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Thank you, Mr. Newsom!
Growing up in a rural area definitely had many advantages. We may not have been exposed to the more 'sophisticated' side of life but we were children, experiencing childhood to the max!
Morgan-Meigsville Elementary School was a 3-room school house located 5 miles south of McConnelsville, Ohio, and served the families of Meigsville Township - which is about 28 sq. mi. in area with a population at that time of about 500 people. My guess is there were probably less than 100 students enrolled in grades 1-8. But what a lucky group we were!
The grades were grouped in the three rooms: 1st and 2nd with Mrs. Devitt, 3rd and 4th taught by Mr. Evart Davis (who retired in 1955 and was replaced by Mrs. Lucy Leeper, and 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th with Mr. Stanley Newsom at the helm (also doing double duty as principal). We all carried our lunches and ate at our desks until 1956, when a two-story addition was built, offering an activities room upstairs and cafeteria beneath, complete with tables and benches. Those lunches were the best - prepared by local farm ladies who really knew how to cook!
Mr. Newsom was a strict taskmaster who had a fabulous sense of humor, showed great respect for the kids and never shamed anyone. He clearly loved teaching! I had the privilege of being in his classroom for four years, 5th through 8th grades, and throughout that time, I cannot recall any time when he showed anger, impatience or disrespect towards anyone. There were very few disciplinary problems, most likely discouraged since he had three different sized and textured paddles safely esconced in the bottom right-hand drawer of his desk! He would occasionally take one out of the drawer, carefully inspect it, flick a bit of dust, wipe it down with his handkerchief and return it to its place of safekeeping. We figured he wanted to make sure they were kept in fine working order!
How he prepared for four different grade levels, taught the required math, science, English, history, reading and even penmanship is a mystery to me! His classes were orderly, challenging and engaging, and learning from him was always fun. The school was visited by a bookmobile every couple of weeks and a selection of books would be left behind for us to check out - and that included Mr. Newsom choosing a book from which he read aloud to us every Friday. I still can 'hear' his voice and his unique way of pronouncing the letter 's' even today.
Recess was fabulous - particulary for the boys and tomboys! We had a swing set that, in memory, was the best ever in that it was equipped with several swings with very long chains, supporting sturdy, wide boards for the seat -- large enough that one could sit and another could stand astride. With two of us pumping, could we ever get those swings going straight out from the bar! One of the favorites was to swing as high as possible and then leap out, trying to not fall down when landing.
In addition, there was a trapeze high enough from the ground so even the tallest child was able to hang upside down by the ankles. At one end there was simply a horizontal bar from which we hung or twirled around like a gymnast. In fact, we used to have contests to see who could do the most twirls in succession with only one leg around the bar while the other provided momentum. (I think Linda George won with something like 24 spins!)
As if those antics weren't enough, a few brave souls would climb to the very top bar which suspended all of the above, and sit astride it, making our way from one end to the other while the swinging and trapeze-ing was going on below. (Would any of this be allowed today?! Of course not! Someone might get hurt. I haven't been able to find a swing with a solid seat in years -- and believe me, those rubbery things that wrap around your behind are NOT comfortable!)
It was an exciting day in 1956 when a wonderfully large merry-go-round was installed! It seemed as though it could hold the entire school and was the activity of choice for everyone for several weeks. We would bolt down our lunch and head for the newest toy so as to not miss a moment of twirling, spinning fun.
There were highly competitive games of dodge-ball (and yes! it hurt to get hit!), jump rope with single, double and even triple ropes and all the variations of that energetic sport! Each autumn and especially in the spring - we loved playing softball. Being in the country, the girls often wore blue jeans to school and we were picked right along with the guys when choosing sides for these competitions. We took our softball seriously and worked hard to perfect our skills. Towards the end of the school year each May, Mr. Newsom would arrange for us to have a picnic and softball game with kids from the school in adjacent Bristol township. We SO looked forward to that day, although I have no memory of who won or lost -- only that they were fabulous days.
