06/08/2015 - German “Richtfest” Scheduled for Rilke Schule German School of Arts and Sciences (Media Advisory)
Ceremony offers thanks to those involved in the construction project
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Nanuaq Development (a joint venture of Pfeffer Development and Sitnasuak Native Corporation), Criterion General, Inc. and RIM Architects will celebrate “Richtfest” for the new Rilke Schule German School of Arts and Sciences building on Thursday, June 11, at 4:30 p.m. The event will be held at the project site at 1846 East 64th Avenue in Anchorage.
“Richtfest” is an old German tradition where people who are building a house give thanks to those involved in the project. Similar to a “topping out” ceremony, a tree known as a ‘Richtbaum’ is decorated with ribbons and raised up to the roof. Rilke Schule students and siblings will decorate the Richtbaum before it is raised, and they will be invited to leave a handprint in concrete that will ultimately be on display as art at the new school.
Rilke Schule is a public K-8th grade German language immersion charter school in the Anchorage School District. In late 2014, the governing body of the school partnered with the Anchorage School Board, District leadership and the private sector to establish an unprecedented model to design, build and finance a school. The project will result in a building large enough to house Rilke Schule’s student body of nearly 500 students, which was split between two different locations during the 2014-2015 school year. The project broke ground in February and is scheduled to be completed this fall.
At the Rilke Schule Richtfest, "Rilke Root Beer Floats" will be offered by Rilke Schule student Garrett Graham, who will be accepting donations to raise funds for the school’s new library.
Media is invited to attend Rilke Schule Richtfest. Those interested should contact Amy Slinker or Kjerstin Lastufka at the contact information above prior to the event. Media is encouraged to arrive early to capture photographs and video of the children decorating the Richtbaum prior to the ceremony. As a reminder, please wear footwear appropriate for a construction site. Parking will be available at Polaris K-12 School at 6200 Ashwood Street, which is about a 5 minute walk from the site.