One-room schools are a thing of the past, but the memories are still vivid for a group of Claywood School alumni who met last week for a reunion. The graduates met on Wednesday at the Farm Inn in Shawano. The dates of their graduation from eighth grade spanned 15 years.
Mary Ellen Weihing said she remembered spending her recess building tunnels in a big snow bank in the field next to the school.
“We had exit holes along the way so we could get out,” she said.
“In the winter, when we came in for recess, we were all supposed to bring in a stick of wood for the stove,” Kathy McDermid Kasten said.
The classmates also recalled building a stage and spending more time rehearsing than learning during the weeks leading up to their Christmas programs every year.
All eight grades were taught by one teacher. After graduating from eighth grade, the classmates were split, some attending Suring Public School and others Gillett Public School.
Claywood School is still standing on Claywood Road, off state Highway 32 north of Gillett. The property is leased to a potato farmer and used for storage of small machinery.
Attending Wednesday’s reunion were members of the last classes to attend the school before it closed in 1957, including one who graduated from Claywood in 1942.
The Claywood School reunion has occurred periodically and grows each year. It was a close-knit community, the former students said, and they enjoy reconnecting. In one instance, all four of the members of one class were present at the reunion.
