Because of lack of camera memory, the creator of this blog was unable to record Sarah's entire talk, However, for your education and enjoyment, the script of her speech is provided here.
"Good afternoon. I would first like to take this opportunity to recognize Dale Diehl for his unswerving efforts to begin and see this memorial through to completion. Thanks also to all those folks who helped Dale and who provided the funds to see it done. Thank you all!
On June 30, 1931, the taxpayers of Limestone Township voted to build this school at the cost of $15,000. In the middle of the Great Depression! That was a lot of money and it took a lot of courage to vote yes -- but they did. In a letter to citizens of the township, Fred Diehl, the Montour County Superintendent of Schools, dispelled some of the rumor mongering which was occurring in the township. Paraphrasing Mr. Diehl, he said 'no, the school was not going to cost $25,000, no, your taxes are not going way up, and no, your per capita tax will not be $5.00, and finally, no, I am not getting $500 if the school is built. The school will cost $15,000, and not a penny more.' Obviously, the rumor mill had been rampant in the months before the vote.
Nevertheless, the township voters approved the school on that June day and on Feb. 19, 1932, the school was dedicated in a ceremony lasting almost 4 hours. I don't think we are going to spend that amount of time today, but you did get lunch at a cost of $.50. As you look over the program for the dedication inside the monument, one of the presentations was of the health room -- a new addition to the school, making it very modern.
My family moved to Limestone Township in about 1937, living back the long lane across from the school. My oldest sister walked to school for first grade. After the house burned, my family moved to the farm with the stone house on Strick Road where the Biddle's still live. Having 7 kids who attended the school allowed teachers to know the Biddle's for a number of yers -- pretty much until the closing of the school. My mom was an aide in later years at the school.
Although I don't know what school was like in 1932, I do have information about the school from my oldest sister, Wanda, of what it was like during the WWII years. She related that they collected milkweed pods and brought them to school, where they were dried and sent off to make the filling for life jackets. They also brought in gum wrappers, saving the aluminum foil to send off to the war effort. Air raid drills were conducted as well. Most importantly, education took place in each of the four rooms, each serving 2 grades through the 8th grade. Everyone carried their lunch. Paul Roat and Charlie Hartman were the bus drivers bringing children to school. As most of you know, Strick Road was notorious for drifting shut and she said that sometimes there were no school for days. I remember my dad talkinig about how he and neighbors shoveled the road by hand so school could be held. If you missed the bus, you walked. Wanda told me that in the spring, George Strouse would drive the bus and the older kids would go to Washingtonville, Valley and Anthony Schools to play baseball and softball.
By the time it was my turn to go to school, I was well acquainted with Dick, Jane, and Spot because of having four older siblings. I got the advantage of learning many things they had already learned. Whitey Miller was my bus driver. My love of school started when I got to first grade. My teacher was Mrs. Grace Murray, who also came to the farm to buy eggs and milk each week, so I already had a friend. Grace retired at the end of that year, and Mrs. Diltz became my second teacher. Mrs. Hartman was the 3rd dna 4th grade teacher, and Mr. George Strouse was the 5th and 6th grade teacher. By this time, we had hot lunches, and we had 3 recesses -- one in the morning, a long one at noon, and one in the afternoon. We could play a whole game of ball during lunch or swing on the maypole or the swings or use the seesaw --- made of wood with mo thought of lawsuits -- or just go site on the grounds and talk. I also found that you can get poison ivy on your butt from sitting on the ground and learned to be more careful about where I sat. We got our polio shots at the health room when they came out.
We had art class and music teachers who came to the school, and we had home school association meetings and programs where the doors in the hallway between Mr. Stouse's room and Mr. Shell's room would be open so everyone could sit and watch. When I was in 6th grade, we did a little musical event called The Littlest Angel. Our excursions to play ball, now was just to Anthony School -- maybe we didn't have enough money to go to three schools. How modern our education was -- today's cooperative learning -- we learned cooperation in a two grade classroom. If a younger student was having trouble with something, our teacher would allow us to help them. Open classroom concept -- just open the doors between the two rooms! We also became a family; afterall, when you are with the same kids for 6 years, you pretty much know everything about them. We learned compassion and about helping your fellow man. When Johnny Zeager came to our school as a victim of polio, everyone carried his chair with him up the stairs to get into the school and won the steps to lunch. Handicap accessible the school was not, but we made it work.
As Fred Diehl concluded his letter, he stated, 'The way in which you vote will determine whether you continue to keep your boys and girls in the old type of school or whether they will be given a chance to join the larger group and receive the advantages offered in the graded school. The schools are yours, not mine. I can only go as far as you will allow. This is your community.' I'm glad they took a chance on us and we can honor our school today." Sarah Kowalski
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