Rural School Leaflet 971 



cooperation. In our district to-day, I am happy to say that we are hear- 

 ing Httle of the closing of rural schools. 



One of the first things that I did was to ask Mr. F. G. Benham, who 

 owned th^ farm of which the school lot was a part, to give us an acre of 

 land. This was at once granted on condition that I could carry out the 

 plan of improvement. I then appealed to the citizens of the village, who 

 enjoy the lake drive, for help in the enterprise and received S300. A 

 meeting of the taxpayers was next called, at which a resolution accepting 

 the money and land was passed and a levy of $2,000 made. Then, with 

 the united efforts of school commissioner and people, we accomplished the 

 election of a trustee in sympathy with the work we were trying to perform. 



With the gift of land and money, and $2,000 of the district money, we 

 went to work. We had an engineer of good standing to lay out the grounds, 

 and I think this was a most important step. We next engaged a good 

 architect, who said at once that our plans could not be carried out with 

 the amount of money we had. I told him that I was raised on a farm and 

 never lifted a stone when I could roll one, and I beHeved we could do it. 

 I proceeded, however, to get more interest and help. The workmen 

 entered into the spirit of the thing, working hard and overtime and deduct- 

 ing a goodly amount from their bills. By the end of the year all was 

 finished and paid for. , 



But this is not all. Later there was donated to the school a swing, 

 which is a beginning in the interest of recreation apparatus for the boys 

 and girls. We then remembered that we had a friend in the gas and oil 

 business. I asked him if he would like to have the honor of presenting 

 us with a steel flagpole. As a demonstration of his response, we now have 

 a flag flying from a 40-foot steel pole set in concrete. There are many 

 persons who like to do things if they have definite understanding of the 

 need and value of their contributions. 



We are now planning for an endowment fund, the interest of which 

 will be used for the care and improvement of the school grounds, the 

 district to look out for the building. The raising of an endowment fund 

 is valuable for the community. It means looking ahead, a consideration 

 of the future. The school will work for it ; the people will work for it. 



We want to raise $1,000 for this fund. At my lake home last summer 

 an entertainment was held for the first annual endowment fund benefit. 

 This will bring together each year patrons and friends of the school in the 

 interest of an educational enterprise. 



Editor's note. — We shall be glad to hear from every rural district in 

 which improvement of schoolhouse and grounds has been made within 

 the past five years. Photographs will be helpful in using such infor- 

 mation for the benefit of others. 



