Page 16 • The Akron Hometowner
July 14, 2010
School District shuts its doors after
130 years by Julie Ann Madden
Just as the Greater Hoyt School District would have celebrated its 130th anniversary this year, South Dakota legislators closed its doors forever. In 2008, the legislature passed a law forcing school districts with less than 100 students to reorganize with another South Dakota School District. The Greater Hoyt School Board, which had contracted educational services for their students with Iowa’s Akron-Westfield Community School District for 42 years, fought for a two-year battle for a legisla-
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tive exemption but lost. In a compromise, the South Dakota Secretary of Education Thomas J. Oster helped pass a law that allows families living within the current Greater Hoyt School District boundaries to continue educating their children at Akron-Westfield in perpetuity. As of June 30, the Greater Hoyt School District was dissolved and attached to the Elk Point-Jefferson School District.
Greater Hoyt School
A Day in the Life...
From 1881-1967 students were educated in the Greater Hoyt one room schoolhouse. Here is a typical daily program: 9:00 - Opening Exercises 9:10 - Eighth grade Arithmetic 9:35 - Fourth grade Arithmetic 9:50 - Second & 3rd grade Arithmetic 10:10 - First grade Arithmetic 10:30 - Recess for 15 minutes 10:45 - Fourth grade Reading 11:05 - Third grade Reading 11:25 - Second grade Reading 11:35 - First grade Reading 11:45 - Eighth grade Civics Noon - Lunch for 60 minutes 1:10 - Opening Exercises 1:30 - History & Geography, 8th grade 1:50 - Reading-Language, third grade 2:15 - Reading-Language, 1st & 2nd 2:30 - Recess for 15 minutes 2:45 - Geography or Physiology, 4th 3:05 - Reading or Physiology, 8th 3:20 - Grammar, 8th 3:50 - General Exercises
Members of the final class in 1967:
8th Grade - David Ericson 6th Grade - Patricia Brown & Jon Spicher 5th Grade - Denise Radtke & Lynette Waag 4th Grade - Bruce Ericson & Brenda Lucht 2nd Grade - Melinda Lucht 1st Grade - Kenneth Waag & William Brown
We walked to school every day . . . When it was real muddy, I rode the horse to school, I turned her loose and she went home. I never got to keep the horse all day.”
- Audrey Ericson
property gifted to Union County Historical Society
by Julie Ann Madden The Greater Hoyt School building setting on one acre of property along Hoyt Road in Union County is now in the hands of the Union County Historical Society. Earlier in the school year, former Board Member Pat Benton asked the board to consider donating the property to a foundation that was being formed to preserve the school. The Greater Hoyt School Board made the decision at their May 24 meeting as they began the district’s final chapter: closing the school district.
An Ericson family member’s fourth grade report card dated 1934 - 1935. It shows students received grades in the subjects of arithmetic, reading, writing, language & grammar, spelling, history, geography, civics, art and music. They also received grades for hygiene and deportment, which was their behavior at school. Furthermore, the number of library books the student read, days present, days absent and tardy were also documented. Weekly, they received marks for their attitude to school and recitation abilities.
Union County Historical Society President Sherri McKee told the board that her organization had unanimously approved accepting the property with the understanding that the foundation would have control of the property and any money raised for that property would be separated from other Union County Historical Society funds. It was also noted the foundation hadn’t been established yet but Benton was working on it. Board Member Lynn Johnson made the motion to donate the school property to the society and Board Member Steve Liebetrau seconded it. The vote was unanimous with all board members present: Greg Heeren, Lynn Johnson, Audrey Ericson, Steve Liebetrau and Lance Nielsen.