End of an Era

In the next couple of weeks, students at St. Isidore School of Litomysl will be attending their last classes. The school is closing May 29.
When Rose Ann Kubicek heard about the decision to close the school, she said she grieved because the school has been part of her life for many years. All six of her children attended and now her grandchildren are there. “It is a big loss for the community; a big loss for the families,” she said. “But I also can see the reason to because we are not in a location that we can attract a lot of students anymore.”
Monica Anderson and her husband are involved in both the school and the church that sits right next door. “It has been a hard road trying to go through the process gathering and hearing feedback,” she said. “It is a lot of disbelief. Litomysl isn’t closing because Litomysl is still here. It is the school part of our community that will be no longer.”
The last day of Litomysl School is officially May 29. There will be a mass at 11 a.m., followed by a potluck and picnic. On May 17 there will be an appreciation and celebration dinner starting at 11:30 a.m.
St. Isidore opened its doors in September 1958. At the time there were three classrooms: first and second grade, third, fourth and fifth grade, and seventh and eighth grade. There were three teachers. Ninety students attended and there were eight students in the first graduating class.
In 1960, the large classroom was divided into two classrooms and then each classroom had two grades, first through eighth, with four different teachers.
When St. Isidore School started all students attending were of the Catholic faith and were from Holy Trinity Parish. In past years, students have come from Owatonna, Blooming Prairie and Ellendale and have been of various faiths.
Anderson, who went to school in Blooming Prairie, said she always remembers hearing the teachers talk about how great St. Isidore School was. She remembers hearing from teachers that the students were always great listeners and a great start and foundation. “I think it is a great credit to the teaching and the community that we have here at the school,” Anderson said.
In September 1975, kindergarten was added to the first and second grade. Then in 2000, pre-school for 3- and 4-year-olds was added. 
Kubicek believed both additions helped with enrollment in the other grades because students stayed. “That helped increase some of our enrollment,” she said.
But in the end it was the lack of enrollment that doomed the school causing it to close.
Kristin Ehlers, who has been on the school board for six years, said the board has done a lot of advertising, trying to get its name out and encouraging people to bring their children to St. Isidore. “That was the biggest struggle; where do we get more kids,” she said.
The Rev. John Sauer, who provides mass each week, said from his outside view the amount of work that the families have done is above and beyond just sending their children to school. “The cleaning, the fundraising, field trips, volunteering, teaching; all of those things that really went above and beyond what you might think,” he said. “That helped save us money and helped us bring in money. I am in awe of what they have done.”
Sauer added that St. Isidore has had an impact on the children. “Just as I watch the kids take care of each other, I just find that really beautiful,” he said. “Sometimes in a small place it is hard for children to find their place. I have never seen that as a problem. The kids really welcome each other. They care for each other.”
As a secretary at the school, Kubicek said she has seen students being educated that couldn’t survive in a different environment. “They just thrived here because they got the attention they needed, the caring they needed,” she said. “In the nine years I have been secretary here, there have been lots of kids we have helped move on.”
Ehlers said what she will remember most is the family atmosphere. “The family is amazing,” she said. “When we found this school we were very fortunate. We have been blessed to have been here.”
Sauer agrees there is a sense of family and community that he will remember. “The kids really take care of one another very well,” he said.
Now that the final days are drawing near, Ehlers said what she will most is the closeness. “It is home,” she said. “We live over by Bixby and are not Catholic. Coming here has opened so many doors for my kids to ask questions.”
Sauer said each of the children have been able to find their own niche. “Because it is so small they don’t get lost,” he said. “Each has found a way to develop some special unique part of themselves.”