On July 18, the Carbon School District held a surplus sale in the parking lot of Carbon High School. During said surplus sale, a statue was placed outside among many other things to be sold.
This statue wasn’t just any statue, it was none other than the Dino statue created by world renowned artist and sculptor, Gary Prazen. Carbon High’s graduating class of 1997 had raised money to purchase the Dino statue as their senior gift, which became a staple in the décor and history at Carbon High School.
Prazen, born and raised in Carbon County, became a well-known artist with sculptures that can be found all around the globe in museums, city parks, lodges and even the Disneyland Hotel.
Community members quickly rushed to social media to report that the Dino statue had been sold for $500 and was currently on display in someone’s front yard located on Highway 10. This caused an uproar on social media from much of the graduating class of 1997, but also others who feel as though Carbon High tradition and history are slowly being erased or diminished with the new remodel.
Community members rallied in an attempt to have the Dino returned to its rightful home, and it worked. Only three days after the statue was sold, Carbon High issued a refund to the man who made the purchase and had the 1997 Dino statue returned to Carbon High School.
However, this incident has caused many previous Carbon High graduates to question where many of the previous senior gifts had gone, with mention to the handprints that had been painted over, the class bell of 1979 and many of the trophies that had previously been on display.
It has been confirmed that there was some miscommunication in regard to which items were supposed to be included in the sale. It was stated that the individuals helping with the sale were not employees of Carbon High, but of Carbon School District and were unaware that the statue was not intended to be included in the surplus sale.
Principal Jared Hardy of Carbon High School advised that they are still working through a few things in regard to the sale of the statue, but he did not want to go into details at the time being. Hardy did however confirm that a refund had been issued and the Dino statue had been returned, but as of right now, they are unsure as to where the Dino statue will be placed.