Ideas Galore for Schoolhouse Reenactment! Does your country schoolhouse welcome school field trips? Do you have a curriculum you would care to share with groups seeking ideas? Nationwide, programs are alive and well offering the experience of teaching in and attending our restored one-room schools. Dedicated volunteers don period clothing to stage re-enactments and living history classes for our young visitors and enthusiastic adult groups as well. Schoolmarms and schoolmasters share their knowledge of country schooling in the most endearing settings, our schoolhouses, meticulously restored with furniture, artifacts, and a curriculum crafted by those same volunteers. Does this describe you? Welcome is the news that there are still groups restoring a schoolhouse whose goal is to serve local school children and help them step back into history. But, they ask...Where two we start? This question was posed to us recently by the Merrimack Historical Society in Merrimack, NH. They already own a beautiful one-room schoolhouse, but they are planning a new direction by offering regular living history classes. They are seeking ideas. We will offer here for Merrimack, other seekers, and for our readers, a perfect guide for programming. Here are scores of ideas for your schoolhouse created by CSAA member, Susan Webb. It is a narrated video slide show she submitted for our 2021 CSAA Virtual Conference line-up and it is filled with resources. CSAA's Susan Webb, "The Traveling Schoolmarm," was a master at such hands-on activities and she shared her passion for reenactment at many of our annual conferences and to historic groups across the country. Sadly, Susan passed away in October 2023, but we honor her memory, knowledge, and creativity once more by sharing Using the Ten R's (of Reenactment) as she would have wished. Note: If you have a written curriculum you'd like to share with others, send it along to Susan Fineman (with our gratitude) and we will make it available to individuals seeking ideas. scfineman@aol.com We will post your contribution on the CSAA Resources Page. CSAA Member Re-Launches Award Winning Series
with New Illustrations by Pattie HartNaus I’m proud to announce the relaunch in 2024 of the multi-award winning Belden Boy, an anti-bullying series for children that was tied to the discovery of a deserted one-room schoolhouse in the driftless area many years ago. Why a relaunch? Well, let me begin by saying that this was a passion journey for me, beginning with the reading of the Laura Ingalls Wilder stories from my childhood. The books were given to me in the 1960s as a gift by my grandma, stories that made me long for living in a log cabin in the woods and going to a one-room school in the 1800s. My love for all things that resembled a rustic and simpler life helped to shape the person I would become. When I was completing my Masters Class in Education in 2003, I was asked ironically to help save the old 1859 Belden School as my last assignment. I couldn’t have dreamed of a more perfect project than to restore a one-room school. I was given two old journals of Belden from 1871 and 1923, that were retrieved from the garbage by a local farmer. I was also given the names of a few elderly students who happened to be part of the class that closed the school in 1943 to consolidation. I spoke with these folks who happened to have stories of going to school in the day; stories that could make you smile, laugh, and even bring a tear to your eye. I recorded those stories and made the Belden students a promise that I would save and record everything that I scribed. I did just that. This was the beginning of a journey in writing the Belden Boy Series. I came to know my characters as if they were friends: “Peter McDugal is a boy who is shy, quiet and does what he knows is right. His pal, Franky, is very much the opposite. He comes from a family who is down and out, only child to a sick mother and a failed famer who just doesn’t care. Franky runs through the woods each day, doing what he pleases, and goes to school only if he feels like it. He bullies anyone and everyone, especially his pal Peter. Miss Bishop is a kind and caring teacher who tries her best to talk to the boys about their friendship. But as time moves on, so does she. A new schoolmaster comes to the community. He butts heads with Franky as he is a bully, as well. Then comes Annie. A young girl who travels down from Minnesota with her Pa to the Belden community to live with her Grandpa who is ‘soft in the head’, as they say. She and her pa help the old man until his dying day, but during those days, Franky comes to call. It’s true that Annie suffers from a disability, but that doesn’t keep her down. Her character is strong and intends to do what she can to help the boys. Annie introduces Grandpa to Franky, who intrigues the boy, and teaches him a thing or two about life during the ‘War Between the States’, serving alongside Ulysses S. Grant. Franky and Peter are in awe of the old man and his stories, and smitten with their new friend Annie.” Each of the four books in the Belden Boy series is told in first person from a different character: victim Peter McDugal in the first two books, Franky, the bully, in the third book, and the girl bystander, Annie, in the fourth book. Series is tied to Common Core State Standards for perspective and figurative language. So, it’s time to relaunch my old friends in the series Belden Boy, giving them new life with a new look. For me, the stories are a celebration of all the things I loved as a child especially, one-room schools. Let the relaunch begin January 2024! ~P. J. HarteNaus Whistleslick Press LLC www.whistleslickpress.com NOTE: Pattie HartNaus has been a regular contributor at our annual CSA Country School Conferences and has presented a number of topics including the restoration of the Belden School featured in her series. She has also offered a program on how to hold a successful Summer Writing Camp for children in your country school. . Pattie has received two Scholarship and Artistry Awards from CSAA for her fine work covering social issues, but set in a one-room country school. The same issues will resonate today with our young readers. Access her website below for more information! Will You Present a Program in Toledo?
