Alzada school turns 100

The schoolhouse in Alzada is one of only a few one-room schoolhouses left in the country.

Montana has more one-room schoolhouses than any other state in the U.S. During the 2013-2014 academic year, there were 200 operating throughout the country; 67 of those were in Montana. By comparison, there were about 212,000 across the country in 1913.

The school was built in 1921 with the first classes being held in January of 1922. Originally there were two large classrooms. Sometime during the 1950s, bathrooms and a teacherage were added. This summer new siding and new windows were replaced on the school.

Currently there are two teachers, Mrs. Serena Parnell and Mrs. Na Tashia Bogner for the ten children attending the school The children are: Tylinn Thomas, Tanner Wright, Clancy and Copper Lange, Dusty Burman, Traden and Tatum Taylor, Raina Hendrickson, Will Courtney and Lenon Thomas. Additionally, four younger siblings are slated to attend next year.

Raina Hendrickson is the third generation on her father's side to attend the school and the fifth generation on her mother's side. Her great-great grandfather, Lawrence Arpan, graduated the eighth grade in 1922.

Cousins Tylinn and Lenon Thomas are the great-grandchildren of Norella Thomas, a former teacher at the Alzada school. Raina's grandpa, Randy Arpan, had Mrs. Thomas as a teacher. While attending the Alzada school in his youth, another student bet Arpan he couldn't hit the teacher with an orange. He accepted the challenge. Mrs. Thomas turned upon hearing her name, deftly caught the orange, and proceeded to give a lecture about betting in school.

On the first day back to school this year there will be an ice cream social to celebrate the centennial of the Alzada schoolhouse. Everyone is welcome to attend. Alumni are encouraged to bring any class pictures they may have. Schools not only educate children, but also can serve as a gathering place for the community. While this might still hold true regardless of where one might live, the one-room schoolhouse is a legacy of small towns and the pioneering West that is dying out.

All are invited to attend the first day of school to celebrate the Alzada schoolhouse's centennial, a monumental milestone, on August 18th from 1 to 3 p.m.