03/05/2018
Please share your stories and photos of Hickory Grove School with us so we can preserve its place in local history. This is an account of what life at the school was like for Marjorie Yarolem Smith"
"In spite of the limited resources my family had and the other families, I was given an education that would be considered rich in parent involvement and connectedness. There was no disconnection between the home and the school, but a strong connection. If my sisters or I got into trouble at school and my parents heard about it, we would be in more trouble once we got home. We knew what was expected of us by our parents and teachers and we had strong relationships
"The small community worked together to overcome the obstacles in educating their children. Problems in the small one room county schools were not difficult to solve as in the urban schools today. Farmers organized and maintained one room country schools; teachers virtually wiped out illiteracy, taught arithmetic, right from wrong, and instilled democratic values and a sense of patriotism in children at a young age.
"Parents were the ones who made up the entire school board and took control of their schools and had the greatest desire to see their children reach education levels their parents had not achieved. In the year 2011, it was announced by education researchers that for the first time the education skills of this generation will not surpass, nor even approach the education skills of their parents.
"As the song states, 'There is none oh so dear that I will always hold near as the little old red school house done the lane.' Fifty-five years after I graduated from the one room country school I find myself still making a stop and returning to the farm and a visit to that little old limestone school house where I spent eight years as a pupil growing and learning the three R’s of ‘reading, riting, and 'rithmatic.’ Central will always have a place in my heart.
"I see that plywood has replaced the glass panes that I use to peer through. The front door lock has been broken and replaced many times and now has a padlock. My sister had the old school placed on the National Historical Registry over 15 years, but that designation cannot keep Central safe or protect it from intruders and vandals. I think of the song that we use to sing as children in school, “All the big men in the nation got their higher education in the little old red school house down the lane.”
"Central is a national treasure, but it has long been removed from service and from the minds and hearts of our nation and the community.
"Pieces of Central’s history were sold at auction when the school closed for only a small amount of what they were worth to individuals, and other parts of Central were vandalized, or destroyed by juveniles who had a long summer, and no memories of a vibrant and historical landmark that contributed to the community and nation and taught those who walked through the door citizenship and respect for the property of others.
The road leading to Central school is still graveled and my feet once again experience dust from the limestone as I walk down the road from our farm to the school. The bell is no longer in the belfry, but was removed several years after the school closed.
My father sold the bell to a stranger who removed the bell, never to ring again at Central, or be heard in the distance, beckoning the children to hurry along and not be tardy. I still can hear sound of the bell ringing and remember how I would quicken my steps to get seated before the next bell would ring, and be ready to stand before the Pledge Alliance to the Flag started.
"Attending school was joyful and the beginning of a lifelong pursuit of learning and future preparation for contributing to my community and country. I am grateful to my parents and teachers who nurtured my spirit and mind. My parent’s desire for me to achieve a higher education than they were able to achieve in their lifetime, gave me the same wish for my children and grandchildren to attain a lifelong pursuit of learning and commitment to their communities and nation to keep the dream of our forefathers alive."
