A new schoolhouse now stands where the former one was consumed by fire. Although modern in every feature, with it's furnace and light, and no doubt up-to-date in every particular, where for comfort it will of course outdo its predecessor, yet we cannot be feel it can not exactly fill the vacancy as did the dear old school house which held so many sacred memories.

It stood for most a third of a century, near the average life of an individual, in our midst, where many began a life, which was as a steppingstone to success. More than a quarter of a century ago when the method of grading rural schools was in its infancy, the first class, consisting of five girls and boys were the first to receive diplomas from beneath its honored roof.

One of those is the first teacher now in the new building. Besides the benefits derived in an educational way, for more than thirty years it served the community for church purposes and many, many are the untold blessings it has left in our midst, until superseded June 14, 1911, by our new church for which our community is so thankful, and resulting much from the efforts put forth within its walls.

Along with its memories of joy there comes sacred memories of sadness, as many to whom our thoughts revert when our hearts bounded with joy, now are with us in memory only, and we recall the dear old school building as the last place where we once beheld the face of our lost loved ones.

Thus mingled with the sad, yet sacred memories will ever be cherished days of happiness and usefulness, as our thoughts carry us back to our old school days at Metz. May the memories of the new building and its occupants be no less sacred, but its blessings more complete. ~ Newton Daily News

The Metz school used for classes for the last time this year, will hold a reunion Sunday, June 1, to mark 77 years of education.

Located two miles south of Sugar Grove grange hall, Metz school was opened in 1879. Records and pictures of the school's history will be on display at the reunion and refreshments will be served by the Community Club.

The reunion will get underway at 1:30 p.m. at the schoolhouse. The event is open to the public with special invitation to all former pupils and teachers. The present term had 27 pupils with Mr. H. A. Monroe, Newton, as teacher.

The school was built on property purchased from James L. and Margaret Sims, August 12, 1879. At the time the property was in Sherman township. At a later date it became Mound Prairie No. 1. This is the second school house on the site. The first was burned in a fire during the summer of 1912.

The present building will remain intact and will be used as a voting place.

During its many years the school took care of all grades, primary through eight, until the fall of 1953 when sixth through eighth grades began attending at Washington elementary school in Newton.

There are many oldsters still alive who were among the first attending the school.

Lucie Wing, Newton, route 2, said that in her family there are four graduates who attended Metz. Her father, Fred Engle Sr., attended during the first term of school." ~ Newton Daily News, June 1958.

Up until the 1950s students had to pass a written exam to go on to high school. I suspect these tests were almost as difficult as some of our high school tests are today. This news item from the April 13, 1933 issue of The Newton Daily News gives a flavor of the day.

The second of two sets of rural eight grade examinations for the school year of 1922-23 will be held in Jasper county on Thursday and Friday, May 4 and 5. County Superintendent Lucy E. Hall has announced. The first examinations were given in February.

Examinations in history, civics and citizenship and penmanship will be written Thursday morning followed by grammar, physical training and agriculture in the afternoon. Examinations will be written Friday morning in arithmetic, music and spelling.

The places in which the examinations will be written and those in charge are the county superintendents office in the courthouse, Miss Hall; Kellogg No. 7, Elnora Lenz and Helen Schnug; Mariposa No. 3 Minnie Kutcher and Lillian Zirbel; Ira, Irene Orr and Cecil Geisler; Greencastle, Merie Jorgensen and Mary Moore; Washington No. 6, Marguerite Schoondyke and Frances McCracken; Des Moines No. 9, Merie McQuire and Jennie VanderKraan; Warren Grove, Fern Beyer and Lena Kyerkerk; Galesburg, Freda DeJong and Blanche Den Hoedt; Lynn Grove No. 9, Cornelia Kleinendorst and Nadine Earp; Richland No. 2, Opal Stotler and Arlene Edgington; Killduff, Hazel Neff and Helen Holdsworth; Reasnor, Wanda Van Wyngarden.

Pupils may select the places to which they wish to go to write the examinations and will be expected to attend the place they chose, Miss Hall announced. Pupils are to take nothing with them but pencils or pen and ink, as all paper will be provided. Pupils may rewrite in any subject they wish and may keep the higher grade; but they must re-write in any subject to which they made less than 75 per cent in the February examination.

Christmas entertainment held at the Metz school house was well attended. ~ Newton Herald, December 29, 1893.

METZ - The Metz school observed Arbor Day with the planting of twenty five white spruce trees furnished by the Jasper County Soil Conservation office. Each pupil set one of the small trees assisted by the teacher, Ruth Lind and director Eugene Anthony. Pupils of the school are: Robert Hitchler, Karen Anthony, Yvonne Ward, Dena, John, Faith, Pauline and Winona Baty, Kenneth, Ruby, Neva and Bonnie Gibson, Freddie Balmer, Dixie Lee Temple, Betty and Barbara Ayers and Roger Smith. ~ Newton Daily News, April 27, 1945.

