MY FIRST YEARS OF SCHOOL, by Forrest Scrivner

MY FIRST YEARS OF SCHOOL
Forrest J, Scrivner
Box 665
Benkelman, Nebraska 69030

Although we lived on a homestead in Kansas, my first year of school was in District 42 in Dundy County, Nebraska.

The reason for not attending the school in our District in Kansas was the fact it was located several miles through the hills or a great many miles by road. Because of this distance, my mother taught me the first few years at home.

So at eight or nine years of age, I walked two and one-half miles to the Freeman Fisk farm and then got in a spring wagon device with Charles and Mildred Fisk and then drove across sand canyon and picked up Mrs. McKee, the teacher. We then drove another three miles to the Allen school. We went past a grove of trees on a tree claim where there was usually a bald eagle.

That year I did not miss a day of school and received a book as a reward for my perfect attendance. At a doings at the Methodist Church I was asked to read Chicken Little and the piece of the sky that fell on. its tail.

The rest of my grade and high school work was in the Haigler Schools beginning in the old school house. At that time, I rode a horse into town and left it in Jimmy Grey’s barn and walked from there. The first day my mother packed my lunch an a syrup pail which I tied to the saddle. When I opened the pail at lunch time, I found the apple had the sandwich pretty well hammered up due to the galloping of the horse. In fact, it was such a mess I didn’t even eat it at lunch time. After that I carried the pail in my hand.

Among my early teachers were Miss Watts who later became Mrs. Campbell, and Miss Walker from Benkelman.

We later moved into Haigler which rather much solved the transportation problem until I finally graduated from High School.

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--Haigler Centenniel Book