STOGUIDE pages 140-153:Layout 1 10/30/07 2:51 PM Page 152
One room
Right:Astudentpeeksoutfromapartitionthatoffers
townstoreconsiderkeepingopen
privacyduringliteracyassignmentsandtests.
schoolsthatservejustahandful
ofstudents.
Vermont’schangingdemo-
graphics—ithasthelowestbirth
rateinthenation—andincreas-
ingpropertytaxpressureshave
alreadyforcedseveralofits
smallestschoolstoclosetheir
doorsforeverinrecentyears.The
GranbySchoolhouse,whichhad
anenrollmentofsixstudents,
closedlastyear.TheNorton
Schoolhouseclosedayearearli-
er.Belviderecloseditsschoolin
2004.Vermont’sonlyother
remainingone-roomschool-
house,theVillageSchoolin
Hancock,almostclosedlastsum-
merwhentownresidentsrejected
itsoperatingbudget.
Alltold,16Vermonttownsno
longerhavetheirownelementary
schools.Instead,theypaytuition
tosendtheirstudentstoschools
inneighboringtowns.
Therearenoplanstoclose
ElmoreLakeSchoolbutithas
beendownsizedovertheyearsto
meetthechangingneedsofthe
community.Whenitopened
morethanacenturyago,it
servedstudentsinfirstthough
eighthgrade.AsElmore’spopu-
lationgrewduringthe20thcen-
turyseveralgradeswereshifted
tootherschools.Mostrecently,a
largeincomingfirst-gradeclass
thisfallforcedschooladministra-
torstoshiftthethird-gradeclass
toMorristownElementary
Schoolduetospaceconstraints.
Theelementaryschoolnow
servesstudentsingradesthreeto
fiveandkindergartnersattendthe
MorristownGradedSchool.
LikethetownofElmore—
populationjustunder1,000—
ElmoreLakeSchoolissmall
andclose-knit.Severalofthe
20studentsrepresentthesec-
ondandthirdgenerationsofa
familytoattendtheschool.It
sitsinthetowncenteralong
Route12,justacrosstheroad
fromLakeElmoreandthe
ElmoreStore,thetown’sorigi-
nalgeneralstorewhereyoucan
buyeverythingfrombaitto
homemadepastries,pickupa
huntinglicense,
Continues on page 171
152
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