April 10, 2024
Flagstaff Middle School (FMS) holds a special place in the hearts of many in the Flagstaff community. The building, which opened its doors in 1970, served as a hub of education and community engagement for decades. As the school is currently undergoing demolition, which began on April 18, 2024, to make way for a new era with the construction of Marshall Elementary School, former FMS administrators Bob Kuhn, Kent Powell, and Bill Williams reflect fondly on their time at FMS and the impact it had on generations of students.
Bob Kuhn taught at FMS for seven years, five years as a teacher from 1992 to 1997, and then as the principal from 1997 to 1999. He reminisced about the building’s unique design, which still stands out today.
“The building opened in the early 1970s as an open podular system,” said Kuhn as he reflected on his time at FMS. “It was neat… it was designed with interconnected pods for different subjects like English, math, and history. This layout encouraged team teaching and collaboration among teachers. But as teachers moved on, it became too loud for some. It was a very popular system in the ‘70s and ‘80s, but most people [eventually] got rid of it.”
Kent Powell, who began his tenure at FMS as a history teacher in 1972 and eventually principal, echoed Kuhn’s sentiments.
“It was an open concept. We had pods, and each pod had four classrooms,” Powell recalled. “Acoustically, my kids could hear me, and I could hear them. Unless the teacher was really, really loud, you didn’t have the feedback with other teachers and everything.”
Bill Williams, who served as the principal of Flagstaff Junior High School, the predecessor to FMS, from 1970 to 1976, highlighted the educational philosophy of that era.
“We were totally involved in working together, a lot of cooperative kinds of stuff, and making that work, and I think we did,” Williams recalled. “The building was an open-space school, and we had several pods that accommodated teaching teams, particularly for English and social studies. It was more than an experiment—it was what we were all about.”
Despite its unique design, FMS fostered a sense of camaraderie among students and staff.
“It was a great place to work. The esprit de corps, with the faculty and the kids, it was really a good fit at the time,” Powell remarked. “A lot of fun, a lot of people got to know each other.”
Over the years, FMS underwent changes in response to shifts in enrollment and educational needs.
“[FUSD] did a big restructuring in 2009 and closed down or retired a number of schools,” Powell explained. “That was it. When Sinagua closed as a high school, and we dropped back, I think we dropped back to about 650 students at that point.”
Despite its closure in 2010, FMS’s legacy lives on through the memories and achievements of its students and staff.
“A lot of students have had so much success in so many different fields,” Powell reflected. “We’ve had doctors, lawyers, and a couple of generals in the military. We’ve had politicians, and we’ve had all kinds of students who have gone through FMS.”
As the community watches the ongoing demolition of FMS with a sense of nostalgia and anticipation for the future, there is a collective gratitude for the memories and relationships forged within its walls.
“It was such a special place, a good educational place. It was excellent,” Powell concluded.
Though the building may soon be gone, the spirit of Flagstaff Middle School will continue to inspire future generations of learners in Flagstaff and beyond.
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