AMES, Ia. (AP) The small rural school is fading from the Iowa scene at an increasing rate.

The extent of its disappearance was traced today by J. Leonard Devries, research director of the Iowa state educational association.

Devries told officials at a school district, reorganization conference here today that in 78 of Iowa's 99 counties there are 3,135 fewer rural teaching positions occupied than in 1940.

The relative importance of this shrinkage may be gauged by the fact that in the whole state there were 6,429 rural teachers in the 1946-47 school year.

Devries, in an analysis of a study in which 78 counties replied, gave the conference these figures:

There have been 41 town school reorganizations in Iowa the past two years.

In 78 counties, 712 rural schools have made adjustments and 434 rural schools, including 21 rural schools, have been reported permanently closed.

There have been 841 rural teaching positions discontinued in 78 counties in the last two years, 1,441 discontinued since 1940, and there are 694 additional rural teaching posts which although not discontinued simply are vacant. ~ The Newton Daily News, July 25, 1947.

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When our family moved to Metz, it was just after the end of World War II and I was 8 or 9 years of age, in the third or fourth grade. Marvel Clement was my teacher at Mound Prairie No. 2, the one-room schoolhouse that sat just north of the Metz Community Church. The church still stands high on the hill west of the railroad crossing.

I always thought of the railroad crossing the road going south to the Skunk River bridge as the center part of Metz. It was near the brick "Miller" home, where Philip and Marge Lane now live. Our family moved into the house just east of that house on the south side of the road. Yes, a house with no running water, except for the hand pump over the cistern where the water bucket froze solid during the winter months, even though it was located right beside the coal and wood-burning stove. And of course, there was the outhouse behind the garage which seemed a long ways from the house in the winter and too close to the house in the summer.

Each school day my sister and I (and other neighborhood children) walked the road west and up the hill to the school. I have fond memories of school there and my teacher Mrs. Clement, who, during the years later, I came to call Marvel. She became a friend as we all grew up and, several times over the years, she let me use the century-old barn on her family property as a photography background.

The school had an entry hall with its crock water container and small bubbler drinking fountain. There, in that hall, were the rows of hooks where we hung our winter coats with winter books sitting beneath.

In the schoolroom, was the blackboard and perfectly scripted "Palmer" alphabet above. Eighth graders (of which there was one student -- Ruby Gibson, who years later became a sister-in-law) sat at the left (west end) of the room as we faced north toward Mrs. Clement. I can remember looking at the seventh and eight graders thinking how grown up they were and that they must surely be adults.

At certain times of the year, either fall or spring before school let out for the summer, and maybe both, the school's students entered in games of softball competition with the Sugar Grove students who went to school in the one-room schoolhouse north of us at U.S. Highway 6 across from the Sugar Grove Grange. It was an exciting competition and great fun.

The games played during school recesses always took place in the grassy area north of the school, that is except for tag which sent students scurrying around and behind the school where there stood the two outhouses -- one for the girls and another for the boys.

I think my first teacher at Metz was Marvel Clement. She dropped school work off to me every day as I was bed fast with Rheumatic Fever for almost a year. When I came down with it I remember laying in the back window of our 49 Nash watching as my Dad build the house across from the cemetery.

As we grew up, I probably spent about as much time there as the residents playing ball in the empty lower half and catching squinnies etc. I could go on for hours talking about the glowing tombstone and hidden microphones to scare the girls etc. but I'll save that for another day.

I remember riding Larry Lane's dad's calves, or trying too, during recess. And I will never forget how devastated I was that Florette Mulbrook wouldn't have anything to do with me. I remember making ski jumps in the pasture during the winter our sleds. And I remember Uncle John's big old bull that put many a dent in the grill of his truck when he would try to make him go where he didn't want to go. Well gotta close for now. More later!

I have some Metz memories, too. They closed the school when I was going into the second grade, and it changed my life forever--not for the better, at least for the next few years. I remember getting off the bus at Woodrow Wilson, scared to death, and those kids looking at us like we had just escaped from a zoo or something. Won't go any further with that.

But I remember the sound of the old bell at the Metz school and how much fun recess was. Had only boys in my class, but mostly played with Donnie Butler, who I believe was a grade or two ahead of me. In kindergarten, I was the only student. But in first grade, I think my classmates were Bobby McGowan, one of the Clement boys (can't remember his first name) and Burt Guthrie. I could be wrong about them.

Back in the dark ages. Anyway, I remember Genie Cupp and her orange teeth. Remember Rich and I walking to school with Kathy White and her brother (can't recall his name) who lived at the bottom of the hill next to the creek. I remember one time the snow was deep and Kathy whined so much, Rich carried her all the way to school. My teacher was, I believe, Mrs. Snodgrass. Yucky name, but quite a lady. No way I could handle a schoolroom full of kids with that wide an age range the way she did.

