How a School District Helped Build the Community

January 2011

The new year brings the Lakewood History Museum a new, updated look with a new exhibit featuring the Clover Park School District and how it helped build the community of what has become the city of Lakewood, according to an announcement by Society President Becky Huber.

This exhibit will feature a timeline, historic photographs and artifacts, and oral histories from current and former Clover Park School District alumni and staff. It will tell the story of how the district began as five small independent schools, which banded together in 1928 to become more than the sum of their parts, then grew even further with the outbreak of World War II and the necessity of educating the influx of citizens brought in by the enormous expansion of the military in the area, to become the unified school district it is today.

"It will probably be necessary to close the museum for a short period while a new exhibit is being installed," she explained. The closure will be kept to an absolute minimum and the entire project is slated to be ready by the end of February.

The Society leader pointed out that there have not been any major changes to exhibits in the museum since it was opened in 2006. Huber said there have been additions and minor changes during the four years since the doors opened but this will be the first major overhaul of the exhibits as well as creation of a brand new one.

In many ways, the Clover Park School District is an example of the growth of school districts across the state of Washington, in its unification and growth triggered by worldwide events like the war and the peaceful baby boom that came afterwards. The Clover Park School District is unusual in the extent that local military facilities were and are intertwined with its operations, and in the technical college this partnership spawned. A third essential part of the Clover Park School District's development came about because Lakewood did not incorporate as a city until less than twenty years ago. Because of this, the district has been and still is a central focal point for the community in this part of Pierce County.

Meg Justus was hired as a museum consultant in October to do the majority of the research and development for the new exhibit. Other new elements to be added includes a rotating art show in the entry area sponsored by the Lakewood Arts Commission; new labeling for the current permanent exhibits and a new layout in the front of the museum.

Located in the historic Lakewood Colonial Center at 6211 Mt Tacoma Dr. SW, the museum has continued to attract increasing numbers to its doors. "All of this is an important story that needs to be told. And one that will be of interest to anyone who is interested in schools, local history, the Lakewood area, or the way community is created," Huber said, "and it's exciting to be able to pull it all together in one exhibit."

A special evening event will be held to debut the grand opening of the new layout and will be announced later.