Fords Middle School has been around now for 67 great years. These walls and halls were built with truth, faith and fortitude and were led with devotion, honor and respect. All of the memories beneath this school’s floor helped shape our school even more!
So now let’s conclude this historic end to this series about the history of our school, and even share some new things, too!
An end to the past…
Some side facts of important information are worth noting.
Firstly, eight different construction companies placed bids to construct our school with the offerings being more than $600,000. A meeting was held on August 21st of 1958 to decide which company was going to build our campus. The even crazier part about this is that there was a bid for this school earlier, and by the second time that they accepted bids, the offerings doubled.
Another fact about our school is that it was established and began construction on August 22, 1958 after the Woodbridge Township council decided on which construction company took the lead on building our school.
Now moving on, when our school officially opened for classes on January 18, 1960, the school launched the Falconian which is now called The Falcon’s Nest .The worst part about opening day was that the school building wasn’t fully completed. The seventh grade hallway was apparently unfinished when the school opened and the gymnasium roof was very leaky. It wasn’t easy to have classes in an unfinished building, which was clearly filled with violations and hazards. So during that summer, when the Woodbridge Township School District invested in their eight million dollar program for nine different schools, Fords received the money they needed to fix the school on June 18, 1960.
Now Fords was very important to the school district, as it helped alleviate the overcrowding in the district. Woodbridge Junior High School students were relocated to a different school instead of crowding them all into one building and having to hold night classes. After that happened, the school district invested into more projects and more junior highs were built across the entirety of Woodbridge.
A little bit of the present…
Now that we’ve ended the past, it’s time to talk a little bit about right now.
Today, FMS is still changing. One good thing about today is that Fords recently won two more district championship sports titles, which we have received many times since our school opened. Also, we still hold the title as the middle school with the best vocal and band performances.
Some things at FMS haven’t changed. For example, we are still using our trusty PBSIS points system, we are still the Falcons, and of course, we are still a great place to live and learn.
Some things we have also lost, like our school’s library that was fully removed in 2019 before covid. We have also lost the front letters that were placed outside in front of the gym saying our school name, loud and proud, that were removed due to countless acts of public vandalism. We have also lost our old memories that have drifted away from us.
And a tiny bit of the future…
The future of Fords Middle School is yet to be seen, but there still is one important event that will celebrate a big moment for this school. As said, FMS was established and began construction on August 22nd of 1958, which means that in exactly two years on the same day, Fords Middle School will be officially turning 70 years old! Seven decades of great education and seven decades of being the Falcons!
Currently though, a lot happens in this 67 year old building, but this series, as well as the school year, is ending and will conclude with this final history article.
The final ending of this great history that was told!
Since 1958, this school has been succeeding the best way that it can. It has dodged the perilous, it has survived decades of change, and it has served the Fords and Woodbridge community for many, many years and will continue on. Who knows what the future will bring to this great school.
In conclusion, for all of the past students that have stepped foot here in sixth grade and left in eightth, or entered in seventh and left in ninth, you will always remember FMS and that it is and will always be a great place to live and learn. Her hallowed halls we always love, and Fords will always be a symbol of our pride.
-The End (for real this time)
