PORT ANGELES — The last day of school at Monroe Elementary School was met with laughter, tears and celebrating by the students, teachers and staff.
As a yellow school bus pulled away from Monroe on Thursday afternoon, students waved and called out to their teachers from windows covered with the words “One Last Time.”
The school, built in 1949, will be packed up during the next month and officially close its doors June 30.
“The hardest part of the school closing is leaving my friends,” said third-grader Brian DeFrang.
“This is the only school I have went to, and I am going to miss it.”
Monroe students will be split between Fairview and Franklin elementary schools next year.
The Port Angeles School Board voted 4-1 on Monday to close the school to avoid a projected $300,000 deficit in the 2004-05 operating budget.
Only board member Cindy Kelly opposed the closure.
“This has been hard for the kids and the teachers,” Kelly said as she greeted children running around the Monroe playground Thursday.
There will be no teacher layoffs.
Sue Gribble, who became Monroe’s principal last year, has accepted a principal job in Olympia.