Small Schools, High Tech

“It rocks!”

Dalton Baum, Second Grader at Legacy Academy Charter School

iPads given to every student at Elizabeth Charter School

Back in the day, when I went to St. Columbkille’s Catholic School, most classes started with instructions from the teacher to “take out your books and turn to page . . .” That’s not happening so much these days. It’s not that kids aren’t book learning anymore, but instead of taking out their textbooks, they’re pulling out their iPads. And not just at big city schools—small town schools are going high tech, too. 

In Roy, New Mexico (population 484), students at the K-12 (42 students) are given laptops. That’s where they receive homework assignments, read from online textbooks, follow interactive tutorials, and take quizzes. The school ran into a problem, though, because a lot of kids didn’t have Internet at home so they were coming back to school after hours and trying to catch the WiFi signal outside the building. Not anymore—the Roy school district was recently chosen by the Federal Communications Commission to receive a WiFi station. The signal will span a five-mile radius, which effectively covers everyone living in Roy and anyone passing through. The school is delighted—it’s the only district in the state to get in on the deal—but they’re not stopping with WiFi. Next up: touch tablets for use in the classroom. The tablets will allow the school to download textbooks at a lower cost than buying printed books, and it’ll save the kids from toting a heavy load back and forth in their backpacks. 

Schools in Little Falls, Minnesota (population 7,719), Elizabeth, Colorado (population 1,464), and Tillamook, Oregon (population 4,391) are one step ahead. They’ve already taken the leap and have invested in iPads for their students. In all three districts, school officials say that in the long run online textbooks are cheaper than printed books, they’re easier to update, and their materials are more interactive and interesting for kids. In Elizabeth, the Legacy Academy Charter School is looking at the investment as a way of keeping its doors open. Hoping to reverse declining enrollment, school officials say they are optimistic the high tech approach will have students lining up to learn. 

Read the Articles:

Small school stays high-tech

More LF students to get iPads beginning next school year

iPads given to every student at Elizabeth Charter School

Tillamook School District to test iPads as replacement for print

Filling in the Gaps

“Sometimes when you have a problem, you need to try to be creative and come up with a solution on your own.”

Esterlee Molyneux, Mom of two Sunrise Elementary students

Without district bus, parents buy their own

What Happens on the Bus
Shiny yellow buses signal the beginning of the school day for kids all around the country, but if it weren’t for the quick thinking of some parents in Smithfield, Utah (population 9,535), their elementary school kids would’ve been left afoot. After the school district redrew boundary lines this year, the families found themselves just inside their school’s 1.5-mile “no busing zone.” Walking a mile and a half wasn’t an option for the young students, so instead of filling the streets with carpooling mini-vans and Suburbans, two of the dads bought a school bus of their own. Now, 82 kids ride the bus. Parents pony up $206 each year (comes out to 57 cents per trip), which covers the cost of the bus, insurance, maintenance, and a part-time driver. These kids are on the move, thanks to their forward-thinking folks.
Read the Article ® Without district bus, parents buy their own

And the Beat Goes on
Music is struggling to stay alive in schools operating under razor thin budgets—the news is filled with stories of music programs falling under the ax. But when the music and fine arts program was cut in Lakeville, Minnesota (population about 50,000), one mom saw it as her chance to live a dream, and help students do the same. Joy Afdahl opened a fine arts academy, staffed with many of the teachers who lost their jobs, and offers after-school classes in music, drama, and art. She knows the academy can’t replace the experience of in-school programs, but she’s doing what she can to keep the joy of music alive.
Read the Article ® New fine arts academy opens in Lakeville, looking to fill void left by school cuts

Lots o’ Land

“Towns need to grow to survive.”

Karen Lauer, Barnesville, Minnesota Economic Development

Barnesville offers an incentive to those looking to build a new home

Land of the Free

Small towns and rural communities are using what they have to woo newcomers, and for some that means free land. In Kansas there’s so much free land they host an online site, Kansas Free Land, that provides links to all of the communities giving it away. In Curtis, Nebraska lucky homeowners can snatch up a lot overlooking the golf course. And in Marne, Iowa, one family not only got free land but also got $10,000 in down payment assistance. Sometimes when a deal sounds too good to be true, it’s just good.

Read the Article ® 7 towns where land is free

Bonus Link ® Click on USDA Rural Development for information on getting low-interest loans to buy or build in rural areas.

I ran the following story last week. It’s about one town’s incentives for attracting newcomers. I thought it was worth repeating here . . . in case you missed it the first time . . . and in case you’re thinking about building in Minnesota.

If You Pay Them, They Will Build

Town leaders in Barnesville, Minnesota (population 2,314) have been hard at work attracting folks to their community. First, they offered free lots to newcomers willing to build. Then, they sweetened the pot with utility incentives. And now—cold, hard cash: twenty-five hundred bucks to the first four people who move to their town and build a home. This is one town that knows the way to a homeowner’s heart is through their pocketbook.