During the long, cold, winter, many recesses were spent indoors, staying toasty by the huge, black, coal-burning pot-belly stove. Card games, such as Pinochle or Euchre were the norm, as were spirited games of jacks with all the varieties you can imagine. Of course 'hangman' and tic-tac-toe were favorites at the blackboard. And many a winter's recesses were spent in the activities room, square dancing or learning folk dances from around the world to music from a record player.
Learning was the primary focus and even the slowest learners were never shamed or made to feel uncomfortable while the brighter students were always kept busy with extra projects, if need be. These dedicated teachers somehow managed to tailor the material to appropriately challenge all students. We had a 16mm movie projector so every week or two we would watch an educational movie and have discussions afterward. School was FUN!
I certainly wish my grandchildren could attend a similar school where bullying was not allowed, no one was ever shamed, respect was paramount and everyone was part of a supportive community, excited by learning. A huge debt of gratitude goes out to all those dedicated teachers who set the stage for a life-long hunger for learning.
And a special "Thank you! Mr. Newsom. You were the best!"
Note: The photo shows a stoop leading to ... no door?! on the left. And the activity room/cafeteria must have been demolished at some point as it was nestled and attached behind the left side of the building. Of course, the swing set and merry-go-round are long gone.
Morgan-Meigsville Elementary School was a 3-room school house located 5 miles south of McConnelsville, Ohio, and served the families of Meigsville Township - which is about 28 sq. mi. in area with a population at that time of about 500 people. My guess is there were probably less than 100 students enrolled in grades 1-8. But what a lucky group we were!
The grades were grouped in the three rooms: 1st and 2nd with Mrs. Devitt, 3rd and 4th taught by Mr. Evart Davis (who retired in 1955 and was replaced by Mrs. Lucy Leeper, and 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th with Mr. Stanley Newsom at the helm (also doing double duty as principal). We all carried our lunches and ate at our desks until 1956, when a two-story addition was built, offering an activities room upstairs and cafeteria beneath, complete with tables and benches. Those lunches were the best - prepared by local farm ladies who really knew how to cook!
Mr. Newsom was a strict taskmaster who had a fabulous sense of humor, showed great respect for the kids and never shamed anyone. He clearly loved teaching! I had the privilege of being in his classroom for four years, 5th through 8th grades, and throughout that time, I cannot recall any time when he showed anger, impatience or disrespect towards anyone. There were very few disciplinary problems, most likely discouraged since he had three different sized and textured paddles safely esconced in the bottom right-hand drawer of his desk! He would occasionally take one out of the drawer, carefully inspect it, flick a bit of dust, wipe it down with his handkerchief and return it to its place of safekeeping. We figured he wanted to make sure they were kept in fine working order!
How he prepared for four different grade levels, taught the required math, science, English, history, reading and even penmanship is a mystery to me! His classes were orderly, challenging and engaging, and learning from him was always fun. The school was visited by a bookmobile every couple of weeks and a selection of books would be left behind for us to check out - and that included Mr. Newsom choosing a book from which he read aloud to us every Friday. I still can 'hear' his voice and his unique way of pronouncing the letter 's' even today.
Recess was fabulous - particulary for the boys and tomboys! We had a swing set that, in memory, was the best ever in that it was equipped with several swings with very long chains, supporting sturdy, wide boards for the seat -- large enough that one could sit and another could stand astride. With two of us pumping, could we ever get those swings going straight out from the bar! One of the favorites was to swing as high as possible and then leap out, trying to not fall down when landing.
In addition, there was a trapeze high enough from the ground so even the tallest child was able to hang upside down by the ankles. At one end there was simply a horizontal bar from which we hung or twirled around like a gymnast. In fact, we used to have contests to see who could do the most twirls in succession with only one leg around the bar while the other provided momentum. (I think Linda George won with something like 24 spins!)
