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Bulletin, Progressive, Record, Reporter
Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011 1B
REGIONAL
This school honor roll was published Oct. 5, 1872, in the Plumas
National for the school term that began May 20 and ended
Sept. 27, 1872. Courtesy Plumas County Museum
Mona Hill
Staff Writer
mhill@plumasnews.com
~losed in 1971 -- amid bitter controversy and lawsuits
-- after more than 100 years in operation, the Old
Meadow Valley Schoolhouse remains the heart of
the community, figuratively and literally.
The Spanish Peak School District formed in 1865, two years
before state and county funding was available.
The first school in the Meadow Valley area was a private
home school in nearby Tollgate. According to the Sept. 5, 1866,
edition of the Quincy Union, "Mr. A. Robinson is building a
school house near the tollgate between Meadow Valley and
Bucks Ranch."
Shortly thereafter, a second school opened on the second
floor of the Hamp Brown Mercantile Store, next to the Meadow
Valley Hotel, so students and teachers would not have to
travel so far.
In 1872, the one-room Spanish Peak School opened at the
site of what would become Meadow Valley School. Built by
parents and volunteers from Spanish Ranch, Meadow Valley,
Twelve Mile Bar and Rich Bar, the school enrolled 29 students
in first through ninth grade.
Students learned algebra, geometry, word analysis, book-
keeping, shorthand, literature, physics and sometimes Latin
and French. Older teens sometimes attended classes at night.
Parents, then as now, furnished school supplies: slates, slate
pencils, erasing sponges, supplemental books and other
writing materials. Textbooks passed from child to child in a
family, carefully tended.
Meadow Valley schoolteachers did rather well, earning $90
- $100 a month while their colleagues in other area schools
earned an average of $65 a month. Of course, once they
married, women could no longer teach.
ur~g,~!fe:l~t¢ lP905 .and .e~rly;!900s, the student populatmn
pr~ly:ayerag~#b~ ~idihdents, peakmg at 49.
In 1914, the original room of the current school was built for
$2,500. The southern classroom and indoor toilets were added
for $4,258. Finally, in 1948, the furnaceand ductwork were
installed at a cost of $1,200.
Twenty years later, local families began a losing battle to
keep the school open. Newer residents were sending their
children to school in Quincy for what they believed was a
superior education. Local families petitioned repeatedly to
retain the school.
With then-superintendent Robert Schoensee and Dr. Ivan
Looking spectacularly like an enlarged cast of "The Little Rascals," children attending the Meadow Valley School in 1927 pose for
their picture. The building stands today on that site -- with the addition of indoor plumbing and a second room. Photo courtesy
Plumas County Museum
Althouse leading the cause for closure, Margo Stratton and
Betty Wilson headed up the local parents against closure.
From petitions to lawsuits to charges of trespassing, longtime
Meadow Valley residents fought all the way to the appellate.
court before finally exhausting all possibilities.
The district began busing 40 elementary school students, as
well as the high school students, while Stratton and Wilson
struggled to continue the school in first the firehouse and
then Wilson's home. Eventually, they accepted the closure.
- = The school dis'triCt subsequently~ Sold the schoolhouse to the
park district, which in turn sold it to the current owner,
Meadow Valley Fire Department, which opens it for corn!ni~:
nity events. ~
A sense of community still surrounds the schoolhouse
today. A modern visitor walking into the building for a
community event will see many of the adults present in the
pictures of children who attended school there.
Playground equipment in place in 1971 still stands today.
Elsewhere there are signs of swings that hung from the pines
surrounding the building.
In the 1940s, Donna Bader (later McElroy), 9, and Margo
Bader (later Stratton), 10, came with their parents and sister
Sandy, 8, to live with the Robinson family at Tollgate.
They traveled from San Francisco via Bucks Lake in an old
Ford Woody every year to vacation at Olsen & Larsen's, now
the Forbes place.
Both fondly remember going to school there. Much of it
squnds exactly like going to a tiny school should. There were
sit ~gle desks with inkwells; the boys did indeed yank pigtails
ar d dip them into the ink-- particularly Teddy Richards.
