HIBBING - When the Hibbing High School Class of 2024 proudly crossed the stage graduation night a month ago, they followed the first class to cross that stage 100 years ago. The majestic school, the “Castle in the Wilderness,” has welcomed students and visitors for 100 years. That proud heritage will be celebrated from Saturday, July 6 through Friday, July 12.
Visit the website www.hibbinghs100.org for a full schedule of events. There are events each evening beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the High School’s Auditorium, plus other events at different times as noted on the schedule. For instance, guided bus tours of Hibbing are scheduled at different times throughout the week.
All are invited to attend these events, not just alumni of Hibbing High School.
Each evening celebrates a special aspect of the school’s 100 years. Music and guest speakers will highlight the history being honored throughout this special anniversary.
Saturday, July 6th—Celebrating the Arts (Opening Ceremonies)
Sunday, July 7th—Celebrating Athletics
Monday, July 8th—Celebrating Academics
Tuesday, July 9th—Celebrating Alumni Music & Memories
Wednesday, July 10th—Celebrating the Auditorium
Thursday, July 11th—Celebrating Music at HHS
Friday, July 12th—Celebrating 100 Years of HHS (Closing Ceremonies)
The building, which was constructed from 1920 through 1923 and dedicated in 1924, originally housed grades kindergarten through junior college. There are still living alumni who attended school in the same building for 15 years. Gradually, the elementary classes were moved out into new elementary schools and, in 1968, the new junior college campus was built.
The Saturday, July 6, opening evening of this 100-year birthday party, celebrates the Arts. The ornate auditorium, the final portion of the building to be completed, has been the setting of a great many fine music and theatre productions in the past 100 years.
Professional orchestras such as the Boston Pops, New York Symphony Orchestra, and the Minnesota Orchestra have performed on the stage. Both the high school and junior college, when it was housed in the building, had large choirs, bands, and orchestras. Today’s Hibbing High School music programs, both vocal and instrumental, continue the tradition of providing wonderful entertainment for the community while teaching students the life-long joys and skills of music.
In terms of the theatre program, fully staged musicals and straight show (non-musical) productions, both from the high school and the junior college, have filled the auditorium with melodies, laughter and tears. Gilbert and Sullivan light operas, as well as musicals such as “My Fair Lady,” “Carnival,” and “Jesus Christ Superstar,” played to audiences that filled the 1,800 seats. Straight shows like “The Crucible,” “Medea,” and “The Skin of our Teeth,” entertained people of all ages.
On July 6, a rededication of the school will be a part of the evening’s program with both Hibbing Mayor Peter Hyduke (Class of 1975) and Hibbing Schools Superintendent Richard Aldrich (Class of 1988) taking part.
That evening, a selection of songs from the musical “Growin’ Pains” will be performed by Diana Giombetti, Amy Koivisto, and Megan Reynolds. “Growin’ Pains” is a musical about Hibbing and Mesabi Iron Range history. It was written by Donald Peterson (Class of 1951) to celebrate Minnesota’s 100th anniversary of statehood. The full musical has been staged in 1958, 1968, 1976, and 1993.
The Crescendo Orchestra will also perform that evening.
Years of Yore Writer to Speak
Many of you are familiar with me from reading my weekly Years of Yore articles. Now you can come and hear me speak! I am very honored to be giving a presentation at the July 6 opening night celebration. As a Hibbing High School graduate (Class of 1975) and the daughter of graduates from two other Iron Range school systems—my Dad from Chisholm and my Mom from Keewatin—both of whom became teachers, as did I, the schools on the Range have always been important to me.
My presentation is titled “The Schools That Did It All,” sharing the story of the schools here on the Range that educated the children from 43 different ethnic groups. The schools taught the basics, but also taught subjects like music and industrial arts. There were medical personnel on the staffs. And, in the evenings, the schools welcomed in the adults, teaching them English and preparing them to take the Citizenship Test and become Americans.
It’s a beautiful history. My presentation is accompanied by historic photographs of schools from several Iron Range communities, as well as teachers and students from those schools.
I have presented this talk several times in the past couple of years across the Iron Range and also in St. Paul.
It is hard to imagine a more beautiful sight than the school in the evening, lit up to welcome an audience. Then, the lights in the auditorium’s chandeliers dim, and the performance begins. Come enjoy the celebration of the history of Hibbing High School and the joy that is still to come in the future.
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