The Washington County Fair Farm Museum
with its Perkins Hollow one-room schoolhouse
is hosting the annual Conference of
the Country School Association of America
June 14-17 at Skidmore College in Saratoga
Springs and the Washington County Fair Farm
Museum in Greenwich.
The Skidmore College campus and the Fair
Farm Museum will host two days of presentations
and workshops on early schooling, curriculum
and preservation of historic country
schools. There will also be local displays and
presentations featuring area schoolhouses,
the slate industry, the Ticonderoga pencil,
and other related topics.
A charter bus tour of preserved and restored
school buildings is set for day three
of the event.
The CSAA is for people who wish to preserve
schools, create or maintain museums,
promote living history programs, and allow
children of all ages to experience schooling
as it was many years ago, organizers said. It
gives senior citizens a chance to relive their
fondest schoolhouse memories, offers educators
and writers a forum to share research and
publishes a country school journal of articles.
Registration information along with a look
at conference presentations and presenters
can be found on the website www.countryschoolassociationofamerica.org or through
its Facebook page.
CSAA also offers a variety of financial grants and award programs. Funding is available
for preservation efforts, disaster relief,
and conference attendance. There are awards
for publications, videos, websites and other
artistry items promoting the country schooling
experience.
Further details of the grant and awards are
listed on the website.
The CSAA brings a diverse group of individuals
together including museum volunteers, teachers, staff, faculty and students,
preservationists, historians, re-enactors and
interested citizens, to exchange ideas and
resources. The CSAA holds an annual conference,
provides a grant program, awards publication
and video prizes, conducts surveys and publishes an electronic newsletter, all in
support of the country schooling experience.
Officials said the annual conference grows
larger as a forum for exchanging ideas among
academics, preservationists, re-enactors, and
just plain history buffs.
Photo Courtesy Washington County Fair Farm Museum