The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1920-12-29

from nome 10 Il Strange toWii oliu ~
with strangers to get INTO one. Now
we have thirty-five young men ana
women in our high school, and each
one of them promises to take the full
| four-year course. If we hadn't this
school it is probable that not more
than two or three of those young per-
sons would have gone into high school.
Their education would have ended with
the one-room school. | figure that 1t
| would cost $500 year for each stu
dent if they had to go away to town
| for a high school education; so the
aggregate cost of the th1rty-flve Would
| be $4,000, and that is $4,000 more than
we paid to maintain this school all OF
| last year.
"In the old-one-room school days,
| the school attendance was small and
irregular. We have $50 pupils. We
have short course CT four months in
winter for older boys and girls who
| have to work on the farm in spring
and fall. 1t is two-year course es-
pecially designed for them and gives
them farmers law, farming accounts,
animal husbandry, manual training,
and the like. We give courses in soil
testing, and treatment, in field crops.
| in animal husbandry, milk testing anG
| so on.
an the county fair in Jackson last
| August our boys and girls entered the
| Consolidated School Contest with agrl-
cultural products, carpentry and metal
work, sewing, cooking and canning
work, and captured S66.60 of the total
of 800 offered in prizes.
In going through the township,
L j
about the school, | found that they
placed high value on the agricultural
and domestic science work. Last WIN
ter the scholars tested the milk of ev-
cry cow in the township, and there
were surprising results.
Until the new school was built there
the young folks, not even a baseball
was no amusement in the township for
game.
Its wonderful how a ball game
will knit together a bunch of boys or
girls" said Superintendent Molenaar.
Eve have a basketball team of boys
and one of girls. They have played
dozens of match games with teams of
other schools
The school is the center of every So
cial activity in the township. The Sons
of Herman and a sister organization
meet in the schoolhouse. Good roads
meetings, political meetings and lee
lures are held there. The school pu-
pills give entertainments in the audi
forum.
The Biggest Thing in Minnesota.
The cost of it all to the district last
year was $4,000, raised by tax levy
of twelve mills. This year the cost
will be $4,000, and the levy will be
fifteen and tenth mills. The total
cost of operating the school last yea1
was $22,416.41. Nearly $4,000 of
that came from state aid given to con-
solidated schools.
If there is farmer in the township
who is dissatisfied with his school tax
[ could not find him, and | searched
for cne. Henry Hamann farm 320
acres, worth about $3.50 an acre, he
told me, and his school tax last year
was $1,000. In 1917, when he sent
his child to one-room school his tax
was $37.37.
"But look at what I get for that
added thirty-two dollars" he said to
deal more; it's worth it. 1t brings
the people together. We were getting
mighty narrow-minded, and pulled
apart before. Now we all pull to-
gether, and you won't find better
American community mean a more
loyal cne-anywhere."
Charles Schlapkohl, president of the
school board, farms 240 acres and has
two girls in the high school and a boy
in the eighth grade. When l asked
him what he thought of the school, he
said It's the biggest thing in
farming community in Minnesota
Three years ago there was not much
interest in music in Sioux Valley
township. A few farmhouses had or
gans or pianos, and few girls went
TO town for music lessons. Now the
school has a band of twenty young
men who meet each Thursday night in
the school for practice. An orchestra
was being organized among the pupils
Of the high school when | was there
in September.
One Hundred Per Cent American.
Last year twenty-five boys and girls
Of the school took musical training on
the piano and violin from Prof. H. B.
Latin, of Estherville, Iowa. who gives
two days a week to it. This year his
class Is larger.
Gust think what that musical train
ing is going to mean to this communi-
ty," said Professor Molenaar. "See
what latent talent we have dug out
here in just two years. There is just
such talent in every community in the
country, but in the majority of places
it is left undeveloped. We have the
whole township in here every once in
while for a community sing and ev
erv time we have a picture show