plum grove junior high school was built in 1961 for the cost of $1.1 million; the school was opened in september 1962. it started as a 28,000 square foot, one-story, k-8 school with a partial basement. the school was designed for 380 students at the time. gene shull was chosen to be the first principal of the school, a position he held until 1969. it was heated by a main boiler and was ventilated by opening windows and doors. fresh air was reduced for students and staff when fire codes demanded that doors be kept closed. in 1966, a $1.9 million referendum allowed the building to double in size and add newer classrooms that were equipped with small unit ventilators. the school reopened in the fall of 1968. in 1970, it was made exclusively a junior high school.