Parks 50th Celebration

Parks+50th+Celebration

On  Oct. 27, 2022,  the Parks 50th Anniversary celebration took place and flourished with duets, choral, and orchestral performances by students that delighted the audience. Dozens of people attended the memorable event including teachers, retired staff, and community members. On top of that, D. Russell Parks’s son and grandchildren made a special appearance to honor the school’s founder.

To kick off the celebration, our principal Mrs. Laura Makely made opening remarks, and then Mr. Mark Sonny took over as emcee for the remainder of the evening. Throughout the night, many current and former staff members took the stage to talk about their time at Parks Jr. High. One particularly special moment was when Irene Landsberg shared her experience teaching at the school back in the 1980s. A few other guests who spoke at the event were former principal Larry Beaver, FSD board member Aaruni Thakur, and superintendent Dr. Robert Plekta. In addition to the wonderful speeches, current students thrilled the audience with their beautiful performances; some standouts include Choir 2’s “Lean on Me” and Orchestra’s “In the Hall of Mountain King.” All in all, everyone had a great time bonding over their love for our school.