Checkrow School

Checkrow School The Red Brick School building was built in 1950. The last year of attendance was 1963-64.

The Second Checkrow School Reunion will be June 13, 2026, at Checkrow Community Church from 12-4 p.m. Watch for your le...
04/18/2026

The Second Checkrow School Reunion will be June 13, 2026, at Checkrow Community Church from 12-4 p.m. Watch for your letter in early May. Our page is under Checkrow School. See you there Checkrow Kids !

ARTIFACTSIf anyone has any artifacts from their years at Checkrow School please bring them to the reunion. By artifacts,...
03/25/2023

ARTIFACTS

If anyone has any artifacts from their years at Checkrow School please bring them to the reunion. By artifacts, we mean clothes, books, workbooks, art work, jewelry, lunch boxes, etc. We will have a special table for artifacts and you will get everything returned that day.

Below is a workbook I found from Checkrow. It appears mainly targeted at learning rhyming, being able to tell differences, storytelling, knowing right and left hands, etc. First or second grade.

According to our reunion historian Martha Sweney, Checkrow neighborhood got it's name from a method of planting corn.Che...
03/21/2023

According to our reunion historian Martha Sweney, Checkrow neighborhood got it's name from a method of planting corn.

Check-rowing was a method of planting where each hill of two, three or four seeds was exactly the same distance from adjoining hills.

A field of check-row-planted corn had the appearance of a checkerboard, with a hill of corn stalks at the exact intersection of each line. That made it possible to cultivate the rows in several directions and made it much easier to keep a field free of w**ds.

Highly labor-intensive technique

With the advent of chemical w**d control, check-rowed corn fell out of favor and is rarely seen today. A 1944 study revealed that approximately 50 percent of the time it took to plant a field with short, 20-rod rows was taken up in handling check wire and stakes. Even with long rows of 160 rods, 10 to 20 percent of planting time was consumed by laying out, moving and picking up wire. Mechanical corn harvesters also worked much better when cornstalks were stretched out singly in rows rather than clumped in hills.

Wow. The cool stuff is starting to come in for our reunion. Keep those photos coming.Bernice Cooper was our cook at Chec...
03/21/2023

Wow. The cool stuff is starting to come in for our reunion. Keep those photos coming.

Bernice Cooper was our cook at Checkrow. Her only help was volunteer parents and older students. She was the lone cook and dish washer for 37 kids. Some years probably more.

When she retired, the children of the school pooled their money, probably pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters, and bought her a neclace.

She loved the necklace so much she passed it on to her granddaughter Elizabeth Cooper Cook.

Liz still has it and will be attending our reunion. She will be wearing the necklace.

Some kind of cool karma going on here, planning this long overdue reunion of the Checkrow Kids.

Mrs. Bernice Cooper wearing the necklace from the children of Checkrow School.

Thank you Mrs. Cooper for all of that delicious chili and the yummy peanut butter sandwiches. You were never forgotten by the kids of Checkrow.

The first wave of invitations have gone out for the Checkrow School reunion which will be June 10, 2023. If you have not...
03/19/2023

The first wave of invitations have gone out for the Checkrow School reunion which will be June 10, 2023. If you have not received one we don't have your mailing address. Please email it to Cheryl Douglas at:
[email protected]

Or get a hold of Brenda Davis, Rick Ferguson, Ruth Birdsell, Shirley Camp, Carolyn Jacobus, Wayne Ridle, or Rick Camp.

Merry Christmas 1950. Teacher - Eva Newell.Front row: Gregory Leigh, Dick Formhals, Stanley Formhals.Middle row: Bruce S...
03/08/2023

Merry Christmas 1950. Teacher - Eva Newell.
Front row: Gregory Leigh, Dick Formhals, Stanley Formhals.
Middle row: Bruce Spangler, Gary Pickel, Frank Mincke, Eva Newell, Edith Wright, Norma Spangler.
Top row: Bernard McCance, Harold Beaty, Gary Formhals, Carl Treadway, Verla Thurman, Barbara Lou Helle, Donna Sweney. That back row is missing a girls name. Not my mistake. Can anyone figure out who's name is missing.

Checkrow 1955-56. Grades 1 & 2.Can someone help us fill in the blanks?Front Row: Marvin Rhodes, Wayne Ridle, Roger Paul,...
03/06/2023

Checkrow 1955-56. Grades 1 & 2.
Can someone help us fill in the blanks?
Front Row: Marvin Rhodes, Wayne Ridle, Roger Paul, Duffy Yocum.
Middle Row: Terry Efnor, ? , Dan Wilson, ? , Roberta Tracey, Larry Longcor, Jeanie Longcor.
Back Row: Shirley Camp, Mike Barker, Gary Elliott, Linda Wheeler, Roger Schmidt, Carolyn Paul, Janet Ferguson.

Checkrow 1959-1960Back row left to right: Mrs. Robinson, Kenny Day, Ronnie or Roger Schmidt, Larry Harris, Sharon Strode...
03/06/2023

Checkrow 1959-1960

Back row left to right: Mrs. Robinson, Kenny Day, Ronnie or Roger Schmidt, Larry Harris, Sharon Strode, Karen Day, Linda Riley, Carol Kennedy.
Seated left to right: Grover "Bud" Kimble, Lester Ridle, Carolyn Paul, Curtis Strode, Diana Elliott, Bill Riley, Jerry Wilson, Dan Turner.

Checkrow Primary. Need date. We are missing some names on this photo. Can anyone help? Update: This is possibly 1954-55....
03/06/2023

Checkrow Primary. Need date. We are missing some names on this photo. Can anyone help? Update: This is possibly 1954-55.
Front Row: Duffy Yocum, Larry Longcor, ? , Janet Ferguson, Linda Wheeler, Carolyn Paul, Mike Barker, Terry Efnor.
Second Row: ? , Karen Day, Mrs. Haffey, Ronnie Schmidt, Andy Rock, Jerry Wilson.
Third Row: Roger Schmidt, Lester Ridle, Arly Rock, Curt Strode, Dan Wilson, Bill Riley.

Checkrow 1956-57. Can anyone help fill in the missing student?Front Row: Mike Barker, Lester Ridle, Bill Riley, Arly Roc...
03/06/2023

Checkrow 1956-57. Can anyone help fill in the missing student?
Front Row: Mike Barker, Lester Ridle, Bill Riley, Arly Rock, Roger Schmidt.
Second Row: Carolyn Paul, George Lockwood, Carol Kennedy, Linda Riley, Dianne Elliott, ???, Janet Ferguson, Dan Turner.
Back Row: Linda Wheeler, Curt Strode, Jerry Wilson, Andy Rock, Sharon Strode, Mrs. Massengill, Ronnie Schmidt, Kenny Day, Karen Day, Gary Elliott.

Checkrow School 1946. Left to right - Harold Beaty, Jim Miller, Arlie Miller, Bruce Peterson, Teacher Bessie Cox, Verle ...
03/05/2023

Checkrow School 1946. Left to right - Harold Beaty, Jim Miller, Arlie Miller, Bruce Peterson, Teacher Bessie Cox, Verle Thurman, Opal Beaty, Verla Thurman.

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Avon, IL

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