Highlandlake School

The Highlandlake school had its beginnings in 1877 when L. C. Mead called a meeting, held in the Oviatt home, for the purpose of discussing a school district. By a voice vote of 23 - 0, it was decided to petition the County for a school district. The County obliged and School District 33 was formed later that year.

The first year, until the new schoolhouse could be built, school was held in a house that used to stand where the Bauman residence is now. This was in the curve of the road that wound around the northwest corner of the lake. For many years this house was known as the Art Anderson place. Art Anderson often related this story that he had heard as a small child.

"In the spring of 1878, a cry went out and school was suddenly dismissed. The students joined the rest of the community in rushing out west of the lake to the unbroken prairie to watch a herd of buffalo pass by. As far as I can tell, this is the only time that buffalo were ever seen around Highlandlake."

~Art Anderson

The new schoolhouse was built on a half acre of land donated by Deacon George Davis for a school. This lot is located just north of the old red barn in the southeast curve of Weld County Road 5, (formally Main Street). Some of the old foundation stones are still there about 5 feet north of the barn. The oldest section of the school is now on the Senesac property on the corner of WCR 5 & 36. It was used for years as a storage shed, but has been renovated recently and is now a preschool. The larger, newer portion was eventually moved to Mead around 1917.

In 1886 there was a series of fund-raisers to purchase a bell for the school. Mrs. Melissa Waite was actively involved in raising the funds as were other community members. The tower had already been built by July of 1886 by Mr. Frank Brown.

In December of 1886 the school enrollment was 43 students. By the turn of the century, the enrolled students had increased to nearly one hundred.

In about 1908, the Highlandlake School was consolidated with the Mead schools. The elementary students from both Highlandlake and Mead continued to attend the Highlandlake school and the older children went to Mead for their high school classes.

In 1913, the school district was pressing for further consolidation and the campaigning to close the Highlandlake school permanently was in full swing. When classes closed for winter break in 1920, the end of an era also closed with them. When the children returned to school, it was to the large Mead Consolidated school in Mead.

The newer section of the Highlandlake school building were either torn down or moved to Mead, however, the original two rooms were saved and moved down the road to the Old True place on the corner of CR 5 & CR 36 where it was used for many years for storage and eventually a garage. In the 1990s, the building was converted into a pre-school, thus bringing the old schoolhouse full circle once again. Today children come from all over the Mead area to attend this school and their annual Christmas programs and graduations held in the Highlandlake Church draw crowds of proud parents and relatives.

It was recorded in the June 12, 1953 reunion minutes, that Emma Hubbell Shumway, the first teacher at the Highlandlake school (1877) passed away during the past year. (Reunion Records 1953-1980.