818 Vine (409) 846-4180 for your convenience monograming can Be dropped off at the Curiosity Strop i There is Stiff a Monogramer in Town Barineau Monogram % Page 6E/The Battalion/Monday, August 27, 1984 System needs 'special' teachers One-room schools still alive St. Mary’s Church Inquiry Class beginning Monday, August 27 7:30-9 p.m. in St. Mary’s Student Center For all who want to learn more about the Catholic Faith— Catholics and Non-Catholics 103 Nagle N. 846-5717 RAINBOW CLEANERS & AGGIE BALLOONS wants to welcome back the Ags! Bring your laundry and dry cleaning or send a friend a balloon... 3602 E. 29th (Across from Dairy Queen) 7:30-6:00 M-F and 9:00-3:00 Sat United Press International HIGHMORE, S.D. — The one room school has no running water, children still use outhouses and par ents are called in to shoot rabid skunks. But the small white building, 20 miles from the nearest town, stands as a monument to generatiions and is the center for a traditional Christmas holiday reunion. A fast-moving prairie Fire threat ened one of the district’s rural schools last year but ranchers mobi lized to battle flames that burned to within a few yards of the building. “The Fire nappened on a weekend and all the parents and everyone came running,” one parent said. “The parents saved it. There’s com munity pride in those one-room buildings and a lot of opposition to closing them.” He said, however, the system also needs a special teacher. “It really re quires dedicated individuals. It takes a certain breed to go out there.” Janna Larson, 29, appears to be one of those individuals, despite her initial surprise. “I moved from central Minnesota and never heard of rural schools,” she said. “I was looking for some thing different.” But she has spent the last seven years as teacher, nurse, janitor and nandyperson to an average class of 10 students ranging from fourth to v" * Janna Larson has spent the last seven years as tea- ^m0dt^janitor and handy person to an average m| tanging from fourth to eighth - eighth graders. Coping with the everyday chal lenges of a one-on-one education system apparently suits Larson, a working mother. “The outhouses blew over one year, both of them,” she said, chuckling. “I called in and reported it and they all got a charge out of that.” On occasion, a skunk also wanders into the school yard. “When skunks come that close in the daylight they are usually rabid,” she said. In such cases, she does not bother the school district. “I keep the students inside and call one of the ranchers,” she said. “Somebody comes out and shoots it.” Her sense of pride in a job well done is reflected in her students’ ad justment to the high school in High- more. Two of her former students continued their education to become engineers. “Most of them go on to some type of higher education,” she said, “ei ther vo-tech or college.” Larson said, however, she could not manage without the strong sup port of her husband, Scott, a rural telephone cooperative employee. He entertains their 2-year-old son, Jarred, during the evening when she must prepare lessons and correct pa pers For the four separate grades. The job of a rural teacher involves long hours. “We teach everything they teach here in town,” she noted. She said to overcome the wide age variety students have to be more sell sufFicient in country schools. The students must have the incentive to work on their own when she switches her attention from one grade level to the next. Overwhelming support from par ents and the family atmosphere of the schoolhouse helps. “Students have to play with each other, they have no choice,” said Mrs. Larson, who on occasion also delivers mail and groceries to the ranches on her trips from the city — population 1,173. There are some fringe benefit! not included in the starting salaryol $12,500. “Sometimes we get speck! gif ts from the ranchers, inaybeaboi of steaks or hamburger,” Larsoc said. Or it may be corn, applesori watermelon. “It’s their specialwavof thanking us." An overly friendly bull snake and noisy woodpeckers have bothered Pat Crackel the most. Crackel,28 ( teaches a neighboring one rocn, school for younger students —kin dergarden through grade three. Sk shares the 40-mile round trip will Larson. “The First day of school a snake took up residence in the doot way,” said Crackel, whose classesav erage about 1 1 students. “I hate snakes!” One of her older students, expen enced in such matters, removed the visitor. Crackel has her own technioueii offset the difference in gradelevek "I ask older students to help outtht younger ones and they feel impoi tant,” she said, speaking in the soft hut firm voice that commands ato lion in a classroom. "I catch the younger students lit tening when I teach older student and they seem to pick uponit/’sk added. B I L L t A F D S NOW OPEN 32 Pool Tables 4 Shuffleboard Tables Arcade HAPPY HOUR 4-7 Mon.-Fri. Beer 50
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