Print depicts history of Cape's public high schools

Just in time to make Christmas merrier for Central High School alumni, the Cape Girardeau Public School Foundation is selling a print depicting the five different buildings that have served as high schools in the city.

The foundation is using sales of the 300 signed, limited edition architectural renderings as its current fund raiser.

The new Central High School, dedicated in 2002, gets the biggest play in the drawing. "It has some interesting lines to it for a modern building," said Cape Girardeau artist Mark Farmer, who is best known for his renderings of the city's historical homes and buildings.

The smaller images in the 11-by-7-inch print depict the rest of the buildings that served as high schools. They are: Old Lorimier School (1873-74 and 1908-1914), now city hall; the Lincoln-J.S. Cobb School, which educated the city's black children from 1890 to 1953, when most of it was destroyed by fire; L.J Schultz School (1914-1953), now closed; and the current Central Junior High School, which served as the high school from 1953 until 2002.

Farmer worked primarily from old photographs to draw the buildings.

The foundation is marketing the prints primarily through radio ads.

Kandee Metje, public relations officer for the foundation, said most of the organization's funds have gone toward providing money to help complete the new high school. No specific use has been decided on for the funds to be raised by selling the prints. Right now the foundation is concentrating on sales.

Farmer actually completed the print about a year ago, but the push to sell them has just begun. About 15 copies of the 300 in the limited edition have been sold so far.

sblackwell@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182