Country School Kids – Larry Van Moer – Beginning school at District 64
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We have been learning about Larry Van Moer, the second of five children born to Marie (Marcotte) and Herbert Van Moer. Larry and his siblings grew up on their family farm north of Amiret.
Larry began his education in 1946 in the 1st grade at the nearby, District 64 country school. He described its location on County Road 9 north of their farm.
"The schoolhouse was on Sabinsky's farm. It was not quite a mile. I'd say ¾ of a mile. We could walk to school most of the time. If it was really bad, we'd get a ride from my mom."
He also identified some of the other area farm families whose kids attended District 64.
"The Westphals lived over here. (Pointing on a map to a farm west and north of Larry's childhood farm) They'd come down and walk with us. Then there were some kids over here. (Pointing east of County 9) Heck was their name, and Schultzes went. There were some people up here -- Breczinskis (Pointing to land further west of County 9) and some Welus who went to school there.
Larry described the District 64 school yard.
"The school yard had one big tree close to the schoolhouse with a swing on it. Underneath that was a teeter-totter. There was a ball field marked off in the back. Way in the back, along the west fence, were outdoor restrooms, one for boys and one for girls. Over in the corner was an old burner from an oil stove. That's where we burned the garbage. Teacher would say to older kids, "Somebody go pound the erasers out." That was to knock chalk dust out of the erasers. You'd also take the garbage cans out. (Larry chuckled) They trusted us to load the garbage in that burn thing and light it with a match."
Larry explained two of the older boys had another, morning chore.
"We had these shotgun pails -- tall, galvanized pails with a handle. She'd send a couple older boys over in the morning with the pail. We'd walk to Sabinsky's, which was only a little way, right on the property. They would go over to the water tank well hydrant and fill that thing up. They'd carry it back to school and pour it in the water cooler. It was a crock water cooler with that button on it with paper cups. That was our drinking water for the day.
The school yard regularly served another purpose, as well.
"The three Welu boys rode a horse to school. They'd tie it to a fencepost by the outhouses. In the winter, they probably got a ride, but during the decent days, they'd ride this horse to school. I don't think anybody bothered (the horse) because those Welu boys were older. (Larry chuckled) I think a couple of them could have been in high school."
Another set of brothers brought their own transportation as well.
"There were some Bamford kids who'd sometimes drive a car to school. None of them were beyond 7th or 8th grade. (Larry laughed) Those were the old days!"
Larry described the inside of their school.
"You came in the school from the east, through a door facing County Road 9. When you came in, there was a little room where you'd put your coats and dinner buckets. The other side was a little room where they kept extra chairs. Then you went into the school room through another door. To one side of that door was a library-type bookshelf with nice, glass doors, clear to the ceiling. Then one side of the room was all windows and one side was all blackboards. Up front there was a blackboard on each side. The oil stove was over to the right of the teacher's desk."
The oil stove was handy for more than just heating the school in cold weather.
"In the winter my mom gave me Campbell's chicken noodle or tomato soup. Then at about 11 o'clock, the teacher would let us get the stuff we wanted heated out from our dinner bucket. She would open it up and put it on top of the stove so that we'd have a warm can of soup."
Larry listed each of his country school teachers at District 64:
"They were all nice teachers. Miss Eleanor McLaughlin was my first two years. Then it was Harriot Madsen, my 3rd grade teacher. She was a young girl who lived with the Louis Schultzs' (across the road from the school) that year. I don't know if she was uncomfortable teaching in the country, but I think they had trouble keeping her until the end of the year. I know that once and a while she'd sit at the back of her desk and cry. Then there was Mrs. Hebert, Agnes Hebert. She taught one year out there. She was nice. She was also a friend of my mom's. Mrs. Larson was very nice. I had her for two years. Her husband owned a Marshall lumber yard. Then there was Mrs. Jacobson for 7th grade. She was a nice teacher, too. I went on to Holy Redeemer School in 8th grade."
Larry recalled how one teacher took extra care for the school.
"The floor was wood. Mrs. Larson oiled that floor with a mop and floor oil. She'd come early and cover that whole floor with oil and work it in. So, it was always nice and clean."
The District 64 students had their regular classes, but they also enjoyed special activities at school.
©2026 William D. Palmer.