By Bonnie Washuk,Staff Writer

AUBURN – Auburn schools closed for the summer Monday.

Two schools, Webster and Lake Street, closed for good.

Students from both schools will go to the new school on Park Avenue. Other Webster students will attend Sherwood Heights or East Auburn schools, or attend Auburn Middle School.

During a Webster closing ceremony Monday, fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders were all smiles as teacher Lisa Begin stood on the stage during the final student assembly. She led a cheer.

“Hey, Webster!” Begin began.

“Hey, what?” the kids cheered back

“You’re looking mighty fine! I said, hey, Webster,” Begin chanted as she and the students clapped, waved and turned.

But a few minutes later, tears flowed and adults passed each other tissues as taps played. An American Legion color guard retired the flag.

Webster sixth-grader Connor Dumont, 12, said he was happy to be getting out of school for the summer. But he felt “kind of bad” that Webster, which now has 243 students, won’t reopen again. “We have a lot of memories here,” Connor said.

And history.

Webster opened on Sept. 11, 1915, said Toni Davino, who was Webster principal from 1988-2000. “This school has been a school for 90 years,” she said. “When I was here, we celebrated 75 and 80 years. … That’s when I learned when the school started,” Davino said.

Through the years, the school has been an elementary school, a junior high and lately a school for fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders.

Anne Stauffer Behnke, who retired last year after teaching at Webster for 26 years, agreed the closing was sad. “It’s a beautiful old building.” She said she loved that Webster was an inner-city school, making it easy to take students to the library, a nursing home, a bank. “There’s many wonderful memories here.”

Even Auburn School Superintendent Barbara Eretzian has a Webster connection. It’s where she began her career.

“I was hired to be a teacher here,” Eretzian said. “I started in 1972, sixth grade, room 6. It’s so bittersweet” seeing Webster close, she said. “It’s very sad to see it close to elementary students, yet knowing they’re going to have better space and programs will be great.”

During the goodbye ceremony, Eretzian said she wasn’t going to talk a lot about Webster “because I would probably get tears in my eyes. A school is much more than a building,” Eretzian said. “A school is made up of students, parents and the staff. I challenge each and every one of you to make your new school next year the best it can be.”

Mayor Normand Guay told the students he never attended Webster, but he has fond memories of the school. “Years ago, before all of you were born, I was Officer Friendly.” He worked at Webster once a week to ensure students were safe.

He told the students they were the very last to attend Webster. That makes them special, Guay said. “I want you to remember how special this school is, how special your teachers are.”

Before they were dismissed, students were treated to a slide show that featured pictures of themselves and songs. One of the last songs was Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out.”

What happens to the building next year isn’t yet known, Eretzian said. If Auburn sells the Mount Auburn Avenue building that now houses the Regional Educational Treatment Center, that small special education program will move to Webster, Eretzian said.

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