One Room School Houses

Telluride School House and the Oneida Camp School House

Written 10 Feb 1982

I started first grade, not having attended a kindergarten, at the one-room little grey schoolhouse at

Utah and Power and Light Company’s Oneida plant. The schoolhouse consisted of two rooms; two

chalk boards, a clock, an American flag and a picture of George Washington. There were 6 rows of

desks, one row for each of the first six grades.

The schoolteachers lived in a cottage next to the school. Their names were Lale G. Gailey and Adria

K. Forsgren. Each row of desks was a grade and so the teacher taught several grades

simultaneously. We learned more that way because we heard what was going on in the other

classes.

My second grade was at the same one-room schoolhouse at Oneida plant. My teacher’s name was

Della Atkinson. I remember finishing my work early and doing third grade work as well, with Kent

Backman. I would slide over into his seat and do the same work he was given. When the end of the

year came I was promoted to the fourth grade. I remember playing tag at recess and also climbing

out of the school windows.

The third grade was also at a oneroom

school, which was close to the

Utah Power and Light Company’s

Grace plant. It was called the

Telluride school. My teachers were

Connie T. McGregor and Mildred

Ashbaker. Mrs. McGregor had to quit

during the year because she had breast

cancer. We were sad.

Neil Ashbaker was one of my friends

and it was his mom who took Mrs.

McGregor’s place. She was also

nice. The schoolhouse was brick and

I still have one of the bricks from that schoolhouse, when it was torn down years later, and the brick

is now a welcome sign at our back door. I remember playing marbles, swinging high on the swings

and eating my sack lunch, sitting on the roof of the cellar that led to the coal bin.

In spite of my promotion to the fourth grade at Oneida, the teacher and my

parents determined that skipping a grade would not be in my best interest,

nor would it help to be with older kids rather than with my peers. I

remember starting out as a fourth grader at Telluride and being the only one

in that row of desks, as well as having a difficult time with geography. And

so I went back where I belonged…the third grade.