It's quite amazing when local and national news outlets highlight the major events of the past year and pay tribute to the notables who have passed away in 2023. Often we say, "Oh, no...how did I miss that one?" We're busy tending to our own lives, families, jobs and activities. As we enter 2024 with health and hope we have many things to look forward to at CSAA and you're invited to participate! Think about attending or presenting at the CSAA Conference at the University of Toledo June 9-12, 2024. The deadline for Proposals for Presentations is January 31, 2024. Submit your proposal and you will be notified of acceptance by February 15th. You all have something of interest to say about country schools, preservation, restoration, programming or history. Share it in Toledo! Since CSAA began holding conferences there have been no repeat presentations because everyone who offers a program brings a new perspective to a historic topic...Country Schools. We can accommodate your method of presentation with UT's technology...video, Power Point presentations, music, sound, and/or display. Meet new friends who share your passion for one-room schools. We're like-minded people. Take the coach tour on Wednesday and visit preserved country schools. It's a great time with really nice people who are knowledgeable in countless areas of schoolhouse preservation. So, what are you waiting for? Remember JANUARY 31st IS THE DEADLINE, so you don't have to ask yourself..."How did I miss that one? HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM CSAA! Restoring the Santa Rosa Schoolhouse in Cambria, California
If you missed our 2021 Virtual Conference, you can now enjoy this inspirational video of the restoration and preservation of the Santa Rosa Schoolhouse which we aired for our attendees. The work there is on-going and you will be treated to updates in the progress of this restoration. The documentary video, “Santa Rosa One-Room School—Waltzing Back in Time,” is written and presented by CSAA Member, Debbie Soto. The filming and production credit for this video goes to Kyle Plummer of Super Image, Ltd. This video highlights the history and stories of the former Santa Rosa School near Cambria, California which is now in the possession of the Cambria Historical Society. Debbie said, "We all are blessed that the Santa Rosa Schoolhouse has survived through the passage of time to be an example of that era. The 140 year old building is in the process of being restored to its former glory to be a beacon of light to future generations. The former one-room schools of the past across America should have a place of honor and respect as they were the edifices of early education in our country. This education included more than the 3 R’s—‘readin’, ‘ritin,’ and ‘rithmitic. The students learned independence, wisdom, work ethic, and dappled in the arts with their homespun plays and recitals. This video was produced to give others a taste of what it was like to attend a small, intimate and friendly school." CSAA appreciates everything our members do on behalf of schoolhouses across the country. Our volunteerism is necessary for their continued existence. Be sure to visit the Cambria Historical Society at www.cambriahistoricalsociety.com home of the Santa Rosa Schoolhouse . . Click on the photo below to access the Video Presentation...Enjoy! Original Stove Finds its Way Back to Its Schoolhouse Submitted by Debbie Soto Restoring our country schools is an arduous task and we scour antique stores to furnish our museums in the style of days gone by. Sometimes we get lucky and find original artifacts that were actually connected to the schoolhouse itself. Here, CSAA member Debbie Soto, shares a unique story of one such forgotten stove... ...An antique rusty woodstove from the 1880s was stored away in an old farm shed after being removed from the Santa Rosa schoolhouse in the 1940s. It was replaced with a more efficient oil burning heater to keep students warm. The old woodstove was overlooked and forgotten for almost 80 years when a little known family tip was revealed. Debbie’s uncle, Olie Fiscalini, told her that he still had the woodstove in his shed. His father, Olimpio Fiscalini Sr., had put it in the shed years earlier and it set there ever since. The stove was buried under years of debris and other junk. With this newly discovered tidbit, everyone was energized to have the stove restored and placed back into the schoolroom. The community rallied together and two young men, Brian and Paul Snow, with ties to the schoolhouse, offered to restore the stove as a gift. They spent many weekends and after hours from their busy jobs to complete this project. Now the stove is back where it belongs looking as new as it did more than 140 years ago when the schoolhouse and stove were brand new. Hallelujah! Miracles still happen! You'll definitely want to read "the rest of the story..." so, access this link! The Schoolmaster's Electronic