By Angel Perkins Editor
The Etna Green Alumni Committee has been planning for an addition. Not an addition to their fellow graduates but to what is left of the building that once housed their alma mater. The idea to honor the school on a more organized level was thought about last year when Dick Long spearheaded the idea to make an area of the Heritage Park building an actual museum to carry on the memory of Etna Green High School which was almost completely torn down in the mid-1970s.
Class members held a recognition in September that began as a basketball team recognition but soon evolved into an event that honored all the clubs, teams and organizations through all the years of the former school. "It was well-received," Long said. "Afterward, I saw all the memorabilia and thought: 'there's got to be some way to display this.'"
His fellow committee members agreed and after several discussions about it, Long brought the idea before the Etna Green Town Council. "In talking to the (council) president Todd Slabaugh, the town board is very receptive to the idea," Long added.

Since then, council members (especially Charlotte Slabaugh who mailed out more than 400 donation requests to former alumni and their family members) began a crusade to earn money for their museum. The letter sent out explains the feeling behind the initiative that the former students feel so strongly about in the notations, "The school and park have been the center of Etna Green life since 1909. For alumni, this building is an icon where fond memories of our past lives as students will die when we leave this world for a greater life."
Town memorabilia is also expected to be included in the museum, to preserve the memory of a time that is hoped to be a legacy for future generations. Funds have also been sought through several grants, more promising, one to be authored through the town council and requested from the Kosciusko Community Foundation which offers applicants a (approximately) $15,000 to $20,000 "matching grant."
"I plan on displaying a graph (explaining the costs for the endeavor and the monies already collected) to the board (Etna Green Town Council) during their next meeting May 15," Long said. "I hope to have that amount ($25,000) by that time."
He said that if all the grants came through, they would have about $40,000 and would need to raise another $60,000 from outside sources to complete the project. The plans for the project include a 900-square-foot addition to the standing structure at a measurement of approximately  35 1/2 feet by 29 1/2 feet.
Scearce and Rudisel of Warsaw is the firm the committee sought to hire for the job and the generous architect agreed to deduct  $2,500 of her fee as an in-service contribution and agreed to accept a mere $500 down with a $500 payment once the work was completed. Another estimate, this one from Bambi's Roofing, gave an estimated cost of $5,000 to repair and reinforce the building's roof.             Much-needed repair of the existing building's windows would cost an additional  $8,500-which is included in the overall price tag of $100,000-but that would be held in contingency since that work will need to be done, museum addition or not. Charlotte Slabaugh noted that if the group could not raise the projected amount, what was collected would remain in the Etna Green Park fund.
The school bell, which also serves a reminder that a school was previously situated at the grounds of the park remains, and would continue to be preserved with a small area left for it to be a center focus. Alumni committee members asked that any laborers willing to donate their time, skills, supplies or money toward the museum and building repair contact them, the town council or mail donations to the Kosciusko County Community Foundation Inc., 102 E. Market St., Warsaw, IN, 46580.
Checks should include the notation stating that the funds are for the Etna Green Museum Fund and those donations are tax deductible. The former students' objective is to collect all donations before the first of June.            Provided they can collect the total estimated amount, they hope to begin the project before the fall for a projected completion during spring of 2009-which would serve as a fitting 100-year memorial for the first graduating class.