Say goodbye Saturday to Market Street Elementary

By JESSICA HARDIN

jhardin@vindy.com

BOARDMAN

When Frank Lazzeri came down with bronchitis shortly after starting as principal of Market Street Elementary, the school community stepped up to care for him.

One parent brought freshly baked bread to the PTA meeting. Another made chicken noodle soup.

“That’s the type of people that were in the Market Street community,” Lazzeri said.

Alumni, staff and parents will have to opportunity to share memories such as these on these Saturday, when the building will be open for a final walk-through. Market Street closed at the end of this school year as part of the district’s realignment plan.

The event starts at 10 a.m. and will wrap up at about noon, with a brief program at 11:30 a.m. Photos and yearbooks will be on display, and Boardman Schools Television Network put together a movie that includes old video footage at the school.

Market Street Elementary opened in 1950 as the first elementary school in the Boardman Local School District.

“People used to refer to it as the million dollar building,” Lazzeri said. “Nothing like that had been built in Boardman.”

The community has weathered changes in the school’s nearly 70-year history. Market Street Elementary was part of post-World War II development in the area. At the time of the school’s closure, about 50 percent of students qualified for free and reduced price lunch.

But Market Street families supported each other through tight Christmases and family tragedies.

“Their hearts were so big and so warm to people who were struggling,” said Lazzeri.

The school’s unique history has contributed to a feeling of closeness among parents, students, alumni and staff.

“There’s a general fondness about that building and its history,” said Cheryl Tarantino, alumni association president. “The staff tend to stay there. Two principals moved up to be superintendents,” including Lazzeri.

While plans for the property have not been determined, Lazzeri will be around to see it.

“If it gets torn down, I’ll be there to watch the building razed,” Lazzeri said. “Because it was just such a significant part of my life.”