Nell Holcomb

The first 50 years of Nell Holcomb School in rural Cape Girardeau County were officially recognized Sunday. Former students and teachers gathered to reminisce and to celebrate the school's emphasis on a quality learning experience for the 300 students who currently attend classes for kindergarten through eighth grade.

Nell Holcomb School was aptly named for a teacher of 40 years in rural one-room schools that are so familiar to many of the Southeast Missourian's older readers. The school brought together six such schools in a consolidation process. The result: The new school still retains many of the pluses of the one-room school experience but in a modern facility that rivals that of any school district in the area.

At Sunday's open house, Dr. Frank Nickell, director of the Center for Regional History at Southeast Missouri State University, described how the Nell Holcomb district was formed and some of the school's early years. It is a rich history. More than that, it is a history in which the school's current students, faculty and administration can take tremendous pride.

Hats off to Nell Holcomb School. Residents of northern Cape Girardeau County can look forward to another half-century of providing a fine education to the area's youngsters.