Thank you all for your responses to Sizing Up Small Schools. Below we have posted some of your experiences, questions and comments.

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Patty from Olin, Iowa writes:
Thank you for trying to put a positive spin on small schools (Olin graduation). We are trying so hard to promote the benefits of small towns and their schools and your coverage can help. Our graduating seniors will go on to do great things even without the hundreds of class choices larger schools can offer; and as one student mentioned, they’ll bring some wonderful qualities along to those new jobs. You have proven that with your own career and our students will continue to do the same.

Keep up the great work!

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Lizz from Bernard, Iowa writes:
Although I do not watch TV, I found your series of stories on small schools interesting (via the KCRG website).

I grew up in Las Vegas, NV, and attended one of the dozen high schools in the Vegas valley with over 1,000 students in grades 9-12. I graduated 34th in a class of ~350 in 1987. In 1989 I met and married a man from rural Bernard, IA, who graduated from Cascade HS in 1986, in a class of 93 seniors. I was amazed to hear stories of his experiences in a small school, which while not being as far reaching or diverse as my bigger school, still offered many opportunities for the students there.

Now, we live in Bernard and are raising our 4 children here. We homeschool our kids, but dual-enroll in the local school district for multiple reasons, one of which is that the schools receives some funding from the state for dual-enrolled students, even if the kids don't actually attend class. As our kids have reached the appropriate ages/grades we have enrolled them in band, choir and other courses that are not as easily recreated in the homeschool setting. This is an advantage that Iowa law allows for, which has been beneficial for us as a homeschooling family, as well as for the school programs we have been involved in.

We are a part of this community through many facets, even if we are not completely immersed in the local school programs. Certainly it is our desire to see the small schools here continue to thrive, and we support them in any way we can - music boosters, scout programs, etc. Coming from the background I had in a very large school system, I can all the more appreciate what my children and their friends are receiving from their small school experience.

Thank you for taking the time to share your personal stories, and for spot-lighting the benefits and challenges of the small schools in Iowa.

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Nina writes:
I graduated from HLV Victor. Think you have done a great job and they are very interesting. Thanks!

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Nacy from Dunkerton writes:
From all the people that I've talked to where personal friends, people here at school, or people at church in Cedar Rapids yesterday - all have had nothing but good to say about your Dunkerton - Chicago segment. They thought it was very positive! Thanks again!

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From Oran Teut, Springville
I saw your story last night on TV. I thought you did an excellent job putting it together. Thanks for a job well done.

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Niki writes:
I am a recent graduate of Olin High School and graduated with 23 other students. I found these articles really interesting because I experienced most of these same things. I was just like you, in every activity and it has proven to be extremely successful for me, as well as many of my classmates.

Olin has struggled recently with declining enrollment and not having enough funding. We have dealt with not having the funding necessary for many programs along with numerous other issues that every small school deals with. We’ve had run-ins with the state because they want for us to consolidate with nearby schools. We continue to fight because we don’t want to have to bus all of our students to surrounding schools. However, with funding declining, we may be left with no choice.

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Jeff writes:
I, for one, was lucky not to have gone to a small school. I graduated from Anamosa in 1999 (a class of 95 students). What was interesting was what had transpired during the years I was attending in the Anamosa district. When I started elementary school, the Anamosa district had 3 elementary schools (Strawberry Hill, Viola and Martelle.) Budget cuts forced the Martelle school to close in 1990. This led to a change. K-2 went to Strawberry Hill, third and fourth graders went to Viola and fifth grade was moved to the Middle School. This occurred right before my fourth grade year. It was a sight to see all of us have to get on a bus and travel 8 miles to go to school in Viola. They closed the Viola center a number of years later when they expanded Strawberry Hill (to something of an office building that was unfamiliar to me when I was in it my senior year in high school).

When we had moved to Anamosa in 1982, the class sizes had been 100+ students, throughout the mid to late 90s the class sizes dwindled to the 90s. There had been talk in the early 90s of merging with Monticello to form a much larger school system but that never happened. Right now the class sizes are 100+ again and now they worry about overcrowding especially with the troubles of neighboring Olin taking place and possible 28E agreements with Anamosa, Midland-Wyoming and North Cedar in the very near future. It just makes me wonder if smaller districts may have to grade share like Olin wants to do or cut back (as in closing elementary schools and merging them) in bigger districts like what happened in Anamosa in the 90s.

There are so many small schools in Iowa nowadays. To list them off would make this email really long. I attest that the term "small" would mean any school with less than 250 students 9-12 or 62 students per class. I was lucky enough to graduate in a class of 95 in a school where everyone knew everyone else. Your work was well done.

To end, you look funny in the hat in the picture.

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