A brief look back in time at Paden City would show a thriving little community with plenty to do, a community school nearly filled to the brim, that produced scholars and athletes. Times have changed, class sizes have dropped with the passing years from 60-65 kids per class down to 18-25. Education at the school has been lacking in the core subjects for several years. Especially math! There have always been great teachers at the school, but recent problems finding certified teachers has made it difficult to provide what the children need.

Just 40 to 50 years ago a family in Paden City had all they needed right there in town.

There were several filling stations (for you younger people that is a gas station or carryout) there were three or four grocery stores, a couple hardware stores, two or three restaurants, several bars, a clothing store, a furniture store, a new car dealership, a couple used car lots, a doctor’s office, a dentist, two drug (pharmacy) stores, always a pizza shop, a butcher shop, two barber shops, three factories, and 3,500 people. Plus much more!

What they didn’t didn’t have were cell phones. No texting, no emails, no social media posts, and no computers in the classroom. Most families had one vehicle that averaged getting around 12,000 miles a year put on it. There was a bus stop where you could catch a ride to New Martinsville for 10 cents. But, it wasn’t used much because everything was right there in town. Slowly things started changing. Jobs left the area, plants closed, and people moved and died off. Our school started losing students as well. As time went by, little by little most of the small town businesses closed. When the town’s major employer Corning Glass Works closed their doors, not much was left. The community can be thankful we still have two factories in operation, however they are not the type of employers that can support a family in today’s world.

So as things go, so does the population and enrollment in the town schools.

We will miss Paden City and Hundred high schools. They brought us lots of joy over the years, our trophy cases were full, our fellow students learned a lot. We had excellent teachers, coaches, and Principals. Many of our students went on to become professionals in their fields. Some became Doctors, Lawyers, Professors, and even a Federal Judge. Some became laborers and stayed close to raise families, however most moved on for better opportunities.

Our community schools began feeling the brunt of things in the early 2000’s. Back in 2010 there was a push towards consolidation that fell to the wayside as residents rose up in opposition. At that time promises were made but were hard to keep. The board of education was told that school enrollment was on the rise, that businesses were being looked at to help the population loss, and every effort would be made to keep students from going elsewhere. However change didn’t occur as promised and enrollment went further south.

It does appear that community schools are disappearing at an alarming rate and being replaced by larger, more efficient, and modern learning facilities. It is happening statewide and is not an isolated issue. The trend is to cut expenses while providing better educational opportunities for all students. The future of education across America is changing as well. More and more we are seeing public schools replaced with other education institutions. While we will always cherish our own educational experiences, so will those that follow us. As we enter a new chapter of education in Wetzel County let us be strong supporters of our schools. Let’s help make our school system the best it can be, one we can all be proud to send our children to. A place where they can be safe, appreciated, and well educated. A place where they can excel in whatever they choose. They deserve the best, let’s give it to them.