We've been exploring the Oakland, Maryland Amish settlement the past couple of weeks. This is a quirky community with its own traditions and customs that are quite different from Amish elsewhere and that includes their school.
This is a photo of the "Amish" school in Oakland. Â I use the word in quotes because its actually a public school that is majority Amish. Â The teacher is non-Amish but the curriculum, standards and oversight are all public school as part of the Garrett County school system.
There are also some Mennonite students that attend and five southern Baptist families also send their children to the school.
With the Amish settlement numbering 72 families the school is quite full.
School buses transport the children to and from, so unlike other Amish communities there isn't a lot of foot or bike traffic to the building. Â Interestingly, that has given rise to these "school bus shanties" at the end of driveways. Â Many outsiders think they are phone shanties as might be seen in other Amish communities, but they are not.
"Ha, we don't need phone shanties, we keep our phones in the house," said one Amish man.
Since kids sometimes have to wait for the lumbering, rumbling bus for quite some time (exact schedules are tough to pin down in the country) these structures provide some warmth and shelter for the long wait.
Sheila
My grandpa, now deceased, attended this school as have many of my cousins. This is such a wonderful school.........it would be nice if other communities could have a school such as this.
Karen Mooney
My sister passed this along to me. I worked as a secretary and teaching assistant for the Swan Meadow School in Garrett County. I have many wonderful memories of the children and parents. I was there for 14 years and can honestly say they were the most wonderful people to work with and for. Thanks so much for sharing this article. Sincerely, Karen Mooney (formally Karen Scheermesser)
Kevin
Thanks for stopping by, Karen. That is a slice of Heaven. I had never been to Garrett County and it is just so peaceful and pretty!