Bookshelf by Mike Day (Re-print) The concept of teacher education (at least here in America) dates to the early 1840's with the establishment of the first "Normal Schools", a term derived from the French "Ecole Normal." As applied to a school for teachers the word "normal" meant an institution where correct standards or "norms" were taught, and where the art of teaching was demonstrated in correct practice. Massachusetts established first Normal School at Lexington with three students on July 3, 1839. New York established one in 1844 and Connecticut followed in May 1850. In addition to formal academic preparation, there was a strong movement towards Teachers Conventions at which the newer approaches were introduced and discussed. But such formal training tended to be limited to teachers in the settled and urbanized areas. For those in more isolated situations, self-education was often the only option. A number of periodicals for teachers also appeared, most being published by the various State Departments of Education. These provided support and encouragement, instruction in specific aspects of teaching, and recommendations regarding professional books that teachers should read. The books could be ordered by mail, so that even in the most out-of-the-way settlements, dedicated teachers could keep up with the developments in their field. The bookshelf of a committed teacher would contain some or all of the following titles: School Architecture: or Contributions to the Improvement of School-houses, Henry Barnard, New York, 1848 Confessions of a School Master, William A. Alcott, New York, 1839 The Teacher's Manual, Thomas H. Palmer, Boston, 1840 Lectures on School-Keeping, Samuel Hall, Boston, 1832 The Teacher Taught; or The Principals and Modes of Teaching, Emerson Davis,1839 Lectures to Female Teachers on School-Keeping, Samuel Hall, Boston, 1832 The School-Master's Friend, With the Committee-Man's Guide, Theodore Dwight, Jr., New York, 1835 Essay on the Construction of School-Houses, William Alcott, Boston 1832 Slate And Black Board Exercises, William Alcott, New York, 1843 The Teacher Taught, Emerson Davis, Boston, 1839 The Teacher's Manual, Thomas H. Palmer, Boston, 1840 The School And School-Master, Alonzo Potter, New York, 1842 How Shall I Govern My School ?, E. C. Wines, Philadelphia, 1838 Lectures On Education, Horace Mann, Boston, 1845 Many more could be listed. These books contain much that is relevant to good teaching even today. Museum people who peruse them get to share in the thinking that motivated 19th century teachers, and secure a first-hand look into the day-to-day workings of their schools. It’s worth your time to take a look. Accessing An Electronic Treasure While you could scour the country's research libraries in search of original copies, a much easier approach is available to you through your computer. All of the books listed above are available to you at no cost through Google books. Clear images of the original publications can be downloaded to your computer or other electronic reader whenever you want them. To gain access, first go to the site: GOOGLE BOOKS . When the main page opens, there will be a search box under it. In this window type the name of the book you want, and click on the magnifying glass. A list of sites will be presented that offers access to that book. The listing will usually indicate where and when it was published. Look for the notation "READ” under the title and click on that. The book will open and you can read it by scrolling down. You can browse through the book, print a copy or save it for later. It’s a modern electronic version of the school-master’s bookshelf. And just as the originals helped frontier teachers do a better job in their one room school-houses, the electronic versions can help you to be a more informed interpreter in your restored school-house. Note: Mike Day was a regular contributor to the CSAA newsletter during its years of publication and the owner of Clippership Publications. We continue to seek Mike out to find out where he retired. Where There's a Quill, There's a Way Submitted by Susan Fineman As a schoolmarm in a one-room schoolhouse living history program, I regularly research the lessons and materials used in the 19th century, particularly our time frame of the 1840's. There are numerous references in literature and texts about making, mending, and using quill pens, and it appears they were used quite commonly until about 1830. It used to be the case that when visiting students learned they would be writing with quill pens in our schoolhouse they were all excited... until... they found out how very difficult it was to actually write with them! Students left the schoolhouse with blue stained fingers and returned to their own schools proud of their efforts, but appreciating their gel pens, markers, and pencils even more. No More Quills for Us…Price Prohibitive! Years ago we switched to steel tip nibs on pen holders