current-day facility standards and is simply too small. I think this is all just nostalgia. It’s not like the educators or the curriculum are being abolished along with the building,” one follower posted.
