If the walls of Treasure Mountain Junior High could talk, what would they say?
That’s the question Park City School District asked students, parents, teachers and community members to consider during a “Sweet Goodbye” celebration this week.
Dozens of people swept in and out of the junior high on Wednesday afternoon as part of an open house and final walkthrough ceremony, with the closure of the 43-year-old school coinciding with the end of the academic year and demolition set for the fall.
District administrators, longtime teachers and former students reminisced about the school’s history and the generational legacy it left on Park City.
“Treasures of the heart are the most valuable of all,” district Superintendent Lyndsay Huntsman said.
Huntsman acknowledged the history of Treasure Mountain — named for the silver mines in the area — as a middle school, an international school, and subsequently, a junior high. Later, the school became a “mine of a different kind” loaded with treasured memories of students and teachers.
She expressed gratitude for the opportunity to mark the closing of the building as a celebrated institution in the community. People would come through the doors for class, to vote, to attend a play.
Former Treasure Mountain Junior High Principal Caleb Fine, who will become the new high school principal next school year, agreed. He reflected on the school’s unique spirit and educational approach. Teamwork defined the school, allowing relationships and positive attitudes to serve at the forefront of education.
“People don’t just work at Treasure, they treasure it,” he said.
In an interview with The Park Record before the event, Fine emphasized the school’s tight-knit staff made the building a special place that felt like a home away from home. The preteen students were at a unique time in their lives while learning to be adults — exuding a vulnerable maturity and sense of quirkiness.
Treasure Mountain Junior High Co-Principal Isaiah Folau experienced that first hand as a student in the building. He can still remember lunch with friends, athletic competitions and a memorable history lesson about the “haves and the have-nots” from Kevin McIntosh. McIntosh, who died in a motorcycle accident in 2021, later served as assistant principal to Bob O’Connor at Treasure Mountain.
Folau said it’s been powerful to work alongside his former teachers as co-principal, which allowed him to create new memories with them as colleagues.
“The brick and mortar of the building is coming to a close, but those memories, those ideas, those experiences, they live,” he said.
Longtime administrative secretary Bev Pacal, the first face people walking into the junior high see, said the school’s closure has stirred up a lot of emotions, including nostalgia, pride and sadness.
Pacal started with the school district in 1994 as a teacher’s aide before she was “roped into” the counseling office. Eventually, she moved to the front office and became an integral force in the building. Soon, she’ll transition to the front office of Park City High School for the 2025-26 school year.
Former Treasure Mountain Middle School librarian Heidi Matthews, the community relations specialist for the district’s Family and Community Engagement Team, said nothing much happened at Treasure Mountain without Pacal.
Many teachers who worked in the building said it was their favorite part of their careers because of the family-feeling that administrators fostered. Pacal said the staff took the time to get to know each other and spent time with one another outside of Treasure Mountain. That way, if something happened, they would be there to provide support on the inside.
The students made the experience special, too. Pacal also noted that preteens are at a quirky time in their lives filled with self-discovery and identity. Treasure Mountain staff had a key role in helping the kids learn who they are and who they want to be.
The Park Record collected stories from community members about Treasure Mountain Junior High and how they feel about the closure. All responses were submitted by alumni:
- Juliana Duran Townes said she moved to the United States from Colombia when she was 11. Treasure Mountain Middle School, as it was formerly called, was her first experience in a school in the U.S. She vividly remembers living in Prospector and Park Meadows and walking to school with a Walkman between the years of 2003 and 2006.
“I remember the school being so packed with students that I would be afraid standing in the hallways when the bell rang and students poured out of the classrooms. Another vivid memory was having to eat in the bathroom because it was better than being seen eating alone in the cafeteria. I do have fun memories of staying after school to play hide and seek with friends and drama class being so fulfilling and interactive.”
- Jonna Christison Sutterfield said growing up in the ’90s in a small town was epic. The group of kids and the memories they all made are hard to beat. Memorable teachers include Mr. McDonald, Ms. Bacon, Mr. Griffith and former Principal Dr. Brian Schiller.
“It was most of my elementary/middle school time. I attended 4th-8th and I have vivid memories of Dr. Schiller, the dark auditorium, Mr. Witt, school plays and growing up with the same people from Parleys Park.”
- Justin Olsen, of Silver Creek, said his formative years were spent at Treasure Mountain Middle School. He remembers the amazing rock music during the 1990s, which reverberated off the middle school halls. Olsen also remembers when his friend Robert lost his eye in a nasty ski accident in sixth grade. Robert was gone from school for around three months, and would pop out his glass eye in class.
“You could always count on seeing your friends, that girl you had a crush on and some killer meatloaf on Thursdays at our beloved Treasure Mountain Middle School.”
- Ingrid Jorgensen, of Park City, said Treasure Mountain was the place where she started to come of age. The teachers taught her how to advocate for herself and helped her grow up.
“My 8th grade year, the student body planned to play an April Fool’s Day prank on the administration. We all agreed to be late for class during 4-Red that day. The plan was spread through word-of-mouth and text messages. The school’s rule was that if you were late for class, you needed to get a late pass from the office. At the start of 4-Red that day, all the students in the school swarmed around the attendance office, asking for a late pass. The principal came out to see what was going on. When he realized this was just some April Fool’s Day tomfoolery, he simply said, ‘All right, get to class!’ and had good humor about it.”
- Angela Brandon said her time at Treasure Mountain taught her what it means to be there for a friend and how teachers would show amazing empathy to students who were having a hard time. Many teachers, including Susie Graves, Iris Durfee, Teri Wiss, made a lasting impact.
“I remember having band concerts in the lunchroom and even in the gym. I also remember lots of school dances that were held not long after school got out for the day. … I loved going on the Travel Study Trips! The years I went, one trip was to Washington D.C. and Philadelphia and the other was to New York City and Boston. I also loved Band with the late Mr. Hunhky, and the late Jim Santy.”