Where a plain support pillar once stood outside the high school commons, a new symbol of community pride now reaches toward the roof.

On Saturday afternoon, Jan. 17, a crowd gathered to witness the raising of a seven-foot totem pole designed specifically for the middle and high schools. The project turned a routine maintenance issue into a work of art that honors the history of the region.

The idea started this past summer when Kevin McAllister, the school district’s maintenance director, discovered the original entrance was falling apart.

“The framing and everything in the face of that overhang area was rotten,” McAllister said. “It was so bad, we could demolish it with our hands and just pull pieces off.”

After removing the damaged pillar, McAllister felt inspired by other totem raisings that occurred in town last July. He envisioned a carved pole taking the place of the old beam and reached out to carver Mike Hoyt to see if it was possible.

“I talked to Mike about the possibility of carving a pole for us, and he said he would do it if we provided the log,” McAllister said.

Schools Superintendent Joshua Garrett supported the plan immediately. After the school board gave its approval, the project started moving along.

During the installation, the crew ran into a small challenge. The totem was slightly too tall to fit under the overhang. To fix the issue, McAllister had to trim about an inch off the bottom of the pole, taking extra wood Hoyt had left for that exact reason. After making some small adjustments to the spacers at the base, the pole slid perfectly into place.

For Hoyt, the project was personal. Before the ceremony began, he spoke to the crowd about his family’s deep roots in the school system.

“My mom attended here. Both of my grandmothers were cheerleaders here,” Hoyt said. “The thought of doing something for the school was really exciting.”

“Since the red cedar log was donated to the school by Michael Matney, and Michael Hoyt carved the totem in the WCA carving shed, I have asked (shop teacher) Winston Davies to laser engrave a plaque honoring the Native culture and the people who made this possible for us,” McAllister said in a report for the school board’s Jan. 19 meeting.

“The design for this plaque has yet to be determined.”

While the high school entrance is now complete, McAllister said the district is not finished yet. The goal is to have a totem pole carved for Evergreen Elementary School. Although there is no official timeline for the second pole, officials hope to have it standing within the year.