Schoolhouse Preservation Group Forms in the Ozarks
Submitted by David L. Burton
To Schoolhouse Enthusiasts or School Owners:
I’m proud to announce the formation of a new organization comprised of people who are interested in preserving one-room schools in the Ozarks. The Ozarks Country School Association is a community development effort under the direction of University of Missouri Extension and is coordinated out of the MU Extension office in Greene County, Springfield, Mo. The mission of the OCSA is to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of the one-room school experience in Ozarks. The goals of the organization are to work with historical and community groups, as well as interested individuals and building owners, to raise funds and awareness, to maintain historic one-room school buildings left in southwest Missouri and to develop them as community centers.
I also want to let you know that we are moving forward with the 1st Annual Conference of the Ozarks Country School Association. I’m working on some sponsors and it looks like it will be a Friday and Saturday event sometime in the summer, perhaps in June. If you would like to be on the mailing list for that event please send me your conventional/snail mail address.
You will find the OCSA’s first chapter newsletter along with a membership form and an order form for the first OCSA fundraising calendar. Please read all of these materials and decide how you can support the start of this organization.
Membership in OCSA will have its privileges. For example, members will have opportunities to interact with a national organization (CSAA), only members will receive the newsletter, members will get an enrollment discount for our annual conference, members will be able to serve on the OCSA board, vote on chapter issues and only members will be eligible to receive grants or funding from OCSA.
Be sure to visit our site at Ozarks Country School Association. Here you will find a number of additional YouTube Videos that relate to our schoolhouses!
I also want to point out some dates for upcoming programs mentioned on page one of the newsletter. If you want to learn more about this organization and see an overview presentation about the rural schools of Greene County, I would invite you to attend one of these upcoming meetings. I look forward to working with many of you after you join and become members of the new Ozarks Country School Association.
Sincerely,
David L. Burton, Civic Communication Specialist University of Missouri Extension
Effective Oct. 4, the Greene County Extension Center will move to the new Botanical Center in Nathanael Greene Park. Our phone number and address will change to 2400 S. Scenic, Ave., Springfield, Mo. 65807, telephone: (417) 881-8909; but our website remains the same.
UPCOMING PROGRAMS AND MEETINGS: “Rural Schools Presentation,” 4 p.m., Nov 18 at the public library in Republic, Mo. · “Rural Schools Presentation,” 2 p.m., Nov. 21—Lawrence County Historical Society Jones Memorial in Mt. Vernon
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