 Can Our Schoolhouse Participate?
Of course! It is all about community engagement and getting the word out about having fun. Schoolhouses are fun, aren't they? This year National Night Out will be held nationally on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, (and in Texas, the first Tuesday of October.) From the NNO website... "National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. Furthermore, it provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances. Millions of neighbors take part in National Night Out across thousands of communities from all fifty states, U.S. territories and military bases worldwide on the first Tuesday in August (Texas and select areas celebrate on the first Tuesday in October). Neighborhoods host block parties, festivals, parades, cookouts and various other community events with safety demonstrations, seminars, youth events, visits from emergency personnel, exhibits and much, much more." In addition to meeting the police departments, many civic groups will have tables and displays set up to introduce families to the various opportunities available in their area. The Merrimack Historical Society in New Hampshire, for example, will greet families and get the word out about the schoolhouse being restored with a planned opening this fall. They will give each family a 1800's reproduction reader, a flyer, alphabet cookies, and have a fun photo op sitting at a schoolhouse desk or dunce stool. You can think of oodles of ways to "bring your schoolhouse" to this fun event! For more information for this year or next... website below:
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 Make Your Schoolhouse a Destination Where DO I start? I had never heard of the Clio app until I attended the 2025 CSAA County School Conference at Marshall University in June. Just one more reason to attend a conference...theclio.com Clio is your ultimate "tour by locals." People and institutions who like a historical place enough to create a walking, video, or audio tour of an interesting site find their niche on Clio! This app allows you to share your passion for fascinating places...for FREE. There are thousands of them already created and ready for your enjoyment. Here is the description from the Marshall University website where the app was created by Dr. David Trowbridge. "Clio is a mobile app and website that connects thousands of people to historic and cultural sites around the United States. Created by Dr. David Trowbridge of Marshall University, Clio is driven by a nationwide network of contributors from communities and institutions—including classes at universities and colleges—who know their history and want to share it with the world." This post will put you in touch with all the information you need to highlight your schoolhouse or historic village. You will find instructional videos on how to create your site on YouTube and detailed information on the Clio website. Rosenwald School Voices Sometimes a relevant post finds us and this one is priceless! The Virginia Museum of History and Culture in Richmond recently featured an exhibit entitled,"A BETTER LIFE FOR THEIR CHILDREN: JULIUS ROSENWALD, BOOKER T. WASHINGTON, AND THE 4,978 SCHOOLS THAT CHANGED AMERICA." Although it was a limited time photographic exhibition, the story lives on in a number of video interviews with alumni who attended those schools. The museum continues to share those stories with us on their website, and what a treasure. (Find the link below.) From the VMHC website: "This exhibition explores the history and legacy of one of the most transformative educational initiatives in American history forged by Booker T. Washington, a Black educator, and Julius Rosenwald, a Jewish businessman and philanthropist. Between 1912 and 1937, their program provided seed money to build thousands of schools for Black children across the segregated South. These schools countered the deep educational disparities during Jim Crow and had a profound and lasting impact on our nation. Inspired by this remarkable story, contemporary photographer Andrew Feiler traveled around the South to document Rosenwald schools and their communities. This exhibition showcases 26 of his photographs and stories. In addition, there is a VMHC-organized section devoted to Rosenwald schools in Virginia with historical artifacts, images, oral histories with alumni, and interactive elements. Feiler’s powerful photographs, combined with the Virginia-specific contents, provide a testament to the power of education and interracial collaboration." Do Not Miss This Video...Begin here! The story told by the photographer Andrew Feiler is fascinating. This video offers more valuable information on the Rosenwald story and highlights notable civil rights leaders who attended these schools including Congressman John Lewis. This is a great place to start your journey through this fascinating website!  The Report Card Needs You! When I look back at the program guides from at least 20 CSAA annual conferences I find a wealth of schoolhouse related titles presented by VERY well researched members. Conference topics have rarely if ever repeated or overlapped and every one of them has offered a unique perspective and fascinating information. Like most conference schedules our programming offers concurrent presenters, so you have to make a difficult decision in choosing which topic you will attend. That leaves you wondering what you missed. A number of our members have allowed their work to be posted here on The Report Card. I often wonder if our presenters shared their programs with historical societies or libraries after our conferences were over. Did they spread that wealth to other interested parties? Or are all those programs hiding in a thumb drive just waiting to amaze another audience? The Report Card offers another opportunity to share....here. Readers' FAQ's (TRC...The Report Card) Why would I attend a conference if I can access the presentations on TRC? Do I have to be a former conference presenter to offer a submission to TRC? Can I submit a post?
Do you have a country school related program you would like to share with THE REPORT CARD readers? Histories, Commentaries, Videos, Slide Shows, PDF's, Artwork, Schoolhouse Curriculum Guides, Schoolhouse Tours, Restoration Stories, etc? Send your program description and we will arrange for a drop box delivery. Your post will be most appreciated and enjoyed! Thanks, Susan Fineman
Where Did it All Start? Time flies when you're having fun supporting the preservation of our country schools! Thanks to Dr. Mary E. Outlaw, Emeritus, of Berry College in Rome Georgia, and longtime board member of the CSAA, we have a narrative of our beginnings in her recent booklet, "CSAA: Twenty-Five Years of History, Preservation, Restoration and Programming." You'll find her informative booklet readable here in one sitting. Dr. Outlaw tells CSAA's story that began in 2001 when a group of schoolhouse enthusiasts began meeting on college campuses to share presentations on their preservation efforts. From there we have grown to a national organization offering an annual conference, grants and awards in a number of categories, a schoolhouse registry, and a network of programming support for those involved in saving and sharing their country schools. The story is a tribute to our founders, Dr. Lucy Townsend and Iowa schoolhouse preservationist, Bill Sherman, whose enthusiasm spurred our very existence. We urge readers across the country to familiarize themselves with our website and with the many benefits of membership envisioned by Lucy and Bill. Here we share Dr. Outlaw's reflections and hope you consider joining our membership in saving our nation's country schools. Click on the cover photo below for the full PDF article.  |
