Move Of Wolfie To Impressive Site Among Improvements
A move for “Wolfie” to a more observed area is just one of the improvements that the Wolf Point School board has approved to create a more appealing atmosphere in the school’s lobby area.
Wolf Point superintendent of schools Loverty Erickson, alumni Class of 1996, said the “changes are being made as part of the students’ request to establish an increased sense of pride for both the students and the community in addition to preservation. The taxidermized white wolf was donated by the Class of 1971. There are also two large landscaped murals in the high school lobby painted by local famed artist Tenny DeWitt.
Erickson said both are integral parts of the students of Wolf Point School District’s lives who grew up looking at them.
“These need to be properly labeled, displayed and preserved for the future students of the district,” she said.
“Wolfie” will be encased in museum quality, non-reflective, UNV protective glass with a customized surrounding bench. Outside the glass will be artificial prairie grass and sage brush to create a look of “Wolfie” standing in the wild overlooking, scouting and protecting his pack.
Four custom hand-sewn flags representing Wolf Point High School will be suspended above each side of the glass enclosure of “Wolfie.” Designs of the flags will include the Wolf Point High School mascot and class mottos such as “Leave No One Behind” and “We Are One Pack.” Designs of the flags will include the Wolf Point High School mascot and class mottos. As each class graduates, the class president will be responsible to take the flag for safe keeping until their prospective class reunions.
Other improvements in the lobby will include:
• Updating and redesigning the current Academic Hall of Fame photos using laser printed glass.
• The painting of walls with maroon, white and light gray with black trim and new base board. A wolf pack silhouette design will be painted along the wall of the lobby to provide a fresh, creative look. The end of the mural will feature the quote from Rudyard Kipling, “for the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack.”
• The lobby’s vaulted ceiling will be scraped of the popcorn ceiling, resprayed with a smooth finish and repainted to a fresh clean white color.
• There will be the addition of new bulletin boards to promote and inspire Wolf Point students.
• A hand-painted prairie scene to take the place of the current setting of “Wolfie” and hold Wolf Point High School’s buffalo hide and skull from the school’s first buffalo hunt in 2019.
•The buffalo hide from the 2019 buffalo hunt will be stretched and displayed in a school district’s gym.
• The reposition of current seating areas to make better use of the floor plan. The change will make for an easier pathway yet still allow for the socializing of students and visitors to the high school lobby.
The school’s newly formed facility committee selected the design and approved to include the project as an agenda item at the board of trustee’s regular board meeting in March 2022. The facility committee is made of community members, district members and two board of trustee members.
The facility committee welcomes any community input on backstories to help assist in the final plaques and insights the design team may need to bring the spirit of the wolf back to where it belongs, in the lobby.
