From the front page of the Ridgeway Journal dated August 28, 1941: The list of teachers assigned to Harrison County rural schools was published. The list included 89 schools, not counting bigger districts like Ridgeway or Bethany. “An enrollment of 1,100 is expected, average for this district. An additional 125 will be studying seventh and eighth grade work.” The county superintendent was D. V. Culp. He announced that two schools had closed from the previous year and the children would be reassigned to other schools. He also said there would be no change in textbooks.
Rural school teachers would have the opportunity to further their own education by taking courses offered by the extension center in the court house assembly room. Classes were offered every two weeks and included: Geography 104, Conservation of Our Natural Resources, with study of the movement to further their wise utilization; Education 142, History of Education in the United States, a survey of European backgrounds and our educational development in the colonial period.
I found Dorothy Polley, former Ridgeway R-V teacher and writer of this column in the list, but I can’t make out the name of the school where she was to teach. You may find names of teachers and schools you recognize in the list. You can find the complete list on the RCBA Facebook page (search for @RidgewayCBA) or on their website at RidgewayCBA.blogspot.com. Both will have the article posted Friday morning by 6 am.
