A Commitment to Learning and Community

Academic life in Park County’s rural schools was rooted in high expectations, strong community involvement, and a shared belief in education as a path to a better future. Families took schooling seriously, even when it meant braving snow-packed roads or rearranging farm chores to ensure their children could attend. In Fairplay, attendance regularly reached 97%, a remarkable achievement that underscored just how deeply families valued education. A Republican Flumearticle noted, “It is important that all work together to keep the attendance at this standard, for no child can be expected to do good work if he misses much time from school.”[1] This collective commitment led to impressive academic outcomes: Mr. Davidson’s 5th and 6th graders averaged 91 on monthly exams, while Warren Denny led Miss Bissenich’s 3rd and 4th grade class with a 90. Ten students scored perfect marks in spelling, sparking excitement for the upcoming county spelling match—an event that rallied entire towns around the academic success of their youth.[2]  

Instruction went far beyond the basics. Older students studied Shakespeare’s As You Like It and mapped New England’s geography, while general science lessons offered hands-on learning through units on soap-making, stains, and acids[3]—practical knowledge that connected classroom learning to everyday life. Investment in education continued to grow, evidenced by the purchase of new combination spelling and copybooks for the lower grades. Meanwhile, Fairplay’s high school—long operating in practice but not formally recognized—was the focus of a 1927 election to secure official status. This would make the district eligible for $675 per year in state funding, a significant financial boost achieved without raising taxes.[4] The announcement was clear: formalizing the high school program was both a civic and educational win. 

Boys' baseball team at Fairplay.

Outside the classroom, school spirit thrived through extracurricular events that brought communities together. Spring’s annual county Track Meet was highly anticipated, offering a day of friendly competition and celebration. The women of Hartsel extended heartfelt hospitality, preparing lunches for all schoolchildren at just five cents each—an act that reflected the generosity and solidarity common in these tight-knit rural towns.[5] Meanwhile, educational leadership extended beyond county lines. In November of 1927, Park County Superintendent Thana B. Epperson joined other superintendents and more than 3,000 teachers in Denver for the Colorado Education Association’s annual meeting. There, they tackled statewide issues in school administration, ensuring that even remote schools in Park County remained part of a larger, evolving conversation about the future of public education in Colorado.[6]