The first “Historic Schools Summit” will be held Friday, Sept. 16 and Saturday, Sept. 17, at the Springfield-Greene County Botanical Center, 2400 S. Scenic, Ave., Springfield, Mo. and is open to anyone interested in the one-room school experience.
“We have members that own still-standing one-room schools, members who are former one-room school teachers or students, members who want to take on historical renovation projects and members who are just local history buffs,” said David Burton, civic communication specialist with University of Missouri Extension.
The conference is organized by MU Extension in Greene County as part of a new community development program known as the Ozarks Country School Association.
The two-day program will include the Missouri premier of a documentary, “Country School: One Room, One Nation,” along with other interesting speakers addressing a number of topics relevant to the one-room school experience.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 16
The first day of the conference will include a presentation entitled “Early Life in the Ozarks: Humor, Customs, Remedies and Music” given by Dr. Jim Wirth, a human development specialist with MU Extension.
Virginia Snyder, a former teacher who restored Little Moore School and moved it to Snyder Music Park in Lawrence County, will speak and sing her program “Legacy of the One-Room School.”
At noon, attendees will watch the 1956 movie, “A Desk for Billie” and then hear from the lady that was the subject of the movie: Dr. Billie Davis. When the “Saturday Evening Post” published her story, “I was a Hobo Kid” in 1952, Dr. Davis became a highly sought after speaker for state and national teacher conferences.
Tiffany Paterson, National Register Coordinator at the Missouri State Historic Preservation Office, will lead a three-hour session in the afternoon entitled, “Taking the Mystery Out of Historic School Nominations.” Paterson writes historic nominations for the state of Missouri and is working on a multi-property nomination for one-room schools in the state.
Velynda Cameron, a 4-H youth development specialist with MU Extension, will lead a session entitled, “Working with and Inspiring Volunteers” prior to dinner.
The first day of the conference will conclude with the Missouri premier of the 75-minute documentary, “Country School: One Room, One Nation.” The movie has been getting rave reviews throughout the Midwest. Members of the public can also purchase a ticket that evening if they want to see the movie without attending the full conference.
A complete agenda for the two-day conference, and a registration form, can be found online at http://extension.missouri.edu/greene or picked up in person at the Greene County Extension Center, 2400 S. Scenic Ave., Springfield, Mo.
For more information, contact Burton at (417) 881-8909 or via e-mail at burtond@missouri.edu.

Search for: