was that the architect believed the building could be saved. The bad news was that he estimated it would take $ 425,000 to do so.
They didn’ t know where the money would come from, but Megenity and Hickerson vowed to raise it. They sold dill pickles for a $ 1 at Harvest Homecoming. With no prior experience, they applied for grants and sought donations.
Those efforts paid off slowly, until one day, Megenity checked his mail and was shocked to find out they would be receiving a $ 62,000 grant to restore the building. They knew they were on their way, but there was work still to be done.
By 2002, the board had collected a little over $ 200,000. They took their case to the Caesars Foundation, hoping for perhaps a $ 25,000 grant to help the cause.
A few months later, the Caesars Foundation held its grant announcement ceremony. Hickerson and Megenity waited anxiously as the foundation’ s executive director at the time, Jerry Finn, announced grants to several local organizations.
Near the end of the ceremony, Finn mentioned they still had one small grant to give out. Then he pulled out a huge check with $ 200,000 written on it. The recipient was Division Street.
“ Kathryn had tears in her eyes and said,“ Vic, we’ re going to do it aren’ t we’,” Megenity said.“ I said yes, Kathryn, we’ re going to do it.”
The goal wasn’ t just to restore the building, but also to re-establish it as a working classroom. Two teachers were hired to help with curriculum, and by 2005, four pilot classes were introduced.
DREAM REALIZED
Beginning in 2006, fourth grade classes in the New Albany-Floyd County Schools system spend a day at Division Street experiencing an important history lesson.
With federal changes pushed by President Donald Trump and Indiana officials limiting diversity, equity and inclusion programming, there was concern that those trips to Division Street could be in jeopardy.
But NAFCS Superintendent Travis Madison, who is a member of the Division Street board, said the classes will continue at the school. He said officials vetted the trips and felt they aren’ t“ anything that would fall into violation.”
He emphasized the importance of students visiting not just Division Street but other historical places in the community.
The Division Street School in New Albany has been preserved to tell the history of the former segregated school for Black students.
12 DIVERSITY July | August 2025