To say goodbye to the two SAVE outdoor classrooms, The CONNECTIONS Building and Project Effect, Students Against Violating the Earth (SAVE) hosted a memorial service on March 22 at West Broad Street Elementary School.
According to SAVE advisor Kim Wilson, the demolition of the houses didn’t come as a surprise. “We hadn’t used them for two years and I knew there had been some issues with maintenance that were beyond our capacity as a school club to be able to address,” Wilson said.
For Wilson, the ceremony provided a way to not only part with the SAVE houses but also as a way to show the community SAVE’s shift to working out of the greenhouse on Souderton’s campus.
“I didn’t think of it as a sad day myself,” Wilson said, “because we’re still here and that was the point.”
Officer Cate Haigh agrees, saying that the ceremony allows SAVE to do some “rebranding” by highlighting this shift.
“This is only the beginning,” Haigh said, “we are doing so much great work and we have so much great work ahead of us.”
Although the ceremony was intended to highlight SAVE’s future, for many alumni it also honored the past. SAVE house builder Rodger Koffel enjoyed getting the chance to honor the properties he helped create one last time. “It was good to say goodbye to the buildings,” Koffel said.
For Koffel, the SAVE houses were a demonstration of unity for Souderton.
Koffel said although the houses were to be used by the students “the community was really behind them” during the fundraising and building process.
After being built, some still saw the houses as a communal space.
Haigh described the buildings as SAVE’s “home base.”
That’s where “students would always be hanging out, hosting events, or running after-school activities,” Haigh said.
Principal Sam Varano said that the shift to the greenhouse has resulted in a lack of a strong meeting spot.
“When we had the two properties as gathering points for the club members that meant something, culturally and symbolically,” Varano said.”We don’t really have that gathering point anymore.”
Despite this, Varano believes SAVE still is an important and influential club. “The impact is still really big and positive it’s just… missing that cultural gathering point.”
As a way to honor the absence of the outdoor classrooms, SAVE will be planting two oak trees on Souderton Area High School’s campus later this year. During the ceremony, these trees were symbolically planted by SAVE club members.
For SAVE member Quincy Canavan this was a memorable experience.
“It was honorable being able to be a part of the transition,” Canavan said.
Haigh agrees. “I think it’s such a beautiful concept that we’re able to take destruction and turn it into life,” Haigh said.
According to Wilson these trees “will grow up and still be here on campus in the future, still doing SAVE’s work,” making them a great way to honor the buildings and transition into a new generation of SAVE.