Take part in 'Cents for Central School'
The Mount Prospect Historical Society has issued a challenge to local schools and the public this month and five schools, as well as the public library and several village departments, have chosen to get involved.
The challenge is to raise funds to complete the restoration of the 1896 one-room schoolhouse through the collection of spare change. Large plastic containers were distributed to the participating schools, library and village locations, and students and members of the public are encouraged to drop off that change through October.
The schoolchildren are even being encouraged to "Trick or Treat for Central School" on Halloween using decorated milk containers from the school cafeteria. That money, too, will be dropped into the various schools' collection jugs.
The schools' collection jugs will then be picked up by representatives of the Mount Prospect Historical Society Nov. 3 and taken to Village Bank & Trust for counting.
Students from the winning school will be allowed to sign their names on paneling that will be preserved within the walls of Central School as a time capsule for the future. The winning school will also earn an MPTV-televised proclamation from Mayor Arlene Juracek and the village board. The certificate can be framed and hung in the school for years to come as a testament to the school's leadership role in the community.
The library and village locations, of course, will not be competing for any prizes, but collected amounts from each location will be publicized once the campaign is complete, according to Jill Friedrichs, campaign co-chairman.
"Mount Prospect will celebrate its 100th birthday on Feb. 3, 2017, and we hope to re-enact the signing of the village's papers of incorporation in the historic building where it actually took place a century ago. In order for that to happen, and for the schoolhouse to be opened for school field trips and public gatherings, the restoration needs to be completed," she explained.
"Since the Mount Prospect Historical Society began its adventure in 2003, the society has raised - and expended - $370,000, almost entirely from private, local sources," said Frank Corry, Mount Prospect Historical Society president.
"We have completed the move of the building, interior demolition, repair/replacement of the back wall and roof, structural reinforcement of the floor, construction of an interior utility stairway and installation of the electrical, HVAC, fire alarm and sprinkler systems.
"It has been an exciting project and we are almost to our ultimate goal of restoring this iconic remnant of Mount Prospect's past."
So gather your spare change and give it to your child to help their school win the contest, or if you don't have a child in school anymore, save it up and take it to one of the public collection points by Nov. 2.
"And if you work at one of those public collection points, please bring that change to work and drop it in," Friedrichs said.
For information about the Central School restoration, call (847) 392-9006.
Participating schools are Indian Grove School, Lincoln Junior High School, Lions Park School, Prospect High School and St. Paul Lutheran School.
Public collection points are Mount Prospect Public Library, Mount Prospect Village Hall, Mount Prospect Fire Department, Mount Prospect Police Department and Mount Prospect Public Works.
The Mount Prospect Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is committed to preserving the history of Mount Prospect through artifacts, photographs and both oral and written memories of current and former residents and businesspeople.
On its campus in the heart of the village, the society maintains the 1906 Dietrich Friedrichs house museum and carriage house and an ADA-accessible education center. The society is also in the midst of an adaptive restoration of the 1896 one-room Central School, which was moved to the museum campus in 2008.
• Submit 'Your News' at www.dailyherald.com/share.