Arvin federal emergency school, or as it came to be called weedpatch school, had several programs and excellent teachers. But this book isnt just about the suffering that the people faced. Right to education responsibility to educate the story of. The school was built and managed by the okie children. The true story of the school at weedpatch camp characters jerry stanley this study guide consists of approximately 24 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of children of the dust bowl.
Weedpatch camp children of the dust bowl the true story. Leo hart got donations from others, and along with the teachers and okie children, actually built the school themselves. Leo hart, head counselor in the kern county high school district, had been in the. Maybe his convictions grew as he fought in france during world war i, then battled tuberculosis in a sanitarium. Leo hart was a magnificent educator, so he went on to start the first school for handicapped children, be an educational consultant to the korean government, and be the superintendent of the pondham union school district before retiring in 1959.
Leo hart, who had been elected county superintendent of schools in 1939, was. Ostracized as dumb okies, the children of dust bowl migrant laborers went without school until superintendent leo hart and 50 okie kids built their own school in a nearby field. Apr 15, 2016 students of leo harts weedpatch school for oakies of the 1930s included classes in an airplane and a chance to drive the plane down the. The true story of the school at weedpatch camp ebook at. Weedpatch camp the true story of the school at weedpatch camp. He played for the atlanta falcons and buffalo bills. Maybe leo hart, superintendent of kern county schools in the 1930s, developed his own faith growing up in rural godfearing iowa with a school teacher mother and hardworking father. Known as the weedpatch school, it was the brain child of the. Listen to watch we built this school sung by james, leo, and the chorus, with additional solos by kate berelowitch and davide pettenuzzo. Local school superintendent leo hart spearheaded a movement for the children to get educated by building their own school along with teachers and volunteers. Who is the actor to play as leo hart in the weedpatch school. This true story took place at the emergency farmlabor camp immortalized in steinbecksthe grapes of wrath. This man, leo hart, got some staff together, gathered some suffering children, and made a school for these people.
Students of leo harts weedpatch school for oakies of the. Interviews with hart and the school s former teachers and pupils make children of the dust bowl useful to students of oral history, as well as of the depression. Hart elementary school located in bakersfield, california ca. From the heart wrenching triumph of this educational experiment, the current crop of teachers in the united states could learn five valuable lessons in how to change lives with the right mix of chalk and challenge. Students of leo harts weedpatch school for oakies of the 1930s. In 1940 leo hart decided to build a school for the okies. Leo hart was a magnificent educator, so he went on to start the first school for handicapped children, be an educational consultant to the korean government, and be the.
Conclusion the true story of the school at weedpatch camp. She started working at vineland school teaching third grade then taking a bus down the street to weedpatch school a school developed by leo b hart for the children of the dust bowl living at. The true story of the school at weedpatch camp pdf. Hart in 1959,when he was honored at a local track meet on the field where he played with the camp kids. Synopsis by paul phillips and bill harley act i scene 1 james callahan arrives at the arvin federal migrant camp near bakersfield, ca in 1940 to teach math and music to oklahoma migrants at the weedpatch school, which is viewed skeptically by the town denizens. The site was next door to the migrant camp near weedpatch where the. Children of the dust bowl, the true story of the school at weedpatch camp, by jerry stanley, illustrated with actual photographs from the era, is the story of the migration of okies from the oklahoma panhandle to the land of promises in california. Illustrated with photographs from the dust bowl era. A fifth grade class listens to children of the dust bowl by jerry stanley and then discuss whether is was right for the educator leo hart to start a separate school. The school eventually merged with the vineland district, and ceased to be an emergency school. Bowl migrant laborers went without schooluntil superintendent leo hart and.
Hart, to serve the children from a large migrant labor camp that had been established in the area. Read common sense media s children of the dust bowl. If the goal of education is to prepare our children for their future, the weedpatch school got it right and we can learn a lot from its success. The weedpatch camp school was born out of school superintendent leo harts desire and determination to educate all children.
