Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/13098
LEFT: The former Wooden Valley School, a one- room schoolhouse in Napa, no longer in use. INSET: Foster “Scooter” Clark stands beside the old schoolhouse he attended 60 years ago. “I’m out of words,” he says finally. “It’s just a shame. That’s all I can say.” Comptche Elementary School When hippies moved to Comptche in But my sister likes mid- dle school, and I’m sure I’ll like it, too.” Former students have “bonding time.” “It’s a h appy place,” says Ohlandt. “The kids have more freedom here than in a big school. They can go play in the garden; they can pick any flow- er they want; they can catch bugs; they can fly kites on windy days; they can jump on pogo sticks. Because we’re small and there’s lots of supervision, they have the freedom to do that kind of stuff.” But that kind of freedom will come to an end this year when the school closes for good. Ohlandt gets teary when she talks about moving on. Students say they, too, will be sad to leave. “You know everybody and can be friends with everybody, because here you are around them every second of the day,” explains Bran- don Quade, 11. “I am sad that it is closing. been co ming t o s ay goodbye a nd hel p Ohlandt pack. Among them is Foster “Scooter” Clark, who drops by wearing a shirt embla- zoned with “Class of 1952” — and actually was in that class. He at- tended from first grade to eighth grade. When asked what it was like, he ponders the question for a spell. “It’s like asking Geronimo what buffalo tastes like,” he finally answers. “It was all I knew. I think kids got — and still get — a bet- ter education in a one-room schoolhouse.” Things were very different back then, he recalls. He and the other boys were allowed to bring guns to school, so they could hunt on the way home. They kept their guns — loaded — in the teacher’s car, which was un- locked. Nobody worried about it at all. When asked how he feels about the school closing, he takes his time before answering. the 1970s, established residents weren’t sure they could co-exist together in the rural community consisting of a post of- fice, a t iny general store, a s chool, a church and little else. The tensions even- tually worked themselves out as the new- comers with long hair became strong supporters of the Mendocino County communi ty. Today, c hildren a nd grandchildren of those growing up in the Age of Aquarius are among the 17 students in the one-room K-3 school- house. They wear colorful clothing and hats, and some sport dreadlocks. Ev- eryone goes without shoes to preserve the new carpet. Judy Stavely has been at the school for 33 years. The teacher, beloved by the community, will retire this month. She will carry with her a treasure trove of memories. In the early days, teaching was a fam- ily affair for Stavely, a member of the Mendocino Unified Teachers Association BELOW: Napa Valley Education Association member LeeAnn Ohlandt; third-grader Michael Norlund. JUNE 2010 | www.cta.org 19