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Big Foot High School celebrates 50 years

WALWORTH — Big Foot High School is celebrating 50 years of educating students in southern Walworth County.

The small union high school, which opened Sept. 10, 1958, was created to alleviate baby-boom crowding at Darien, Sharon and Walworth high schools.

Big Foot High School has served students from Fontana, Sharon, Walworth and Linn township grade schools, which are part of the Big Foot Area Schools Association.

The 50th anniversary celebration is a chance for the high school to honor its history of collaboration, said Dorothy Kaufmann, district administrator and 1966 Big Foot High School graduate.

"It's an opportunity to celebrate the coming together of our communities for the betterment of all of our students," she said. "It's a time worthy of some significant recognition."

The school is kicking off its anniversary celebration by combining it with homecoming, which is being held early this year and typically draws a number of alumni to the area.

This year's homecoming theme is "Blast from the Past."

A committee last year began planning for the 50th anniversary celebration, Kaufmann said, and perhaps the most troublesome aspect was locating alumni. The school doesn't maintain an alumni database, she said, so committee members relied on old yearbooks and alumni who still live in the area to locate alumni elsewhere.

But the celebration isn't just about alumni, Kaufmann said. It's about former teachers, administrators and school board members, too.

"We're trying to honor the contributions that each of those groups have made," she said.

Kaufmann said Big Foot High School has a rich history, marked by a continuing emphasis on bringing together communities. She said the collaborative effort allows each community to personalize its students' education, at the same time providing a unified educational experience across communities.

"And then when the students come together at the high school, they're no longer students from each of those four communities," Kaufmann said. "They all arrive at Big Foot with a similar experience."

50TH ANNIVERSARY EVENTS

Events planned in honor of Big Foot High School’s 50th anniversary will be at the high school, 401 Devils Lane, Walworth. They include:

Thursday

-- Pig roast sponsored by the Big Foot FFA, featuring a petting zoo and other family activities.

When: 5-8 p.m.

Cost: $7 adults, $5 students.

-- Volleyball, Big Foot vs. Beloit Turner.

When: Freshman and junior varsity 5 p.m., varsity 6:30 p.m.

Cost: $3 adults, $2 students.

-- Bonfire and coronation of homecoming king and queen.

When: 8:30 p.m.

Friday

-- Homecoming parade featuring Grand Marshal Merlin Romenesko, who served as principal from 1962 to 1966 and district administrator from 1966 to 1990, the inaugural class of 1959 and other alumni.

When: 2 p.m. Participants should assemble at 1:15 p.m. in the parking lot of Faith Lutheran Church, across from the high school.

-- Homecoming football game, Big Foot vs. Clinton. Alumni will be recognized at halftime.

When: 7 p.m.

Cost: $3 adults, $2 students.

-- Alumni dance and social.

When: 9:30-11:30 p.m.

Saturday

-- Open house featuring school tours provided by the student council.

When: 1-4 p.m.