Photo by Ryan Ottney | Daily Times

New Boston School is auctioning the contents of Oak and Stanton schools today (Jan. 1) to empty the buildings before demolition. The district opened a new Pre-K through 12 school building this year and will demolition Oak and Stanton schools after nearly 100 years of use.

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Ryan Scott Ottney

PDT Staff Writer

NEW BOSTON —For many people, a new year means a fresh start — a time to clear out the attic and get rid of the past to make room for the future. That’s exactly what New Boston School is doing today, by auctioning off the contents of Stanton and Oak schools before the buildings are demolished.

The first auction begins today (Jan. 1) at 9 a.m., at Stanton Elementary School on Stanton Avenue. This is followed by another auction at Oak Intermediate School, on the corner of Oak and Harrisonville at noon. Items being auctioned include kitchen and cafeteria equipment, playground equipment, computers, printers, copiers, desks, chairs, elevators, boilers, doors, and even ceiling tiles. A photo gallery of some of the items is available on auctionzip.com, with auction ID No. 9055.

Money raised at the auction will be used for student programs and services.

New Boston School District was created in 1893, in a one-room school building on Stanton Avenue in New Boston. In 1913, Oak and Stanton schools were opened, and the high school opened in 1917 on Glenwood Avenue. In 2008, voters approved a local tax levy to pay 13 percent of the cost for a new pre-K through 12 school building on Lakeview Avenue. The remaining 87 percent was paid for by the state of Ohio. Ground was broken in April 2011, and the new school opened for students in November 2012.

After today’s auction, Oak and Stanton schools will be ready for demolition, and the school district will keep the land. The high school on Glenwood Avenue was sold to the South Eastern Ohio Education Service Center for $1, and will not be demolished. The contents of Glenwood High School have been moved to Oak and Stanton for auction.

New Boston Superintendent Mike Staggs previously explained that as condition for state funding the new school, the district could not use any of the old items in the new school.

“They expect everything to be new in the new building. They won’t let you take desks and tables and things that are old,” Staggs said. “They have their rules, and we will follow since they provided 87 percent of the funding.”

Saying goodbye to nearly 100 years of history can be a very difficult.

“Johnnie Steele (of Steele Auctions) is doing our auction, and Johnnie is a New Boston guy. When he goes through getting stuff ready to sell, he was at times very emotional about it because it was stuff that he remembers when he went to Stanton. It’s bittersweet because it is stuff that has a lot of memories to a lot of people,” Staggs said.

Two items that the district will save, Staggs said, is the dedication plaques hanging on Oak and Stanton schools. Those, he said, will be moved to the new building to remember the school’s history.

Ryan Scott Ottney can be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 287, or rottney@heartlandpublications.com.