ATMOSPHERE FOR LEARNING UNDISTRACTED Rural Schools of Nebraska

In the spring of2002, while traveling in Nebraska making images for my Lives of Tradition photography project, I saw a small rural school. It occurred to me that there could be no more traditional lives than those of people attending a small rural school. This one, Round Hill School, is located about 15 miles south of Broken Bow, Nebraska. I stopped to ask if! might visit and photograph. Mary Jane Graham, the teacher, welcomed me in to meet the students, learn about their school, and make photographs. During the four years that followed, after researching the locations of other still active rural schools, and with the cooperation of state and county school authorities, I 140 was able to contact teachers and gain permission to visit. I recorded nearly 40 of these rapidly disappearing schools

High As An Elephant's Eye

Photograph taken by Salt Lake Tribune staf