The Legacy of One-Room Schoolhouses

Como School students, 1936.

For many individuals from the Park County community, these tiny classrooms remained deeply cherished by those who had once gathered there. They were more than just places to learn—they were where they discovered the meaning of community, teamwork, and resilience.  The values of cooperation and shared responsibility that were nurtured in these small schools continued to shape the people and towns they once served. 

These accounts show how deeply embedded schools were in the cultural and social life of towns like Fairplay. From holiday parties to court visits and even flag duty, each student played a part in a larger, living story. Whether it was Leslie Denny being teased about being a “seasonable, dusky Sheik” in a school play or Frances Bishop recovering from a dental visit with humor, the pages of the Republican Flume School Notes reveal the deep bonds and shared humanity that radiated from these small schools.[1] 

Today, while many one-room schoolhouses have given way to larger institutions, their legacy remains. These were spaces of learning, yes—but also of laughter, storytelling, music, celebration, and connection. They were where community and learning met: one pie, one dance, and one shared lesson at a time.