A New Look: Structural Components of New Metz
A Farewell Party
In May 1990, the Metz community gathered at the old school building to say good-bye after 74 years. They celebrated the occasion with student lambada dancing, pizza and pickles, and alumni returning to help their favorite teachers pack. Although they knew that they would miss the old building, most community members were optimistic that the Metz spirit would remain wherever the future would take them.
It would be a couple of years, however, before the Metz community would have their new school building. First, students and teachers had to be moved to a temporary school location in order for demolition to start.
The Temporary School
During the new building's construction process, most Metz students and faculty used the Webb Middle School building in north Austin. An article in the American-Statesman reads, “The Webb campus [was] vacant because Webb students [were] returning to home campuses or going to Read Elementary School.” Because the Webb school building was not made for elementary school children, some of the teachers had to make accommodations. For example, teacher Lupe Ramos was placed in a drama classroom, and had to stop her kids from jumping off of the stage.
Since the bus ride from the Metz neighborhood to Webb was about 25 minutes, parents with safety concerns were allowed to ride with their children on the bus to school. Then, the bus would drop the parents back off at their homes during the middle and high school routes. Lorraine “Grandma” Camacho was a frequent rider with her second-grade granddaughter.
Not all the students and staff, however, moved to Webb. Some parents opted for their kids to attend schools closer to home, and there were a few staff sent to several different schools. The students and faculty remained in their "substitute schools" for just about two years as the construction workers and architects worked hard to create the new Metz Elementary School building.