Leo hart, then superintendent of kern county schools, watched the. How were residents convinced to donate to the school. When such a camp was built near a town called weedpatch, the towns hostile residents didnt want to finance a school for the newcomers children. The true story of the school at weedpatch camp kindle edition by stanley, jerry. It is one mile from weedpatch and two miles from lamont. The book includes period black and white photographs depicting the hardships and the school. If you have read and found john steinbecks the grapes of wrath compelling, i urge you to read children of the dust bowl. Vineland school was near the camp and therefore the arvin federal school became the second school in the district. It was successful and locals soon demanded their children be included. Leo hart, then superintendent of kern county schools, watched the dustbowl refugees accumulate in migrant camps, under bridges and in ditches throughout his jurisdiction.
The wicked weather and winds that cursed the oklahoma panhandle became unbearable in the late 1930s. Pete bancroft said that leo hart made himself a oneman team in support of the migrant children. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading children of the dust bowl. Name 2 things done by the residents to show that they didnt approve of the school being built. Leo hart is remembered as an amazing educator who served as the kern county superintendent of schools. In september of 1940, the arvin federal emergency school was created by the county superintendent of schools, leo b. Leo hart gathered fifty ragtag youngsters with a group of dedicated teachers and built weedpatch camp school. In 1939 leo hart was elected superintendent of kern county schools, and he built a school next to weedpatch camp just for the children of the migrants.
Leo hart, the kern county school superintendent, greets james and expounds on the origin of the weedpatch school. Barbara sabovich obituary bakersfield, ca bakersfield. However they were not welcome in the native californians schools. Students of leo hart s weedpatch school for oakies of the 1930s included classes in an airplane and a chance to drive the plane down the runway and back. This true story took place at the emergency farmlabor camp immortalized in steinbecks the grapes of wrath. When the children were not working to help the family survive, they went to school. Marion leo hart born march 3, 1949 is a former american football quarterback in the national football league.
This book describes the plight of the migrant workers who traveled from the dust bowl to california during the depression and were forced to live in a federal labor camp. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Leo hart stands as one of the most decorated football players in duke history. Hart recognized the communitys responsibility to educate all children and used federal funds to open the arvin federal emergency school in 1939.
The true story of the school at weedpatch camp jerry stanley on. Weedpatch camp is the farmlabor camp built by the federal government, that educator leo hart creates a federal emergency school. Leo harts faith led him to reach out to the disheveled children living in the tents of weedpatch camp with belief in the potential of these ragtag. That a new school would remove okie kids from the public schools. Located between arvin and weedpatch and situated on weedpatch highway. San joaquin valley, one of which became known as weedpatch camp. Children of the dust bowl the true story of the school at weedpatch camp. There were some sixty elementary schools that were serving the district high school, and i recognized i n the late twenties and early thirties there was a real. Mar 03, 2014 it is one mile from weedpatch and two miles from lamont. Children of the dust bowl by jerry stanley scholastic.
In 1939 leo hart was elected superintendent of kern county schools, and he built a school next to weedpatch camp just for the children of the grapes of wrath. This school, nicknamed weedpatch school, brought joy to the people who had come from oklahoma. Leo hart won the office of superintendent for the school district, leased 10 acres of land beside the camp, hired the best teachers, and started weedpatch school in 1940. Hart,1 superintendent of kern county schools, observed in later years. He played college football for the duke blue devils. Mar 14, 1989 in 1939 leo hart was elected superintendent of kern county schools, and he built a school next to weedpatch camp just for the children of the migrants. Leo hart set out to provide the unwanted children with better educational experiences.
892 332 887 131 1299 1203 625 444 36 1361 1436 1198 745 579 1290 875 183 68 1419 852 263 135 217 1083 1528 1447 242 864 1504 1179 566 1316 1199 316 233 151 540 253 866 399 974 225 457 1336 552