A Teacher's Memory

This schoolhouse drawing and poem were created by Cindi Reeves who is now retired from the Johnstown-Monroe School District in Johnstown, Ohio.

While Cindi was bike riding on Duncan Plains Road, she saw the old Cornell Schoolhouse (before it was moved to its present location) and sketched this drawing before she rode on down the road.

Later, she decided to also write a poem to go with her artwork. She did not realize at that time that she would become a member of the Friends of Cornell School and help in the restoration of this historic structure as well as serve as a Cornell School schoolmarm.

Schoolhouse Poem

The sky was a brilliant blue
I loved the road and came to
Know its landmarks well
The stream, cemetery, and the brick schoolhouse tell
A story, as my bicycle slowed
In front of the schoolhouse where the bricks showed
Age and the shutters were in need of repair
Doors shut up and locked from care
Flat stones that once were used for a walk
What would the walls say if they could talk?
What was it like before the houses and telephone lines
Before it was taken over with weeds and vines
When the now paved road was gravel and dirt
And the schoolmaster wore a muslin shirt
A schoolhouse where children once passed through its doors
And scuffed their shoes on wooden floors
Who learned their lessons; like students of today
Looked at trees through the windows and dreamed of play,
Before the cars came speeding past
In the field it stood alone at last.
--Cindi Reeves