It’s hard to believe it’s been 25 years since Chautauqua Lake Central School opened its doors.

School officials plan to host an open house on Oct. 4 to commemorate the occasion complete with a video presentation, guided walking tours of the building, and a brunch. Festivities will begin at 9:30 a.m. and conclude around noon.

Twenty five years is a long time, and we hope the Mayville and Chautauqua communities take a moment this year to celebrate both their school building and the vote that created it. Because if you think 25 years is a long time, consider the fact that February will mark the 30th anniversary of the public vote that officially merged the Mayville and Chautauqua school districts.

There have been no other successful mergers in the three decades since in Chautauqua County – though Cattaraugus and Little Valley voters approved a merger of those two small districts in 2000 and subsequently built their own new building. In fact, Chautauqua Lake is part of the only other significant developments since then when it comes to how students are educated with its agreement to accept Ripley High School students on a tuition basis. After an interim period when both Ripley and Chautauqua Lake graduates were honored at graduation, now there is only one graduation class – that of Chautauqua Lake Central School.

A lot has changed in the years since. Schools now share more than they ever thought of back in 1996. Schools share transportation supervisors, office positions, psychiatrists, counselors and nurses, in some cases. It’s more common now to see a shared sports team than it is a sports team comprised of students from one school district. The sharp lines that made the Mayville-Chautauqua merger such a big decision in 1996 have been blurred to the point of invisibility in the ensuing 29.5 years. Yet, we haven’t been able to get over the hump when it comes to merging school districts despite the academic success that has been seen at Chautauqua Lake over the years. The school typically ranks highly on state measurements and offers a boatload of elective courses to its students. The shiny new building that Chautauqua Lake school district residents are celebrating this year has been matched by a shiny, successful curriculum that has allowed the district to offer more courses that prepare its graduates for college or a job. This year’s anniversary of the Chautauqua Lake Central School building should also serve as an opportunity to celebrate other positive aspects of the county’s last school district merger.

We may have an opportunity in the next few years. Panama, Clymer and Sherman are in the early steps of a potential merger after an exit poll during each of the schools’ budget vote showed a majority of voters in each district wanted to undertake a merger feasibility study. It’s the beginning of a process that won’t always be a walk down the Yellow Brick Road. The Mayville-Chautauqua merger was contentious in the months leading up to the February 1996 merger vote – and look where the district is now. It’s something Clymer, Sherman and Panama voters should keep in mind over the next couple of years.