Barb and Dave Else Share "For All the Small Schools"

July 12, 2017 - Most of us native Iowans grew up in small communities and the center of each school district was the town’s pride and joy was the High School.  We remember our rites of passage going from youth to adulthood with our teachers, classes, friends, proms, first loves, and going to the state championships.  We were prideful of our schools colors and mascots and our school’s sports records.  It is sad to see our former source of town pride and bragging rights, fall into the dustbin of forgotten lore or into a new collective.  Unfortunately, due to school district consolidation, most small Iowa high schools are a vanishing part of the landscape and losing each town’s unique identity.   

The book that heralds and preserves the disappearing Iowa small high school with photographs and brief description of each school was presented by the authors, Barb and Dave Else from Cedar Falls, from their book titled For All the Small Schools at our last Kiwanis meeting.  Both Barb and Dave traveled all over the state to take pictures of these vintage landmarks to memorialize their place in life of small town from years gone by.  At the turn of 1900, there were 12,000 Iowa high schools in just as many school districts. At the end of 2014, it is down to 346 school districts. Most buildings have been lost either to make room for progress or have fallen into disrepair and are in derelict status.  Their great book that has far more pictures than writing, so it provides the essence of our schools and makes a great read.