because actual quills became too expensive and hard to find even on the internet! They wore out quickly in untrained hands and the cost became prohibitive. We decided to economize and went for the long-lasting Nib #A-5 found at www.paperinkarts.com. This nib has a small ink reservoir built in for a better flow. For ink, we found Parker QUINK ink works best for our lessons and we’ve been using it for years…available on Amazon ($10-$14/bottle). We can justify the switch from quills historically, as steel pens came into more regular use around the 1820’s when they went into large scale manufacture under Joseph Gillott in Sheffield, England. First-Person Quill Recollection I was thumbing through a book of recollections of early Nashua, NH residents and came across a wonderful excerpt about quill pens, as told by Hannah Eayrs Barron, who was born c. 1808. She tells the story of obtaining quills from a Mr. Cosmo Lund and his widowed sister Lucy who lived on a nearby farm together until the day they died. “They used to keep geese and very kindly gave to the school children in the neighborhood quills. Often I have received quills from them with which I learned to write. No such thing as a steel pen or gold pen was known at the time. And every scholar who was large enough to learn to write was supplied with a blank writing book, made of foolscap paper unruled. Having no lead pencils the scholars manufactured for themselves what they called a plummet, which they made by making a shallow mold into which was poured melted lead. After it was cold, it was smoothed off to an edge and with the aid of a straight ruler we were able to mark our writing books with straight lines. The teachers would make our pens of the quills which we furnished. If we did not find quills enough where geese were kept, we had to buy them at the stores, called Dutch quills, which the teachers manufactured into pens for all those who were large enough to learn to write until the scholars were large enough to make their own pens. The teachers set all the copies (wrote a sentence in their own hand that the scholars would copy) which, after the scholars were able to write a running hand, was usually some moral or religious or historical sentence or maxim. Every scholar who was large enough to write was expected to write twice a day, which came after the first reading and before the recitation of any other lesson. Those scholars grew to be useful members of society and I cannot call one to mind who went to school in my day, who was ever put in jail or prison for a crime or was much given to intemperance."…Hannah Eayrs Barron Some Interesting QUILL FACTS Learned Along the Way: 1.) The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson, was calligraphed by a professional using a quill pen, not by Jefferson himself. The U.S. Constitution was also penned with a quill. 2.) The strongest quills are taken from living birds in the spring, the best being the five left outer wing feathers, because they curved away from the right-handed writer. 3.) You can wash quill pens gently in warm soapy water and they will regain their shape upon drying. 4.) The term penknife, came from the jackknife used for cutting the tips of quills. 5.) The Lewis and Clark expedition was fully documented in journals by Meriwether Lewis using quill pens. 6.) From John Jenkins (1855-1923) in The Art of Writing: "For the help of such youth as are accustomed to labor, and thereby have their fingers stiffened and rendered insensible of the weight of the pen, I have practiced the following method. A round piece of lead, an inch and a half in length, with one end sharpened, may be pushed up the barrel of the quill into the pith; this weight will at once be perceivable by the learner, and enable him more readily to acquire the command of the pen." 6.) Quill pens lasted about a week with regular use and sharpening. 7.) By the mid 1840’s quill pens were on their way out, replaced largely by steel pens. If your schoolhouse predates 1840 and you make use of quill pens, you may be interested in a number of links to their history: Facts and History of Quill Pens Quill Pen vs. Steel Pen Cutting Quill Pens from Feathers Small Congregation, Big Commitment: Restoring the Tyrone School Submitted by Aaron Coffman Thank you for being so willing to help share the word of the restoration that we are doing to the Tyrone Schoolhouse in Dawson, Pennsylvania. It does "take a village" and a determined one at that! The small congregation of the Tyrone Presbyterian Church has undertaken the preservation of our 1873 little brick schoolhouse and a capital campaign has been underway since the summer with a Rededication Ceremony. The schoolhouse, being 150 years old, was experiencing structural cracking, settling, and significant mortar loss putting this building at risk. This project would place in phases as money is raised. Our goal for 2023 was to install three new windows on the building, have