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A meeting was held on April 8, 1879 to organize a school district in the Oakridge community of Rock Township. The school opened in 1880 and was originally named Mt. Pleasant School; however, as early as 1883 the name was changed to Bowen School. Bowen School was located west of Highway 61-67 and north of Telegraph Road and served students who lived in the Telegraph Road, and Richardson Road area. The school closed in 1948 when the Fox Consolidated School District formed. New Hope Methodist Church held their first church service in the old Bowen School building in 1949 and in 1950; the church purchased the old school and property. The building was used until 1960 when the present church building was completed and the original Bowen School was eventually torn down.Interesting Facts:
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Miss Baker was the first teacher, followed by George Frederick and Lizzie Anewald. The teachers earned $30.00 per month.
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A tax of 50 cents was assessed to fund the new district and although the law only required a four month school, the progressive directors of this district voted to hold six-month terms.
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During WWII, Mrs. Emma Beck, owner of nearby Beck's General Store, donated a ham bone to the school every Wednesday. She cooked ham and beans to sell to the students. The proceeds from the lunch went to the Red Cross war relief effort.
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Seckman School was built on a one acre tract of land along Seckman Road at the intersection of Frisco Hill Road in the Imperial area. The school, which was located on a hillside in the Rock Creek Valley (near Mastodon Park), was named in honor of Henry Seckman who served as First District Judge (now called a County Commissioner) from 1884-1888. The school had a large bell tower which crowned the original entrance to the building. Its church like construction made the building a landmark in the area. Seckman School closed when the Fox School District formed in 1948. The school was then sold to the Benck family in 1954 and still stands today. The school was extensively renovated and the bell tower removed. It is presently used as a private residence.
Interesting Facts:-
The land for Seckman School was donated to the district by Charles Edinger prior to 1906.
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Mr. C.M. Morrison was one of the school’s first teachers, and hosted a county teachers meeting at the school in October, 1911.
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In 1911, the school board installed new seats, a teacher's chair and bookcases to add to their already good library.
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Students remember that they washed their hands in a pan of water and then emptied the pan out the door. They also remember the end of the school year picnics in the school yard, especially getting tickets for free ice cream.
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Saline School was built along Old Highway 141, between Fenton and Arnold and was named after the creek which flowed nearby. There were actually three Saline Schools. The first was constructed of logs and was built around Civil War times. The second building was constructed around 1876 on property belonging to Reinhold Schlecht. In 1901, the third school, which had a stone foundation without a basement, was moved to the highest point in the area by the McClain family. An addition to the front of the school was added in 1928. The school closed when the Fox School District formed. The property was claimed under “squatter’s rights" by the Fox C-6 School District. The land had never been recorded by the original owner. The property was sold and the school was torn down.
Interesting Facts:-
The flagpole at the Saline School site was removed and installed in front of the Fox Elementary School on Jeffco Boulevard.
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In 1906, the school was known as Berresheim School, named for George Berresheim who was at one time president of the school board. That name was short lived and eventually it was again renamed Saline School.
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In 1918, the school bell, which could be heard for many miles, was donated to the school by George Schneider who originally purchased it from St. Paul's Catholic Church in Fenton.
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The actual beginning of Lone Dell School is unknown, but a Margaret Ulrich and Frederick Vogel are known to have grown up in the area and attended the school in the 1870s. The school was originally known as Spitz School, named after the Robert Spitz family who donated the school property to the district. For unknown reasons, the name of the school was changed sometime after 1918. The school was located on Lone Dell School Road. The school property was surrounded by a creek on three sides and a spring on the other. Students had to go through the creek to get to the school, but the creek was usually dry except in the springtime. The school was never known to have experienced a flood. The school closed in 1948 when the Fox Consolidated School District formed. The property was returned to heirs of the original Spitz family as was stipulated in the old deed. The original Lone Dell School was eventually torn down.
Interesting Facts:-
In the 1870s, the school year was only three months long.
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A 1927 news article stated that a wonderful spring of clear water -- pure and health-giving-gushes from a vine clad hill about 50 feet from the school house door. Students lay on their stomachs to get a drink of the cold, clear water.
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Soulard School was originally named for Antoine Soulard, a surveyor general of French descent. He originally purchased 6,002 acres which composed much of the present day City of Arnold. Soulard School has had three different locations in the area. The first Soulard School was a log building located on property near the current Fox Campus. The second Soulard School was also constructed of logs and built near the current intersection of Jeffco Boulevard and Highway 141. It was destroyed by fire on the last day of school in 1883. The third Soulard School was built on property now located in the 1300 block of Jeffco Boulevard. In 1905, this building was again replaced and used for 43 years until it closed in 1948 when Soulard School became part of the Fox Consolidated School District. The school building was sold but is still part of the Arnold landscape. The original frame building has undergone extensive remodeling inside and out. It now has a brick facade and houses medical offices and a barber shop.
Interesting Facts:-
In 1927, Hazel Vivrett, who taught at Soulard School, worked hard to improve the school district. With the cooperation of the board, she took the time to diligently remind the public that funds were available to purchase library books, a teacher's desk and chair, and badly needed playground equipment.
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The school had the distinction of playing host to the very first Rock Community Fair, a prelude to the Rock Community Fair and Horse Show. Area farmers brought various kinds of produce, animals, and woodcraft for judging, while homemakers brought canned goods, baked goods, and sewing to capture the judge’s eye.
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In 1948, the community consolidated the five different schools (Bowen, Lone Dell, Saline, Seckman, and Soulard), so that by 1950, all children were attending school at the same building. The original Fox School, which still stands today, is currently the home of Fox Middle School. Students rode to school in one of three busses owned by the district.
Prior to 1955, there was no local high school in the Arnold community. Area high school students chose to either attend Herculaneum or Crystal City High School. So in 1955, the Fox C-6 School District established a high school by adding a freshman class to its Kindergarten through Eighth Grade format. The previous year eighth grade students at Fox, along with the eighth grade graduates of Immaculate Conception Catholic School and St. John's Lutheran School formed the first freshman class. In the succeeding years, the sophomore and junior classes were added and by 1958, the four-year high school program was complete. The first Senior Class in the history of Fox High school graduated on May 19, 1959. A total of 58 seniors had the honor of being members of that class of graduates. There was great celebration in the community and the event received considerable coverage by the press in the area.
In 1970, the Antonia District joined the Fox School District. The Antonia District was originally a K-8 district which was comprised of four one-room school houses (Leicht School, Moss Hollow School, Antonia School, and the Four-Ridge School). These schools consolidated into the Antonia R-4 District in 1951 and school was held at the current Antonia Elementary School. Clyde Hamrick was built in 1970 to house students in grades 5-8 and was later converted into an elementary school.
Interesting Facts:-
When consolidation was being discussed, records show that Mr. Charles Fox sold the land on which the original Fox School building was constructed to the proposed school district. The district and the original school building are named in his honor.
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Since the five original schools were no longer being used, playground equipment was obtained from each of the schools.
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In 1948, there was an enrollment count of 255 students (K-8) in the district.
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To purchase more buses when they were needed, the board members put up their own personal homes as collateral to purchase the buses.
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Thanks to Allen Flamm, the Arnold Historical Society, and Antonia Elementary for historical information on the Fox C-6 School District.
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