Educational Media Reviews Online

This video is an historical journey illustrating the development of the Chazy Central Rural School in Chazy, New York. This journey depicts how two men, Reverend George Mott and businessman/philanthropist William Miner worked together to change rural education in Chazy. According to narration, these men were able to make “an obscure community in upstate New York a beacon of education in the early 20th century.” The film tells the story of the creation in 1916 of a “state of the art” rural school that used the principles of progressive education and a comprehensive curriculum for academic and manual studies. This combined with the construction and business experience of William Miner allowed for the building of an impressive Spanish mission style school structure with modern plumbing, solarium dining rooms, laundry center, and large auditorium to seat 1100. By 1920, it was known that this school was a “child’s university” and the Chazy Central Rural School was listed on the National Education Association’s list of schools to visit for foreign visitors.

The film discusses how the current philosophy of rural education during this time influenced Reverend Mott. The viewer learns of the Gary Plan, theories of Herbert Quick and the recommendation of President Theodore Roosevelt to consolidate single room school buildings as needed to improve rural education in America. It provides a comprehensive discussion of the creation of a rural school with an advanced curriculum and interest in developing the complete child with training in academics, culture, citizenship, and physical fitness.

There is a detailed tour of the school with interviews of former faculty and some of the oldest graduates of the school. To provide a current perspective, there are comments from the town historian and children of Rev. Mott. Especially effective is the use of actors to read the words of Rev. Mott and others involved in the school construction or teaching programs. The mixture of the still photographs and archival film segments is artistically impressive while the narration and music captures the enthusiasm and excitement of learning in this special rural environment. In addition, the changes in sound level for the music and voices for various scenes helps the viewer stay personally involved with the story thus adding another layer to the artistic presentation of the film.

This is not only a history of one rural school district but a psychological lesson in how caring citizens with knowledge, understanding, and interest in a better life for the children in the community make a difference by creating a lasting historical legacy for education in the United States. The Pioneer of Rural Schools is an excellent video for education collections in all libraries. Highly recommended.