Remembering......

Local One-room schools

Atwood & Woodland

Green Grove Twp., Clark Co., Wisconsin

 

From Kris Leonhardt's Owen-Withee Enterprise series,

"School Days:  Remembering local one room schools"

 

Teachers of the rural one room schools were faced with many challenges. Most teachers in that time were young woman of 18 or 19 years of age.

The teachers worked for low wages and with responsibilities. They were required to teach all eight grades numerous subjects, including art and music. Most of the time, they were also responsible for cleaning the school, tending the fire, filing reports, and organizing programs.

Classes sometimes rose to 40 or 50 students and students came from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds. Sometimes the children did not speak English when they arrived for their first year. Often, there were students in the school that were older than the teacher.

Harriet (Gosse) Laabs found her first year teaching at Woodland School difficult. "It was my first school, so it was challenging," says Laabs.

As with other teachers, the drive to make a difference kept her going and she stayed on at Woodland from 1950 to 1954 before transferring to another school. Harriet stills makes a difference today by teaching the English language to Spanish speaking students in the Colby School District.

While teaching at the Woodland, Harriet recalls boarding with families in the area. "I roomed with people in the district until I was married," Harriet recalls.

In addition to the general subjects, Laabs also organized many activities for the students. "We had a Christmas program and a Valentine's party," says Harriet.

As with other rural schools, softball was a big part of outdoor activities at Woodland. Marlyn Laabs, brother-in-law and former student of Harriet Laabs, recalls the importance of softball at Woodland. "We always played softball," says Marlyn, "We had a ball diamond. In the spring, once a week, we'd have softball games."

"None of the classes were very big," recalls Marlyn, "There were two in my grade, Sharee Kademan (Uhlig) and myself. I wasn't quite old enough. They started me a year ahead. They didn't want her to go alone."

 

A 1957 classroom photo of the Atwood School

Click on the photo above to enlarge it.

On April 22, 1960, the Woodland school was closed and students were divided between the Colby and Owen-Withee school districts.

The Woodland School was once located in the northwest quarter of Section 12, in the township of Green Grove, on what is now Oak Grove Avenue. The school building still stands as a private residence.

Just two miles south of the Woodland School, in Section 24 of the Green Grove Township, the Atwood School once offered classes to local children. The Atwood School, also known as the "Miller School", was once located in the northwest quarter of the section on what is now County Road N.

"The school had a row of windows across the east side," recalls Harriet Laabs, who also served as teacher for the Atwood School.

"It was just a one room school with a wood furnace and outdoor toilets," recalls Dorthaleen Hardrath, a former student at the Atwood School.

Dorthaleen attended classes at the Atwood School after a mile and a half walk from the Edwards farm, once located on what is now Pelsdorf Avenue.

"Teachers always boarded with John Miller, who lived across the road," recalls Hardrath, "Mrs. Miller made the teachers lunch in a nice picnic basket. Us kids had to go get it each day."

Arnie Jagodzinski, former student at the Atwood School, recalls some of his former teachers. “There was Miss Engelbretson, Marion Adams, and Antoinette Casey,” says Jagodzinski.

“Antoinette Casey used to ride a horse to school on really bad days and she would keep it in Miller’s barn until afternoon when school was over. Sometimes she would turn the horse loose and let it go home by itself,” recalls Jagodzinski.

Other teachers at the Atwood School include Harriet (Gosse) Laabs and Larry Kline.

Students entered the building from the south side and walked into a hallway area. "The boys hung their clothes on the right and the girls on the left," recalls Hardrath.

From there, the students would enter from the right through a library area and to the left through another area to get to the classroom.

As with the Woodland School, the Atwood School was closed and students were merged into the Colby and Owen-Withee school districts.

The facility still stands today, as a private residence.

Atwood School Today (2007)

Story and photos by Kris Leonhardt

O-W Enterprise 2007

 

 

 

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