Walnut Valley School in 2002.
By Mike Avitt
In 1928 there were 1,160 boys and girls attending rural schools in Ringgold County.
The number of rural schools at that time was ninety-six and Silva Dolecheck was the Ringgold County Superintendent of Schools.
The Mount Ayr Record-News of October 18, 1928 gives of a view of opening day activities at some of the schools. Let’s take a look.
Tingley No. 9, Eighme School, opened September 5th with seventeen pupils and Velma Heaton as the teacher. The schoolhouse had been painted during the summer and a new flag purchased. The children captured a few butterflies at lunch time and those were being framed for a wall display.
Corinth School, Jefferson No. 8, also got a new flag and had Irene Dolecheck as the teacher. Pupils were: Orville King, Berniece King, Irene King, Wayne Thackery, Waitstill Thackery, Dorothy Watts, Paul Watts, Arval Winslow, Leona Winslow, Paul Skarda, Wayne McKune, and Burton Healley. There is a “Clean Teeth” poster on the wall and some of the pupils wrote letters asking for free tubes of toothpaste.
Helen Skarda was the teacher at Lincoln No. 7 and she was joined by pupils Florence Beaman, G. A. and Annabeth Grace, Stefana and Maxine Kiefer, Phyllis Morey, Winona Williams, and Verla Dean Taylor. Opening day exercises included singing and learning the “Pledge of Allegiance.” Their schoolhouse was reshingled over the summer and the kids were hoping for a new water jar.
Bethel School, Grant No. 1, opened with Gladys Brown as teacher. Pupils were: Ruth Busby, Ralph Busby, Ray Fleming, Rex Fleming, and Lois Whitmore. Baskets of apples were used to decorate the schoolhouse and the kids were hoping for some manual training equipment.
Grant Township 7 and 8, West Point, had Belle Cornelison as teacher and Earl Gaule, Lloyd Gaule, Joe Clarey, Alva Jones, and Ruth Bentley for students. New curtains adorn the classroom and the children are focusing on “Health Chores.”
Washington No. 4; Ethel Driskell is the teacher with nine pupils. As there are many hickory trees on the property, the kids are gathering hickory nuts with plans to sell them and use the money for much needed supplies.
Liberty No. 7, Mountain Brush had Helen Laird as the instructor and Glen King, Raymond Rice, Clinton Rice, Russell Rice, Eleanor Rice, Richard Laird, Ruth Laird, and Robert Lesan as the student body. The school received a new flagpole over the summer and the kids proudly display their flag. A “surprise box” has afforded some interesting studies.
Ethel Bigley was the teacher at Jackson School, Monroe No. 8 – 14 students. The kids came into some money over the summer and a baseball bat was purchased with 40 cents of that money. This school was already equipped with an organ and encyclopedia reference books. The pupils are being taught new games such as Heads and Tails and Rope Relay.
Silver Point, Rice No. 1, was being taught by Ninabel Denhart. The twenty students were grateful to find a new flag and flagpole, and were pleasantly surprised to find the floor had been freshly oiled. The cost of oiling the floor was $1.20.
Caledonia, Lotts Creek No. 2, Ruth Bartley, teacher with report written by 13-year-old Ruth Swigart. A class of nine were thankful for the new coal shed that was built onto the schoolhouse. Ruth Swigart celebrated a birthday recently. Cleta and Merritt Swigat brought cake and ice cream to the school and the party was held right there.
Oak Ridge, Lotts Creek No. 5 was being taught by Cleora Armstrong and she had charge of the following students: Harold Olney, Edward Olney, John Shields, Mildred Shields, Lois Austin, James Austin, Delbert Potter, Osis Potter, Thelma Cortner, Iona Thompson, and Vivian Cole. The older pupils were busy making hygiene posters.
Such was the life in Ringgold County rural schools in 1928.