Phe rules were strict arid Teddy Olsen, the teacher, had a
ru ler that she Used 0f~en, mostly on the boys and especially on
Te ddy Richards. Margo said, "It seemed like he was getting
w] mcked~all, the time,'.' ...... r ..
Par~ of JacICs D~tel%'th~ck~iih quaking aspen, ran behind
th ~ Scl:ioolhoi~se: it was a natural place to play and more than
or e student ended up in the water.
Margo and Donna told of the time Harold Olsen was
mowing hay in a neighboring field. Warning students not to
go into the field and ride on the tractor, Miss Olsen went back
into the school.
As soon as she was out of sight, the children flew over to
ride on the tractor, posting a lookout. When the warning
See School, page 6B
Food on the Table: Bell peppers
Chef Heather Hunsaker
foodonthetable.com
available year-round, they
are fresh and in season
from July through Novem-
ber. Typically known as
being pricey, these flavorful
veggies can be found on sale
during these months.
All varieties of bell peppers
come from the same plant
and differ only in their level
of maturity. Green bell pep-
pers are harvested before
they become fully ripe. Un-
like sweet red and yellow bell
peppers, green bell peppers
have a slightly bitter flavor.
Orange and yellow peppers
are mature green bell pep-
pers and have a more fruity
taste. The orange variety is
not as common. Red peppers
are fully mature green,
orange or yellow peppers.
Red peppers have the highest
levels of vitamins and nutri-
ents, as compared to the
other pepper varieties, and
have a sweet, fruity taste.
Bell peppers' bright colors
are a sign of their rich source
The produce department is
a rainbow of colors during
the summer months, due to
all the fresh fruits and veg-
gies. Adding to this bounty
are bell peppers!
While bell peppers are
of vitamins, nutrients and
antioxidants. These peppers
are an excellent source of
vitamins A, B6 and C, as well
as beta-carotene and folic acid.
Unlike other vegetables,
such as eggplant or Zucchini,
bell peppers stand on their
own in dishes. Their sweet,
bold flavor and crunchy tex-
ture lend them to pair well
with onions, garlic, cheeses
and fresh herbs and spices.
Bell peppers can be eaten
raw, stuffed, stewed, grilled,
sauteed, roasted or stir-fried.
When selecting bell pep-
pers, look for peppers that
feel firm and heavy for their
size, which are wrinkle and
blemish free. Bell peppers
should be stored whole and
unwashed in the refrigerator,
If stored properly, green and
yellow peppers will keep for
about seven days. However,
since red bell peppers are at
their ripest, they will only
last three to four days after
purchase.
This summer try bell
peppers in this spicy, classic
Italian pasta dish!
Sausage and Pepper Arrabbiata
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Serves: 5
1 pound penne pasta
1 pound Italian sausage
1 large red bell pepper
1 large green bell pepper
1 small onion
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (24-ounce) jar Arrabbiata
sauce
1/2 teaspoon crushed red
pepper
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
4 ounces feta cheese
salt and black pepper to taste
Slice peppers and onions into
long thin pieces. Set aside.
In a large skillet over medium-
high heat, brown sausage links
on all sides. Continue to cook
until sausage is thoroughly
cooked all the way through.
Once fully cooked, remove
sausage from pan, cool slightly
and slice. In the same pan the
sausage was cooked, add the
olive oil, peppers and onions
and saute for 5 minutes. Add
minced garlic and saute for
1 - 2 minutes more.
While veggies are cooking,
bring a pot of salted water to
a boil. Add pasta and cook
according to package direc-
tions.
After veggies have cooked,
add the sliced sausage back to
the pan along with the sauce,
crushed red pepper, and
Italian seasoning. Season to
taste with salt and black
pepper. Cook until sauce is
heated through.
Pour sauce mixture over
prepared, drained pasta.
Serve topped with feta cheese.
Hunsaker graduated from Le Cor-
don Bleu College of Culinary Arts.
She currently serves as a writer
and recipe developer for meal
planning site foodonthetable.com.
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