Leon School

Allegedly built in 1954, the Leon School while huge in size is no different than any other small town school. It is a building of community, service and pride. With school carnivals, pie suppers and different sports teams there was always some sort of event that would have the Leon School playing a tune for the citizens.

I imagine school at Leon was fun, with donkey ball games, pep rallies, FFA events and down to earth community. It’s hard to find that in the big cities these days, a place where everybody knows everybody. It was this welcoming environment and the hard dedication of the teachers that put out so many exemplary students, the large amount of students featured in the newspapers will show that.

Closing seemed to loom over the community school for years. Dwindled down to five teachers for such a big school every day they were tasked with making lunch for the students. Superintendent Tommy Hestily would follow behind and wash the dishes as students finished with their meals. This is one of those schools and stories where the personnel did their jobs out of passion and pride versus for money.

But if it were up to Hestily it would be a different way, one where the school didn’t have to cut a cook and secretary from their budget. But with a $40,000 shortfall in 1994, he had no choice. With only 24 students annexation discussions were imminent at the end of the school year.

Upon writing this my heart breaks for the community, many fearful the town would disappear without the school. Others upon hearing that the school would annex had already moved their kids to the nearby Turner District. But for those that stayed, the teachers and Superintendent Hestily drove the bus and cooked the meals to help save the school money.

The Leon School officially closed at the end of the school year of 1994, leaving behind an over 100 year legacy of the Leon School District and a massive building to return to the elements.

Gallery Below of Leon School

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