School Systems!
8/16/26.
The Ohio County School System opened its doors on Tuesday, August 11, 2026 for another school year. Other area counties, i.e., the Daviess County School System opened a week or so earlier with each Kentucky district, start of school year, being determined by the local county "Board Of Education." Kentucky School systems are mostly controlled by the local county Board of Education. The state does mandate that each school district provide 170 school attendance days. Let us hope for a safe and pleasant school year.
To me, our school systems have changed, mostly for the better, in the past hundred years. After all, Rockport did have a school system in 1926. Then, to get to school, the student walked or rode a horse. The students attending Rockport from the Ceralvo and Echols areas endured walks of 5 miles or more regardless of the weather. This included floods, storms, heat or cold. Then, when they attended the school, it was, in most cases, a one-room school without running water or air conditioning and some without electricity. Heat was provided by a wood or coal burning stove and water by a common water bucket with a common dipper for all. Bathroom breaks; well you lined up outside to use an outdoor toilet or "outhouse."
In this area, in the middle of the twentieth century, major improvements in the school systems were becomming evident. There were still a few one-room schools in existence, but for the most part Rockport and most other county schools had electricity, inside plumbing and central heat. It would still be some fifty years or so before most of the schools were air conditioned. School transportation for the outlying areas was provided by school buses, yet the local students walked to school with some students having their own transportation, such as automobiles and bikes. Even then, most schools, as well as homes, were without air conditioning. Curriculum was a few steps above the old "three Rs" mentality of "readin, ritin, and rithmetic" with the bigger schools being offered a much wider selection of school subjects such as advanced math and chemistry. Even at Rockport, we were given choices of "typing", "business" and even "Latin" was taught for a few years when Mr. Tanner was the English teacher.
That was then; this is now. As I pass our only high school in the county at the start of each school day, or at the close, the student traffic is so high that law enforcement has to be used to control traffic of the student drivers entering and leaving school. The large school parking lot is full of student cars and trucks. I would guess that more high school students drive to school rather than ride a bus. Ha, very few walk to school anymore. I am not aware of all of the subjects or classes currently being offered to the modern high school students, or electives as we used to call them, but was surprised to find that "Golf" and "Bass Fishing" are included on that list. I would have walked 5 miles to school in the forties or fifties to have been able to participate in a "Bass Fishing" class. Unreal that a modern student can fish in a "Bass Tournament" similar to being able to compete in a Basketball or Soccer Tournament. Fishing or Golf practice! "These are the days."
jrd
Welcome to the month of August.
Thank you for looking and reading this material.
For the time being, I am showing pictures taken at the 2009 Rockport Days Event Have only a few more pictures to show, so check back weekly.
Sports.
1939-40 Team.
1945-46 Team.
Wishing you the best for the year, 2026.
see you.....
jerry