the weather side of the building repointed, and add gutters to the building. Progress: We have installed the gutters, downspouts, installed two of the three windows, painted the oil tank, removed part of the broken sidewalk, and the weather side of the building has been cleaned, bricks restored, and repointed. We THANK everyone who has had a hand in this project thus far! The next steps for this building, as funds are raised, is to continue to repoint, clean, and restore the brick on the building. This has not been done ever in the 150 year history of this building so to say the least it is a little past time. Next year, we also will be removing the chimney which was added on to the building sometime after it's closing as a schoolhouse and putting a vent back up through the roof in the same location as where the potbelly stove once was vented in it's second location. The original stove was vented through the middle of the room and was later moved to the back corner where the chimney is present day. We currently have a honeybee hive which has made it's home in the chimney. Luckily for us, they are not in the flu which means we can continue to use this building this winter for the Church's programs (Boy Scouts and Men's Dartball). We also have one more window to replace on the Schoolhouse which will be performed next year. I should also note that all of the work except for the brick cleaning and repointing has been done by volunteers and the Boy Scouts of Troop 150 Scottdale PA. We are well over 100 volunteer hours for this year put into this schoolhouse and have invested around $7,000 into the school which for a Church Congregation of 20 people and an annual operating budget of around $30,000 is quite the investment, I must say. We have been blessed that many members of the Tyrone Presbyterian Church and the community have been very generous to financially supporting this project, but we are still around $15,000 away from the goal to get the rest of this schoolhouse preserved. Another side project that we will be working on in the future is renovating the restroom, but this is not something that was original to the building. It was added when this building was used as a barbershop/house. It serves us well today, but is not the best at preserving the historical integrity of the structure, so we are going to do our best to renovate it while also keeping the restroom. (Editor's note: The good people of the Tyrone School will keep us posted. They have already proven that "Where there a will there's a way!") Michigan One-Room School Association's "Schoolhouse of the Year"
Submitted by Joan & Dale Prouty, CSAA Board Members Fellow charter CSAA members Suzanne Daniels and Myrna Grove had always shared their experiences with the Michigan One-room Schoolhouse Association with us. So when we were going to be in the midwest this fall and discovered the MORSA Conference was taking place close to the time we would be there, we decided to stay a bit longer and attend with Myrna. It was a joy to be met at MORSA by a group of students from a school history club who assisted throughout the day. They were energetic and most helpful. After a morning enjoying the reunion with lots of old school memories and a home-cooked comfort soup luncheon reminiscent of those from the school woodstove, we all headed out to tour the Wooden Stone School which had received this year's M.O.R.S.A. "One-Room Schoolhouse of the Year Award." What a step back in time. As you came over the rise there sits the schoolhouse at its original rural four corners where scholars attended from 1850-1952. Looking over the large schoolyard one could picture the youngsters enjoying their recess playing Snap the Whip, Ante Over, or Fox and Geese. The unique restored building features stone of varied coloration collected from surrounding fields. Furnished with a classroom set of matching New Oxford desks, it once again sits ready to accept the next group of young scholars. Some of the last remaining students who attended joined the group to tell of the times past here. Look closely and you can even find two of the original "blackboards" now painted green and displaying vintage posters. Harking back to the days of community gatherings at the schoolhouses our day ended with a real old-fashioned end–of-the-year apple pie social. Fortunately if you missed the M.O.R.S.A. Conference this year you still have an opportunity to visit this beautiful historic building and to learn why it is named the “Wooden” Stone School. This schoolhouse will be one of the featured stops on the 2024 CSAA Conference third day workshop tour being held at the University of Toledo June 9 - 12. The tour workshop registration maxes out at 55 participants, so reserve your spot early. Access the link to M.O.R.S.A below... Funding for Schoolhouse Preservation and Repairs
