Community-Centered Schools

Community-Centered Schools. . When Osceola County was formed in 1887, there were small villages scattered outside of Kissimmee. New settlers in the rural areas built schools for their children, and these one-room buildings accommodated multiple school grades. Students attended school for five to six months a year, but the rest of the year was not a vacation. Children helped their families with plowing in the spring or harvesting crops and wrangling cattle in the fall. In new towns, it was rare for buildings such as schools or churches to serve a single purpose. These large, open rooms were ideal spaces for the community to use for others events as well., The schoolhouse was the center of the social affairs of the neighborhood, and our church, Sunday School, prayer meetings, Christmas trees and evening entertainment were enjoyed there. There was no stage, the curtains were made of sheets hung on a wire. You might be surprised to see the talent shown in this kind of place. , Myrtle Crow Old Tells and Trails of Florida, Narcoossee School , This building is a replica of the Narcoossee School, which was built in 1886 for the children of newly arrived investors who bought agricultural properties from the land developers Fell and Davidson. The architecture of the school is a variation of the late Victorian Gothic style. Since there was no air conditioning, the steep roof and large windows likely provided decent air circulation, It functioned as a school for three decades. The original building still stands at the corner of Yukon Street and County Road 15 and is currently managed by the Narcoossee Chapter of the Osceola County Historical Society., All the studying and reciting were done in this same room, , Myrtle Crow Old Tells and Trails of Florida, An Opportunity to Learn , In 1869, Florida established school standards for the state. Wherever a community of 25 children lived, these children were guaranteed a free education. Students learned from teachers who were generally young women with a limited education themselves. Most of these students stopped attending school once they were old enough to work. School lessons included reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, and history. After 1893, children aged 7-16 were required to attend school for a least six months. These new standards did not apply to African-American children, who were not allowed to attend the same schools as the rest of the children in the area. In the late 1890s, two schools dedicated to African-American students finally opened &Mdash; one in Kissimmee and the other in Lakeview., (captions) , Narcoossee Students 1901 , Students (unidentified) pose for a class photo in front of the Narcoossee school. , Courtesy Jamie Vans/Agnew Family Archives, Narcoossee Schoolhouse circa 1900 In order to promote land sales for families, Fell and Davidson provided amenities, including a schoolhouse, in the new village of Narcoossee. , Courtesy Osceola County Historical Society, , Sunnyside School circa 1890 , This log cabin was located south of East Lake Tohopekaliga. The teacher of the school, Mrs. Hart, instructed the children of the Padgett, Lupier, Tyson, Keen, and Cubbedge families. This building, like others, was raised off the ground to protect occupants from summer flooding and snakes. , Courtesy Osceola County Historical Society, Narcoossee Children (unidentified) circa 1902 , Group portrait of young African-American children from the Cadman family scrapbook. Records suggest that Jane Cadman taught these children in the Cadman family stable. , Photo Courtesy Osceola County Historical Society