The Oshkosh Area School District (OASD) will be giving away free keepsake bricks from the former Merrill Elementary and Middle School building to families and community members.

The brick giveaway will take place at the OASD Maintenance Building located at 1404 S Main Street. Distribution will be drive-up style - please turn onto E 14th Avenue and exit via Pioneer Drive. Bricks will be available during two designated pickup times:

• Tuesday, May 6, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
• Wednesday, May 7, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

A total of 1,000 bricks were harvested and cleaned from the most historic part of the building for community distribution. There is a limit of one brick per family, on a first-come, first-served basis. If bricks remain after the May 7 pickup, an additional date and time will be communicated.

These special bricks were carefully salvaged during the demolition process. In addition to the community keepsake bricks, bricks were carefully salvaged and preserved for the Merrill Memorial Corner that is currently under construction at the former Merrill site.

Merrill Memorial Corner Update

Work has begun on the Merrill Memorial Corner at the southwest corner of the former Merrill site. This memorial will honor the legacies of three influential figures: James Merrill, the building's namesake; Henry Auler, the architect who designed the building; and Harold Schumerth, a beloved teacher and football coach.

Additionally, the district is relocating or making plans for other memorials that were on the former Merrill site. Specifically, the memorial plaque for Christine Fredrick, a former Merrill student who passed away in 7th grade, will be included near the memorial corner, and the family of Denise Williams, a former Merrill student who also passed away in 7th grade, will select a tree in the memorial to pay tribute to Denise. 

The district understands that generations of students, families, and residents have shared experiences and formed bonds with this space, including at Schumerth Field, which formerly stood where Vel Phillips Middle School now exists. The memorial is scheduled to be completed this fall, along with the track and field for Vel Phillips Middle School, with a public dedication ceremony planned for fall 2025.

Detailed design plans for the track and field facility and Memorial Corner can be viewed online; direct link: Merrill Memorial Concept

OASD Long-range Facilities Plan

The northside consolidation of the former Merrill and Webster Stanley Middle Schools into Vel Phillips Middle School, along with the consolidation of the former Merrill, Washington, and Webster Stanley Elementary Schools into Menominee Elementary School, was part of Phase 1 of the District's long-range facilities plan. Recently, on April 1, Oshkosh voters approved the District's $197.8 million referendum that will make Phase 2 possible. This phase includes the westside consolidation of South Park and Perry Tipler Middle Schools into a new middle school on the Shapiro site, and the consolidation of Shapiro and Roosevelt into expanded Franklin, Oakwood, and Carl Traeger Elementary Schools, as well as a dedicated pre-kindergarten center and recreation department at the Tipler site. Also included in the voter-approved referendum is a new auditorium at Oshkosh North and air conditioning at Emmeline Cook, Lakeside, and Read Elementary Schools. 

To learn more about the District's facilities plan please visit oshkosh.k12.wi.us/facilities/facilities-consolidation-plan.