Raising money is always a challenge for many of our tiny organizations. People who undertake schoolhouse restorations know that fundraising is an on-going and lengthy process while money comes from countless resources to complete the task. Have faith in your mission! The CSAA has helped many schools along the way by offering small grants to offset costs and/or serve as seed money toward other grants and funding sources. CSAA can serve as one piece of the preservation puzzle should your grant be accepted and approved. BUILDING GRANTS PROGRAM 1. PRESERVATION GRANT ($1,000) – to be used in restoring or conserving a 1 or 2 room school building. This is for some part of the building ONLY. Not for artifacts or grounds work. 2. DISASTER RELIEF GRANT ($1,000)– This is used to cover damage from an unforeseen occurrence such as a storm, accident, or structural failure. These funds are to help restore the damaged building. It is not for regular maintenance or building improvement. The complete guidelines and applications for the Building Grants can be found on the CSAA website or use the links below. Both can be submitted electronically and the deadline is January 31st of each calendar year. Photos Below: Top = BEFORE Bottom + AFTER Left to Right: Cole School, Iowa Spring Creek School, Kansas Forest Grove School- Iowa University of Toledo to Host the 2024 CSAA Country School Conference If you want a quick trip to see what's in store for the 2024 CSAA Annual Conference, take this 6-minute "easy chair tour" of Toledo and the University of Toledo! Printed material will also be provided on this site as it becomes available so you can start your travel folder. A reminder...the Call for Proposals is open through January 31st. Be a presenter! Find this link under the WHAT WE DO drop down menu above. Living History Today: Rewarding Innovation In schoolhouses across the nation here are schoolmarms and schoolmasters working with their visitors for living history fun. They can be a part of Old Home Days, local elementary school field trips, or casual groupt tours. People love to hear how it was in days gone by. So how do we instruct and entertain our visitors with meaningful and memorable experiences? One of CSAA's many grants recognizes the importance of keeping these programs alive while offering authenticity for visitors. How does your schoolhouse incorporate your artifacts, formulate lessons that are timely for a chosen era, and share the history of your school and your town? The Country School Association of America (CSAA) Innovative Instruction Grant offers start-up support for the delivery of inventive PreK-12 and/or adult learning programs developed by country school organizations and/or individuals. Successful applications that articulate how the proposed instructional program will address best practices or new trends in curriculum, museum education, and/or public history and its benefit to a target group of learners will be preferred. This award is focused on supporting the implementation of instruction including the materials, resources, and needs in order to successfully pilot and sustain a program. If you believe your schoolhouse offers, or would like to offer, innovative instruction and you are seeking support for your program, this grant could help. Check out our website for recent recipients and a submission form using the link below: Saying Good-Bye to a Friend It with a very heavy heart that I write to let you know our own Susan Webb, of Birmingham, Alabama and a member of the CSAA Board of Directors since 2006, passed away this week after a short illness. She was a founding member of the CSAA and promoted our organization wherever she traveled. This is a sad loss for all of us in the schoolhouse world, as few people were more committed, excited, or creative about sharing this history as Susan. We talked a great deal about the opportunities we’ve had through CSAA conferences that allowed us to share our passion, meet new people, enjoy old friends, and experience so many interesting places in the interest of country schools. She was already preparing for the Toledo Conference in June of 2024, but fate intervened. We will remember Susan for baking alphabet cookies and hauling them from Alabama to Nebraska, creating her Annual Conference Copy Book, role playing a prairie teacher, presenting the story of Noah Webster (her favorite), Julius Rosenwald Schools, Booker T. Washington & Tuskegee Institute, Reward of Merit Cards, Learning the Latta Way, Rediscovering McGuffy, and One-Room School Activities. Her conference presentations and community programs engaged her audiences with numerous hand-on lessons. Susan Webb was also known as “America’s Traveling Schoolmarm,” where she offered living history programs in country schools that were preserved as museums, but did not hold traditional classes for area children. She gave countless talks across the country to colleges, historical societies, alumni groups, and the Alabama Humanities Alliance on one-room schools. Susan leaves her husband and our friend Bill, who