The sun came out from behind the clouds as Sharon Fruetel spoke of perseverance.
It was a fitting touch, as the Bemidji community gathered on Tuesday afternoon on the site of the “new” Bemidji High School, celebrating the completion of the restoration of the “old” Bemidji High School archway. Several dozen people gathered in celebration, many of whom called out the years of their graduation from BHS when prompted.
The Old Bemidji High School Remembered Committee has battled since 2008 to preserve and re-erect the archway that welcomed generations of students into the old Bemidji High School, until it was demolished in 2008.
For 12 years, the deconstructed arch was stored in a pole barn on a committee member’s property, more than 300 pieces labeled by number and letter, almost like larger-than-life puzzle pieces waiting to be reassembled.
The Old Bemidji High School Remembered Fund is a component fund of the Northwest Minnesota Foundation. More than $150,000 was raised to support the restoration of the arch.
You can read more about this project HERE, in our October 2021 issue of our Resource newsletter.
Media coverage of Tuesday’s event included a new report from Lakeland News HERE and a write-up in the Bemidji Pioneer HERE.
The celebration of the completion of the archway was held on Tuesday, June 7th, on the grounds of Bemidji High School.
This final site of the arch was not the first option, nor the second, nor even the third. But now, with the new high school not far away, the restoration of the arch serves as a sort of bridge between the past, the present, and the future.
Sharon Fruetel, a member of the Old Bemidji High School Remembered Committee, opened the ceremony reflecting on the perseverance that was required from the committee over the last 14 years.
Sharon Fruetel
Several dozen people gathered for the celebration, many of whom called out the years of their graduation from BHS when prompted.
Superintendent Tim Lutz holds a yearbook from 1922 that was gifted to him from a member of the community.
Bemidji Mayor Jorge Prince, a 1990 graduate of Bemidji High School himself, spoke at the celebration.
Linda Lemmer, a member of the Old Bemidji High School Remembered Committee, stored the pieces of the archway for more than 12 years in a pole barn on her property