Read the Article ® Barnesville offers an incentive to those looking to build a new home

Doctor, Doctor

“I would say she’s an angel sent from Heaven.”

Loretta Phillips, Patient at Tutwiler Clinic

Nun doctor does God’s work in Deep South

An Answer to Their Prayers

The folks in the tiny town of Tutwiler, Mississippi (population 1,200) are facing some stiff problems—high unemployment, profound poverty, and subpar living conditions—but they’re not facing them on their own. For almost 30 years Doctor Anne Brooks has been caring for patients at the Tutwiler Clinic, where payment is welcome but not required. Brooks didn’t become a doctor for the money. No–she’s following a higher calling. You see, Brooks is also Sister Anne, a Catholic nun. She says that she spends part of each patient’s visit simply listening—she cares about her patients so they care about themselves.

View the Newsclip ® Nun doctor does God’s work in Deep South

Also, there’s a great video clip of Sister Anne/Doctor Brooks talking about her calling on You Tube.

One-Man Show

Patients in the small town of Cold Spring, Minnesota (population about 3,000) who go to see Doctor Christopher Wenner don’t have to spend hours in a waiting room—in fact, they can’t. There is no waiting room, or receptionist, or nurse. Wenner is a one-man show. He keeps his overhead low so he can focus on patients. Wenner follows the new “Ideal Medical Practice” and sees only 10 patients a day but spends a half hour to hour with each one. He also answers their phone calls, e-mails, and adjusts his hours to meet his patients’ needs. Now that’s a tough act to follow.

Read the Article ® Small town doctor finds new style for practicing medicine

Gotta Have Groceries

“I grew up scooping turkey manure and driving a tractor.”

Nick Graham, Small Town Grocery Tycoon

Iowa grocery tycoon, 21, builds small-town business

Tycoon Nick Blows into Town

Nick Graham is kind of a big deal in small town grocery stores. Where others are throwing in the towel and shuttering stores, he’s buying them up and keeping local communities supplied. At 21 years old, Graham might be considered a youngster, but he’s an old hand in the grocery business. He bought his first store in Minnesota when he was 17, and by the time he sold it two years later he was grossing $100,000 a week. Graham’s empire now includes three stores in small town Iowa. Read the article to see which popular American novel gave Graham the idea for his first business plan.

Read the Article ® Iowa grocery tycoon, 21, builds small-town business

Students Pitch in to Bring Grocery Store to Town

A grocery store is the lifeblood of a small community. The kids from the Cody-Kilgore Unified Schools in Nebraska get it. A group junior and senior high schoolers from the tiny town of Cody (population 149) traveled to Lincoln to make a pitch to lease land along a popular nature trail so a grocery store can be built. The nearest full-service store is 40 miles away. As the students put it, the store would attract people to their community and provide jobs for both adults and after-school workers. These students are pretty smart cookies.

Read the Article ® Grocery store could help tough town survive

Need to Help Neighbors Burns Strong

After a fire destroyed the only grocery store in Onaga, Kansas (population 683) late last year, residents have been desperate to get a grocery store back in town. With the closest store 45 miles away and winter driving conditions making the trip seem even longer, townspeople were especially concerned for the elderly in their community. The local diner, Wanda’s Country Cooking, stepped up to the plate to help out. They set up a makeshift grocery store in their restaurant and stock it with necessities picked up in town three times a week. The manager says the store has been good for business but, like everyone else, she’ll be glad when a full-fledged grocery store is back in town.

Read the Article ® Small town diner opens makeshift grocery store to keep Onaga fed

Keeping It Local

“What makes a local currency work is

that you spend it as fast as possible.”

Josh Freeman, Founder of North Fork Shares

North Fork shares wealth with its own currency

The Buck Stops Here

Faced with a struggling economy, the folks in the mountain town of North Fork, California have turned to an age-old stimulus plan: they’re printing their own money. The group grew tired of seeing their community’s hard-earned bucks roll downhill to the big city of Fresno and so they gathered in a barn last year and cranked out their own currency, called North Fork Shares.

Read the Article ® North Fork shares wealth with its own currency: Town has come up with a stimulus program designed to keep money in the local economy

Of the Community, By the Community, For the Community

Voters in two small towns in Maine say they know best how to regulate small farms within their communities, and they’ve passed ordinances that would make small-scale farmers exempt from state and federal regulations if they sell directly to consumers. Supporters say the streamlined system will help small farms grow, but state regulators say they have the last word when it comes to rules.

Read the Article ® Maine towns try to loosen reins on local farms

If You Pay Them, They Will Build

Town leaders in Barnesville, Minnesota have been hard at work attracting folks to their community. First, they offered free lots to newcomers willing to build. Then, they sweetened the pot with utility incentives. And now—cold, hard cash: twenty-five hundred bucks to the first four people who move to their town and build a home.

Read the Article ® Barnesville offers an incentive to those looking to build a new home