As if those antics weren't enough, a few brave souls would climb to the very top bar which suspended all of the above, and sit astride it, making our way from one end to the other while the swinging and trapeze-ing was going on below. (Would any of this be allowed today?! Of course not! Someone might get hurt. I haven't been able to find a swing with a solid seat in years -- and believe me, those rubbery things that wrap around your behind are NOT comfortable!)
It was an exciting day in 1956 when a wonderfully large merry-go-round was installed! It seemed as though it could hold the entire school and was the activity of choice for everyone for several weeks. We would bolt down our lunch and head for the newest toy so as to not miss a moment of twirling, spinning fun.
There were highly competitive games of dodge-ball (and yes! it hurt to get hit!), jump rope with single, double and even triple ropes and all the variations of that energetic sport! Each autumn and especially in the spring - we loved playing softball. Being in the country, the girls often wore blue jeans to school and we were picked right along with the guys when choosing sides for these competitions. We took our softball seriously and worked hard to perfect our skills. Towards the end of the school year each May, Mr. Newsom would arrange for us to have a picnic and softball game with kids from the school in adjacent Bristol township. We SO looked forward to that day, although I have no memory of who won or lost -- only that they were fabulous days.
During the long, cold, winter, many recesses were spent indoors, staying toasty by the huge, black, coal-burning pot-belly stove. Card games, such as Pinochle or Euchre were the norm, as were spirited games of jacks with all the varieties you can imagine. Of course 'hangman' and tic-tac-toe were favorites at the blackboard. And many a winter's recesses were spent in the activities room, square dancing or learning folk dances from around the world to music from a record player.
Learning was the primary focus and even the slowest learners were never shamed or made to feel uncomfortable while the brighter students were always kept busy with extra projects, if need be. These dedicated teachers somehow managed to tailor the material to appropriately challenge all students. We had a 16mm movie projector so every week or two we would watch an educational movie and have discussions afterward. School was FUN!
I certainly wish my grandchildren could attend a similar school where bullying was not allowed, no one was ever shamed, respect was paramount and everyone was part of a supportive community, excited by learning. A huge debt of gratitude goes out to all those dedicated teachers who set the stage for a life-long hunger for learning.
And a special "Thank you! Mr. Newsom. You were the best!"
Note: The photo shows a stoop leading to ... no door?! on the left. And the activity room/cafeteria must have been demolished at some point as it was nestled and attached behind the left side of the building. Of course, the swing set and merry-go-round are long gone.
Latest page update: made by LeilaN
, Apr 30 2008, 11:31 PM EDT
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- complete history)
Keyword tags:
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| porterbm | Thank you Mr. Newsom | 1 | Apr 7 2008, 8:00 PM EDT by LeilaN | |
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Thread started: Apr 7 2008, 6:38 PM EDT
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Although I never had the pleasure of having been taught by him, I knew him for years .He was married to my second cousin Geraldine Newton,Newsom .My clearest memories of him were that he always had a smile on his face ,and that ever present chuckle .His son Kieth was about my age & we were even at Ft. Knox Ky.in the Army at the same time .Keith like his Father and brother & brother Roger ,had heart trouble and died in1979 .Geraldine passed away in 2007 at age of 97 .Stanley died one day before my own father in 1975 ,and we couldn`t even attend the funeral .Of course his son Roger ,and Daughter Jeannine Greuey,and some grand -children ,still live in Morgan Co. Bernie
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| cinwebb | Thank you Mr. Newsom | 0 | Apr 6 2008, 11:19 PM EDT by cinwebb | |
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Thread started: Apr 6 2008, 11:19 PM EDT
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What a great story! I clearly remember the merry-go-round. How I loved it when I was a little girl. We'd visit in the summer and found the school to be sooo mysterious. How could that little building be a whole school? But the swings and the merry go round were the real draws. It was hard on little kids at the Sprague home, because we could see the playground, but were not allowed to cross the highway by ourselves. How frustrating! There is was--just out of our reach. I'm sure we drove the adults mad with our requests to go over there! What a treat it was to finally be allowed to go across.
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