Honoring One-Room Schoolhouses and Country Schools

Celebrate Country Schools, Teachers, and Students this June at
Homestead National Monument of America!

The following programs take place the day before the Country School Association of America's annual conference in Beatrice, Nebraska (June 18-20, 2018). This is a national conference focusing on the history and preservation of country schools. If interested in learning more about the conference, or registering for it, you can visit the Country School Association of America's website at https://www.countryschoolassociation.org.

Are you a former one-room school teacher or student? You are invited!
Do you know someone who taught at or went to a one-room school? Be sure to pass this information along to them if so!

Note that although this celebration is a celebration of country school teachers and students, everyone is invited to participate in the fun at Homestead National Monument of America on Sunday, June 17. The event will be free of cost and open to all.

 

Schedule of Events:

1:00 p.m. - Story Sharing Session

Homestead Education Center
Following an introduction to the history of rural education, teachers and students of country schools will be invited and encouraged to share their memories in a group atmosphere. Everyone is invited to come listen and learn, and a series of "story stations" will be arranged to capture stories related to key areas of country school life -- such as recess and holidays. These stories will be recorded as oral history for future generations of students, ensuring that memories of these special places live on for centuries to come.

2:00 p.m. - David Laskin - Special Presentation

Homestead Education Center
David Laskin, author of The Children's Blizzard, will present a special program on the Schoolchildren's Blizzard of 1888. Laskin conducted research for his critically-acclaimed book at the Nebraska State Historical Society Library. A book signing event will follow his program.

3:00 p.m. - Story Highlights and Shared Memories

Homestead Education Center
Highlights from the stories told during the Story Sharing Session will be presented to the full group so that everyone can share in the memories and learn more about life in country schools across the country!

4:00 p.m. - Teacher Recognition

Homestead Education Center
The day's activities will wrap up with a special recognition of the country school teachers in our midst, and a thank you for their attendance at the program and their work in education.

 

Special thanks to all our of partners who made this event possible: Beatrice Educational Foundation, Gage County Fair and Expo, Friends of Homestead, Gage County Foundation, Nebraska Country School Association and Southeast Community College.