Alumni of the former Western School are invited to a reunion and lunch on Friday, May 17, at 11 a.m. at Yoder's Restaurant, 14 S. Tower Road, New Holland.
Western School was one of approximately a dozen one- or two-room elementary schools in Earl Township providing education to children during most of the 1900s. Western closed its doors after the 1971-72 school year after buses began taking rural students to larger, consolidated schools.
Western was located on the north side of Route 23 on the west side of New Holland where there is now an empty lot next to the Sauder Chevrolet car lot. After the school closed, the building was used for a picture framing shop, a law office and other businesses until it was eventually torn down.
In 2017, 29 women who attended Western School gathered for a lunch reunion. The men asked to be invited to the next reunion. Alumni are now in their late 50s or older.
Participants at the upcoming reunion will be asked to pay a nominal fee for expenses in addition to buying their own lunch. There will be a presentation on the Western School history. Alumni will be invited to tell stories and share photos.
Reservations are appreciated; to make reservations, readers may contact Vivian Martin Colatta at lennycolatta@comcast.net or 717-656-8887.
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