2014 Service Award Winners from Maryland, Massachusetts, and Missouri
by Dr. Mark Dewalt
The Country Schools Association of America is proud to announce that there are three service award winners for 2014: The team of Charles and June Kennedy of Westford, Massachusetts; Dick Deshon of St. Joseph, Missouri; & Ralph Buglass of Rockville, Maryland.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles and June Kennedy from Westford, Massachusetts were selected for their service related to the Parkerville Schoolhouse. When the 1880 Parkerville Schoolhouse went up for sale in 1989 they were actively involved in the formation of the Friends of Parkerville Schoolhouse and the effort to save the school. The Friends work to raise funds to help with the upkeep of the building and run a program called “Old School Day” where third graders get to dress in period clothing and experience what life was like in the early 20th century. June and another board member hold a workshops to introduce teachers to the curriculum and she works as a teacher in period costume. Charlie was involved in the restoration of the schoolhouse and its maintenance. June also wrote two Westford history books including one called Westford Recollections 1729-1979 which contains photographs and histories from Parkerville Schoolhouse and several other district schools still in use.
Dick Deshon from St. Joseph, Missouri was selected to win one of the 2014 CSAA Service Awards for his service to the Pony School in St. Joseph, MO. Dick was highly involved with the process of building the Pony School. He came to every meeting, drove the committee off-site to review buildings, provided funds for meals and gas, and provided major funding for the project. He also made sure everything was being built to period specifications. Dick met with craftsman to build the window, and insisted on 1860’s glass so that everything would be as historically accurate as possible. Dick currently serves as the president of the board of trustees for the Pony Express National Museum.
Ralph Buglass from Rockville, Maryland was selected to receive one of the 2014 CSAA Service Awards for his service to the Kingsley one-room schoolhouse in Montgomery County. When the Montgomery County Department of Parks finished restoring the one-room schoolhouse, Ralph took the lead role as the docent and has donated over 145 hours of his time since the beginning of 2012. After completing training Ralph helped set up the program for visitors and acquired antique objects for visitors to appreciate the history of the school. In 2012 the school was only weekend per month for six months. The next year Ralph extended this to eight months and had three special day-long events in addition to the monthly opening. He also did special weekday openings for scouts and area camps. During his tours he encourages people to explore the school, talks about the history and how people did things differently, and provides activities for students.
The awards will be presented to the winners at the Country School Association of America (CSAA) annual meeting. The CSAA will host its annual national conference June 15 - 18, 2014, at the Pony Express Museum in St. Joseph, MO. The conference will include more than thirty presentations on June 16 & 17, and an optional bus tour on the 18th. The CSAA Annual Conference provides a forum for teachers, museum staff, historians, and others to exchange ideas and discuss issues with colleagues. For more information on CSAA or the conference, visit www.countryschoolassociation.org. To view CSAA’s online newsletter, visithttp://csaa.typepad.com Awardees will receive $300 and free registration at the national conference.
Mark W. Dewalt, Ph.D.
Chair: Counseling, Leadership, and Educational Studies
204 Withers
College of Education
Winthrop University
Rock Hill, SC 29733
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