Mont Vernon schools - Creating the Village School; switching from Milford to Amherst

Perhaps the most significant change that has taken place in Mont Vernon in the past 50 years involves schools: The construction of the Village School in 1970, winding up almost a century of schooling in other buildings, and moving our middle and high schoolers from Milford to Amherst.

In this audio file, Bob Naber, who was a member of the school board from 1966 to 1985, talks about what led to these changes, how people reacted to them at the time, and tells some stories about being a school board member, including what it's like to be on the receiving end of comments at annual meeting.

(One note: When Bob talks about the towns that were part of the original Milford School District, he mistakenly said Greenville instead of Brookline.)

To hear the 25-minute interview on YouTube (audio only) click here.

- Here's a quick historical synopsis, to put his comments in context:

1804: Mont Vernon separates from Amherst, has four school districts with one-room schoolhouses, and a two-room Central School on Main Street (where the fire station is).

1922: Central School is the only school left, due to shrinking population and state-mandated consolidation of small schools. Grades 6 through 12 go to various places, mostly Milford.

1947: Central School is closed and grades 1-6 move to the McCollom building, which had been built as a private school in the late 1800s but closed in the early 1930s.

1970: The Village School is built on Harwood Road, with four rooms. Over the next 20 years it is expanded three times and eventually all grades move from the McCollom building, which ends its history as a school in 1990. Public kindergarten is added in 2000.

1998: Mont Vernon joins Amherst, when Amherst decides to split from the Milford school district.