supported her unconditionally in her nationwide travels to share the history of one-room schoolhouses, leaders in education, and early public education. Bill has also been a great friend of CSAA and our members. We will miss their presence... With great sadness, Susan Fineman A Country School Tell-All! Long-time CSAA member, Larry Scheckel, attended the one-room Oak Grove District#15 School from 1948-1956. Oak Grove sat on a slight knoll in rural Seneca Township, Crawford County, in southwestern Wisconsin and educated farm kids from 1897 to 1962. Follow Larry as he trudges the one-mile gravel road with four siblings, the neighbor children, and a farm dog or two. He describes the interior: stove, library, drinking fountain, piano, hectograph machine, Ranger Mac corner, and radio. Larry writes about the recitation period, visits by the County Nurse and the Supervising Teacher, softball games, playground and indoor games, Annie-Over, snowball fights, the outdoor privies, school discipline, the curriculum, the Basket Social, the Christmas program, and the end-of-the-year picnic. Larry delves into teacher training, contracts, teacher expectations, and how teachers managed 28 students grades one to eight. He explores the bitter consolidation controversy and the closing of all 115 Crawford County one-room schools. Larry's presentation at the 2021 CSAA Virtual Conference served as a prelude to his latest book, Country School Days: True Tales of a Wisconsin One-Room School, published by Oak Grove Press. Everything you could ask for in a trip down memory lane and filled with very humorous vignettes...! Biography: Larry Scheckel, grew up on a family farm in the hill country of southwestern Wisconsin, one of nine children. He attended eight years of a one room country school, four years of high school, off to the military for a spell, trained in electronics as a TV broadcast engineer, married, college, and started a teaching career. That career stretched over thirty-eight years teaching physics and aerospace science at Tomah, Wisconsin. Larry Scheckel has been named Tomah Teacher of the Year and Presidential Awardee. He is the recipient of numerous teaching awards. Larry and his wife, Ann, are both retired teachers and live in Tomah, Wisconsin. Larry and Ann have published eight books, including Seneca Seasons: A Farm Boy Remembers, Ask A Science Teacher, and countless educational articles. For more about Larry Scheckel visit: larryscheckel.com Call for Proposals Now Open!!
October 31st, 2023 to January 31st, 2024 22nd Annual CSAA Country School Conference June 9-12, 2024-University of Toledo "Great Lakes, Great Schools"
Recognize YOUR Volunteers and Schoolhouse Supporters! Submitted by Joan Prouty Most Country Schools and Museums rely heavily on the donated time and efforts of VOLUNTEERS, often unsung heroes! The Country School Association of America offers several opportunities for those volunteers to be recognized for their outstanding support to your organization and we need your help identifying them. There are 3 Honor Award Categories: The first is our SERVICE AWARD – given to an individual who regularly volunteers at a country school. This person is someone who goes above and beyond; they are there to help whenever needed. The 2nd category is the CRAFTSPERSON AWARD - for a volunteer who uses their craftsmanship skills in the schoolhouse or for artifact preservation or conservation. They have helped to restore, replicate, or refurbish the building or item as near to original as possible using original materials and/or techniques. Our 3rd honor award is for the YOUNG VOLUNTEER PRESERVATIONIST - unlike the prior 2 categories this one has an age restriction. To inspire youth to become involved in history this award is given to someone aged 14-22 who shows a deep interest and participation in early school history by volunteering at a schoolhouse or museum site. The youth must have a minimum of 2 years of service in the school or museum. Each of these Honor recognitions has a monetary award along with other benefits. The complete guidelines and applications for the Honor Awards can be found on the CSAA website. ACCESS LINKS BELOW... All can be done electronically and the Deadline is January 31st of each calendar year. Down Memory Lane: Rediscovering America’s One-Room Schoolhouses Through the Lens (VIDEO) On the backroads of the United States, it is still possible to find the remnants of our early country schools. While the majority of them have been lost to the ravages of time, others are still standing. Some are in various states of decay, their stories fading with them; others, have been lovingly moved and restored, allowing their stories to be passed down to those that still walk through their doors; some have been lost forever. Having photographed over 900 one room schoolhouses in 29 different states since 2012, (and more since I made this video in 2021), I am working on a project that shares the