Thanks for taking me on a driving tour through Metz in June, David. I know I've forgotten a lot of stuff I'd really like to remember. But the feeling was still there. A feeling of peacefulness, safety and simplicity. Wish I could recapture it for my kids. I suppose parents can't do that, though. Guess they have to live their own lives in their own times. Still, life then was good, wasn't it?

I have a few Metz memories - like 8 years of school there. Seven of them had Aunt Elizabeth as my teacher. However I was "teacher's pet" so no spankings. Then she married Uncle John! My eighth year I had 3 teachers and only remember one of them - Merle Jorgensen. Darrell Matheny used to hate me because of Aunt Elizabeth but we got to be good friends in high school.

I remember walking home from school in the winter when the snow was really deep in the roads because my little fingers were numb and Mother had to put them in water to thaw them.

I'll never forget the day a big rat ran across the front of the class room. Neva Gibson, she was sort of a tomboy, just ran up and grabbed it by the tail and took it to the basement and threw it in the furnace.

I also remember the softball games we used to play, especially with other schools.

I remember a lot of things, like the time I tried to strangle my sister because she had told my mom that I had run ahead of her to school. As punishment my mom made me wait and start later to school. Every step I took I got madder and madder. By the time I got to school, I was furious and went down in the basement to find her, and then I let her have it. I remember the teacher pulling me off of her. We laugh about it now.

I also remember the softball games because I was quite good at batting and running. But I was too little to play in the big games with the other schools, and by the time I was in 6th grade I was shipped off to "town" school.

I can visualize the school room. It seemed very large at the time, but I bet it was actually quite small, although we could pack the whole neighborhood in for a school program. Speaking of programs, I remember practicing my "piece" that's what a short saying or part in a play was called. I was scared to death, but I walked on stage and said my piece ok. Then we always had to do it again at the grange hall. When I was quite small we actually had a stage built up for the big program of the year, usually Christmas. We had curtains and I remember wanting to be a curtain puller and probably was when I was older.

Back to the description, I remember that the rows were set up by size of student with the smaller desks on the right as you faced north toward the front of the room. To the right of the small desks was the library. It was actually built into the wall and had doors. I remember sitting next to the library so I must have been in Primary grade or first grade.

So we pretty much sat in rows by grade unless someone was either a lot larger of smaller than the desks in that row. I remember looking up at the 8th graders and thinking how big they were. I idolized those people and to this day think they are very special people. The photo of the rhythm band is one of my favorite pictures of my childhood because that is exactly the way I remember all those people.

I could go on and on and on about my memories of school because it was such an important part of my life. One last thing though besides the outdoor toilets and the sledding in the field behind the school house was the fact that we had to buy all of our school books before school started. We always went to Powell's drug store and purchased our books and I remember how excited we were to get the new or used books. I loved school and continue to be an educator even now.

I was born September 13, 1921 a half mile west of Metz. My parents were Homer and Carrie (Lind) Clement. That was my home until I married in 1946.

I attended the one-room Metz school for eight years before going to high school in Newton. My teacher all eight years was Elizabeth Naisbitt who was very strict, but that was what we needed as there were usually about 24 pupils in all eight grades.

School always started at 9:00 a.m. with all giving the flag salute. Classes were called in turn to the front of the room to prove how well we had prepared our lessons. Sometimes someone would have to stay after school if work wasn't done properly or someone had misbehaved. School was out at 4:00.

We played games and softball at recess and noon. And in winter when there was enough snow, we took our sleds to school and slid down the hill in the pasture west of the school ground. This was owned by M.A. Hitchler and we always asked his permission to go on his property and he never refused us.

We took cold lunches. I always had a regular lunch box, but many just used a syrup or lard pail.

Some who lived a great distance rode ponies or drove a pony cart to school. The ponies were kept in a pony barn during the day. The rest of us walked regardless of the weather.

A highlight of the year was preparing and presenting a Christmas program for our parents. We sang songs, gave plays and recitations.

For Valentine Day, we made a Valentine box and it was a big deal to give and receive Valentines (home made or boughten).

There was always a neighborhood picnic on the last day of school with lots of good food and a ballgame.

The eighth graders wrote tests to see if we were ready for high school. And there was a graduation ceremony in Newton for which we got something new to wear. Many of us wore "hand me down" clothes as money was scarce when I started to high school in September 1934.

I have always been glad I had the privilege to attend a good rural, one-room school with a good teacher and many school mates. ~ written by Elda Clement Rorabaugh

If you have old photos of stories of Metz, please send to Barbara Lane Hug at barbhug3@gmail.com. I will be glad to give you credit for the submission. Thanks.