School & Community News

Sage School holding Buy A Brick sale

The Sage School Committee is holding a “Buy A Brick” sale as a fundraiser for the restoration of the Sage School, a c1870 one-room school house located on Courtland Drive in Cannon Township. Bricks cost $60 each and can be engraved with up to 3 lines of personalized text. A made-to-order brick provides a unique way to honor or memorialize a person or event. They make great gifts for Rockford High School grads! An order form and more information can be found at www.sageschoolrockford.org, by e-mailing sageschool@rockfordschools.org, or by calling (616) 560-9404. Orders are due by June 1, 2011.

The Sage School is a 1870s-era one-room schoolhouse now located on the grounds of Crestwood Elementary School in Rockford. In 2001, Crestwood teacher Judy Grifhorst purchased the schoolhouse, then located at the corner of Belding Road and Courtland Drive, for $1 and donated the building to Rockford Public Schools. After an extensive private fundraising campaign, the building was moved to its current location on August 17, 2001. In the following years, the exterior was secured and restored. The interior has been gutted, and awaits restoration.

The mission of the all volunteer restoration group is to preserve a piece of Michigan history by restoring the 1870s Sage School to its original condition, c1895. Upon preservation, the schoolhouse will be used as an educational site to teach Rockford students and the community at large about life in the past and rural education.

Although owned by Rockford Public Schools, all work has been completed using private donations, grants and a variety of fundraising programs. Donations and volunteers are always welcome. More information can be found at the Sage School’s website: www.sageschoolrockford.org.