Category Archives: Schools

Dec 13

Albion school is gone

Posted on Thursday, December 13, 2018, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

August 10, 2008: Cornerstone of the Albion school, Marshall County. I couldn’t tell you how many times I passed by the Albion school building on the way to/from Ames or Des Moines and beyond. It was such a fixture that … Continue reading →

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Sep 20

‘My guardian angel wears a bow’

Posted on Thursday, September 20, 2018, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

A senior cheerleader at MMCRU (Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn/Remsen-Union) died suddenly as she arrived at school last week. The cause of death was determined to be a blood clot in her lungs. MMCRU’s Friday night football opponent, Okoboji, postponed the game to Monday … Continue reading →

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Sep 10

RVTV last week in Diagonal

Posted on Monday, September 10, 2018, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

For those of you not familiar with WHO’s RVTV, where the sports staff (and Ed Wilson) travel across central Iowa before the Iowa-ISU game, here are some clips from the Labor Day stop in Diagonal. There was enough small-town/small-school goodness … Continue reading →

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Sep 06

Viola school finally meets the wrecking ball

Posted on Thursday, September 6, 2018, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

June 18, 2015: The school in Viola closed in 1998. Open image in new tab for larger version. After 20 years of a slow then accelerated decay, the school in the unincorporated Linn County town of Viola is coming down. Demolition … Continue reading →

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Aug 16

The other mall between two school districts

Posted on Thursday, August 16, 2018, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Last month I wrote about how Coral Ridge Mall was divided between two school districts. It turns out it’s not the only one like that in Iowa. Merle Hay Mall is split not just between the Des Moines and Urbandale … Continue reading →

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Jul 30

Electricity comes to Sioux City

Posted on Monday, July 30, 2018, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

July 9, 2018: This is not Sioux City. It is CAL’s baseball diamond in Alexander. I happened to pass by when the team was having its last practice, ever. The tie-in to this post is that a district so small … Continue reading →

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Jul 13

Iowa’s oldest active school building in line for replacement

Posted on Friday, July 13, 2018, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

September 27, 2015: This part of Bellevue Elementary has been a school for 157 years — 65% of the time since U.S. independence. Its construction in 1848 is closer to the late 17th Century than the present day. A building … Continue reading →

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Jul 12

Locust School’s place in history rapidly usurped

Posted on Thursday, July 12, 2018, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

September 28, 2015: Locust School, Winneshiek County. In northern Winneshiek County, closer to the Minnesota state line than Decorah, is the Locust School. It’s a one-room school historic enough to be maintained by the Winneshiek County Historical Society and get … Continue reading →

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Jul 06

Mall between two school districts

Posted on Friday, July 6, 2018, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

A not-particularly-trumpeted but governmentally significant thing happened July 1: The tax increment financing district for Coral Ridge Mall expired. The mall opened 20 years ago at the end of this month. The city of Coralville’s website explains: At that time, … Continue reading →

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Jun 14

A Wisconsin town loses its school, and the New York Times is on it

Posted on Thursday, June 14, 2018, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Sound familiar? But the reality of rural life in the Midwest, school officials say, is that younger people are fleeing. They want Starbucks and Thai restaurants, plentiful jobs and high-speed internet, and when they start families, they want schools with … Continue reading →

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