History of Rainey District Number 48

Rainey District, named from the Rainey Creek, which crosses the district a few miles north of the school building; was organized from a section of land cut from the Colony Hill District Number Two in 1908. The building is located about six miles southeast of Abilene and three miles south of Elmdale on a slight elevation, overlooking a beautiful level prairie country. From the first the buildings in use have been erected by donations of patrons of the school, the district never having been bonded. The present building, which is modern and meets all state requirements for one-teacher schools, was erected in 1917; at this time a fifty cent tax was voted for the district and it became eligible to receive State Aid.

There have been a great many different teachers in charge of the school since its establishment, but some very efficient work has been done. Miss Ethel Coffman was the first teacher she was followed by Miss Dora Peters. The next year-- 1911-- there was no school in the district, conditions seeming to demand its temporary discontinuance. Miss Estell Scarborough was an charge of the work the following year; after her came Misses Hattie Noble and Gladys Lindley. In 1916 Thomas Minton began work, but₇ unfortunately, a storm so badly wrecked the school house that it was necessary to rebuild it; the work was discontinued for a brief time hut re sumed later under Mr. Minton. He was followed he Miss Ella Stone, Mrs. Alice Blanton, Miss Iva Briggs-a former pupil of the school-and Mrs. Iva Gamel. Miss Bonnie Carey Duke has had the school in charge this year, and the progress of the work has been good.

OUR SCHOOL.

There's a school down here on Rainey,
Six miles from Abilene,

That's quite an up-to-date affair,
The best you've ever-seen.

With such a splendid teacher
And children that want to learn,

Everything seems quite pleasant,
And our teacher's never stern.

For frowns are never needed
When scholars do their best;

Our teacher assigns our lessons;
We gladly do the rest.

Fun! well I should say
'Tis fun to go to school,

When children love their teacher-
Which is always my first rule.

Why! history is so easy,
And fractions are just fun.

We find things done so quickly
We scarcely know they're done

Then if it is a teacher
That you are trying to be,

Just come along to Rainey Creek,
And go to school with we.

We're just a few in number,
But do not be surprised,
If some of us make presidents
And others Governors' wives.

-LORENE HODGES (age 14 YEARS)

Class Roll

FIRST GRADE		SECOND GRADE
Ethel Blankenship	Nadine Hodges
Maxine Blackburn	Ora Bell Blankenship
Alva Yates		Ruby Yates
A. C. Blackburn 	Clarence Hodges
Cecil Blackburn		Curtis Shultz
Burl Hodges	
Noland Frazier
Archie Shultz

THIRD GRADE		FIFTH GRADE
Olie Blankenship	Lorene Hodges
Evyln  Blackburn	Alva Blackburn
Opal Yates		Homer Blankenship
Oliver Blackburn	Owen Blankenship
Neal Yarborough		Waide Medaries
Orval Turner		Alva Turner

Reference: The Buffalo Trail 1922