Twin Oaks Families:

For those of you who are keeping up with my latest obsession (the history of our school), I'm happy to report some progress. Thanks to input from our very own "living historians," Twin Oaks student/parent/grandparent, Connie Hedberg, student/parent, Debbie Oldaker, and former teacher, Virginia Garvin, some of my burning questions have been answered. SHOUT OUT to Vickie Woolman (longtime Twin Oaks secretary) and Jordan Gendel (Twin Oaks parent) for hooking me up with these fabulous women! A couple of weeks ago, we met here at Twin Oaks to reminisce, share stories and fill in a few gaps in my understanding of the history.

Here's what I found out from Connie Hedberg:

My sister and I grew up on property, off McBeth Rd, that our parents purchased in the mid 1940’s. My sister, Catherine, attended the one room school that we had in this area. It was called LeBleu School and it was located on Lorane Hwy, not far from where Lorane intersects with Lower Fox Hollow. It was on the right side of the road, going south. The school had 1st grade to High School age children. There were 3 1st grade students. Their teacher was Mrs. England.

When the current Twin Oaks opened, LeBleu School was closed and Mrs. England and the students transferred to the new school. I started 1st grade at Twin Oaks in 1959. Mrs. England was my teacher. Mrs. England lived in the area and held student gatherings at her home.

Both Catherine and I remember that two oak trees were planted in front of the school. A time capsule was buried under one of them and was removed, many years later, when the trees were taken out. As a side note, our father later named the road that we live on after the old LeBleu School….LeBleu Rd.

Debbie Oldaker (who attended Twin Oaks from 1st - 4th grades, including a few months at the old 2- room school house) and Virginia Garvin (Twin Oaks teacher from 1964-1995), remember the time capsule too. When two Oak trees were planted in front of the NEW Twin Oaks School, the time capsule was buried "between them" possibly near the curb closest to the bus lane. Some years later, the electric company removed both Oak trees, sighting interference with the power lines. They did this without any input from the community; which left some of the neighbors unhappy. The power company replaced the trees with saplings, but one of the the young trees kept dying. This meant that Twin Oaks was left with only one Oak tree out front for several years. In 2003 (8 years after her retirement) Mrs. Garvin planted a new tree in honor of her late husband, Curry Garvin. Curry was a self-proclaimed tree lover, and Virginia thought it a very fitting tribute to him. Thanks to her effort and generosity, Twin Oaks has been graced with two Oaks out front for the last 20 years! The question still remains as to the true location of the time capsule. Some recall that it was moved to the side of the building just outside the principal's office windows...others believe it is still located somewhere on the grassy knoll near the Oak trees.

Virginia was also able to share many recollections of her early years here at Twin Oaks, as they added onto the building in several stages. The original building had only classrooms #1-6. Room 2 doubled as a 6th grade classroom and the library. In fact, the 6th graders acted as the school librarians! The original construction also included the cafeteria, and the boiler room and gym, downstairs. In the beginning, what is now Principal Denisa's office, was the School Supply Room (heavily guarded under lock and key, by the secretary who sat out front). The first principal had the small office just behind the secretaries desk on the right. Over the years, the current supply room and rooms #7-8 were added. Eventually, rooms #9-10 completed the upstairs hall. Some years later, the current library and downstairs classrooms #11 and 12 were added. Mrs. Garvin believes that the final construction project was after her retirement, when Room 13 and the downstairs bathrooms were built . All of the renovations happened over decades from the 1970s through 1990s, and possibly into the 2000s.

I also have NEW INFORMATION about the location of the original Twin Oaks School house (pictured below), and The Bailey Family of Bailey Hill. But that will have to wait until next time...

Counseling Lessons in Classrooms Last Week: K-2nd graders learned about Citizenship and the work of a young fashion designer named Ashlyn So. Ashlyn is not only a talented clothing designer, but she is also an inspiration to others because of her generosity and charitable work. For fun, the students designed their own fashions and drew and colored them onto a "paper doll." 3rd-5th graders had a lesson about Self-Awareness. We talked about the value of getting in touch with our strengths and weaknesses, so that we can use those traits to help us navigate better in the world.

Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week: The Twin Oaks Parent Teacher Association is looking for families to help with the upcoming Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week (May 6-10th). Parents/Guardians, PLEASE SEE THE FLYER BELOW and the links to sign up to help!

Twin Oaks History Project: Seeking volunteers!

I'm looking for parents/guardians/grandparents, and anyone else who is interested, to help me with an ongoing project about the history of Twin Oaks School. If you like solving mysteries, researching historical documents and exploring the past, please join me in my quest to unravel the story of Twin Oaks (see original article below: Digging Into Our Roots...140 Years of Twin Oaks History!).

What's Happening in the coming weeks at school:

• May 3rd - Mustang PRIDE Assembly - CRAZY HAT/CRAZY HAIR Dress-up Day!
• May 6th-10th - Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week
• May 6th-31st - Art Residency: Weaving Wonder
• May 7th - Site Council Meeting
• May 7th - PTO Meeting
• May 27th - Memorial Day Holiday - No School
• May 31st - Talent Show

Featured in this newsletter issue: Weekly Message, Links related to the Weekly Message, Important School Announcements, Classroom Counseling Lesson Schedule, School Curriculum Samples (Sources of Strength/Problem-solving/Time Machine), Parenting and Community Resources, Short Videos to Inspire You and Bring you Joy 💓

REMEMBER, I'm available via email and office phone Monday-Friday. Don't hesitate to reach out to me with individual needs. I'm here to support you! My email is: miller_de@4j.lane.edu. My direct office phone is: 541-790-3442.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Miller

On a recent trip to the Twin Oaks Library, a 4th grade student and I got to wondering about an old black-and-white framed photo that hangs on a back wall of the room (see above). We assumed that it was a photo of the original Twin Oaks School. I speculated aloud, "Do you think there might be information on the back of that picture?" The 4th grader replied, "Let's take it down and find out." Sure enough, when we removed the picture from the wall, we discovered 2 full pages of information taped to the back! And just like that, we were immediately drawn into the story.

Here's what we found out: The original sight of the first Twin Oaks School house was not at our current location on Bailey Hill Road. It was on a "slope, overlooking Spencer Creek," where a one-room slab structure was erected in 1884, between TWO OAK TREES on property owned by Zeke Bailey. In 1893, when the students outgrew that original building, the larger one-room Twin Oaks School (pictured above) was built, allowing the old structure to become a woodshed. By the time the 1893 building was constructed, one of the Oak trees had been cut down, but the "Twin Oaks" name endured.

This school served until 1927 (34 years), when a new building was finally constructed. That Twin Oaks School, the third one, lasted another 31 years, until 1958. Sometime in 1956-57, the school district purchased our current 18-acre property from Henry Schnorenberg, and built the 4th and final incarnation of Twin Oaks Elementary, welcoming its first students on December 1, 1958. Our current building has been added onto over the years, increasing our capacity from the original "5 room modern school, complete with library, designed by Hamlin and Martin."

In case you couldn't tell, I love history. Especially when the history is connected to me in a personal way. My curious 4th grade friend and I have more work to do. We'd like to see if we can locate the original sight "overlooking Spencer Creek, on property owned by Zeke Bailey." We are dying to know if there is any evidence left of the birthplace of our school. Is it possible that the Old Oak is still standing, over 100 years later?!?

We will be contacting the 4J School District to see how far back their records go; and we will find out what folks at the Spencer Creek Grange may know. Meanwhile, if you, your family members, neighbors or friends, have any knowledge of the early history of Twin Oaks School or the "Zeke Bailey property that overlooks Spencer Creek," please reach out and share it with us. We are anxious to dig a little deeper into our roots!

May 3rd - Mustang PRIDE Assembly

May 6th-10th - Teacher Appreciation Week

May 6th-31st - Art Residency: Weaving Wonder

May 7th - Site Council Meeting

May 7th - PTO Meeting

May 27th - Memorial Day Holiday - No School

May 31st - Talent Show

June 6th - Fun Run (PTO Fundraiser)

June 7th - Grading Day - No School for Students

June 14th - Last Day of School