history/memories of the school alongside my imagery of the schoolhouses. In the video below I share some of my photos along with stories I have learned from the students/teachers and a short history of the schoolhouse. Biography: Jody Phipps started photographing schoolhouses in 2012 while on a trip to Minnesota to donate a kidney to her cousin. The first schoolhouses she found were completely by luck, but as she started finding more of them, she became curious as to how many were still standing and started compiling a list of locations which now number in the thousands. Today, tens of thousands of miles later, Jody has photographed country schools in varying settings and conditions and has an ever growing list to photograph before they, too, are lost to history. The idea of pairing her photographs with stories about the schools and from the people who attended and taught at them came about while studying at Rocky Mountain School of Photography in 2019. Since then Jody has been working on researching the schools she's photographed, looking for stories from the people who attended and taught at them, and compiling them into a book that she hopes to have published one day. Kudos to our 2023 CSAA Building Grant Recipients
Submitted by Dale & Joan Prouty, Committee Chairs The 2023 CSAA Building Preservation Grants were announced at our annual Country School conference held in Lancaster, Pennsylvania June 11th – 14th. Congratulations to our 2023 recipients! (Click on each photo to enlarge and identify...) 1810 Moores Corner School Just 27 years after the Revolutionary War the Moores Corner School in the small historic New England village of Leverett, Massachusetts was established. The building still survives in quite original condition and retains all of its original six over six pane windows. The Leverett Historical Society’s CSAA Building Preservation Grant will be used in preserving these windows. 1830 Red Rock School About to celebrate its 200th year, the Red Rock School sits into a little hillside on the country road in East Chatham, NY, where it served young scholars for several generations. This one story building fortunately has not been altered and retains a beautiful and unusual vaulted ceiling. The Red Rock Historical Society’s CSAA Building Preservation Grant will be used to restore the original siding that appears in an early school photo. 1863 District #9 South Village School The 160 year old #9 South Village schoolhouse sits on a quaint New England green facing the village Meeting House directly across the way. Recently this historic New Hampshire school was condemned and cannot be used without upgrades. The Sutton Historical Society’s CSAA Building Preservation Grant will help with restoration so the school can be reopened. Many will remember visiting this wonderful school and site during our workshop tour at the 2017 CSAA Conference in New London, New Hampshire. CSAA offers Building Grants for both Preservation and Disaster Relief. Information and applications for these can be found on the CSAA website under “What We Do,” or use the button below. Just for Fun...Puzzling? Here's an idea for all that spare time you're seeking to fill! CSAA board member Joan Prouty has found a mind-bending jigsaw APP that will test your skills and sharpen your memory! As a way of highlighting our nation's country schools we will periodically post a SCHOOLHOUSE PHOTO JIGSAW that you manipulate right on screen to reveal one of our educational treasures! It is a very clever interactive APP that lets you know how long it is taking you to assemble the puzzle. We can also choose how many pieces the puzzle should contain. All you have to do it drag and drop the compatible pieces to the center of the screen and they will snap together automatically before your eyes! Today's puzzle is the Torrey Log Schoolhouse in Torrey, Utah. According to the HISTORICAL MARKER DATABASE: " The Torrey Log Church–Schoolhouse was built in Torrey, Utah in 1898 as a LDS meetinghouse and schoolhouse. The one story log structure served as the school until 1917, and as a meetinghouse until 1928. The building continued to be used as a meeting place for the local Daughters of Utah Pioneers chapter until the 1970s. After an abortive project in the 1980s to renovate the building as an information station, the building was given to the DUP on the condition that it be moved off the LDS church property. It was moved in 1991 to a temporary location, with the intention of constructing a foundation and basement. It has since been fully restored.
ACCESS JIGSAW PUZZLE LINK BELOW! (works best on desktop computer...) YouTube Video about the Torrey Log Schoolhouse provided (no interior footage.) |
Our early public schools systems were indeed disparate, but a common thread among early districts was that children of all ages were taught together in the one-room schoolhouse" Blog Archives
April 2024
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