The Hometown Treasure September 2012 | Page 24

Back to Basics by Harold D. Gingerich Historically Amish children attended the one-room school house nearest their home. There was concern among Amish families as oneroom schools were closed in favor of larger town schools. That concern grew with state mandated consolidation between towns. Westview School Corporation was formed by consolidating Shipshewana-Scott (already a consolidated school) with Topeka and Honeyville Schools in the mid-sixties. — Editor’s Note To the Amish community the value of their parochial schools cannot be measured in mere monetary terms. As Jerry E. Miller, compiler of the “Indiana Amish Directory: Elkhart, LaGrange and Noble Counties”, says, “It is something that has called pg 22 · The Hometown Treasure · September ‘12 for much time, effort and sacrifice”. The school’s growth in the Westview community since 1967, both in terms of attendance and the number of locations, has been nothing short of phenomenal. Accompanying this expansion has been new Amish based curriculum and a significant di 7G&?'WF????WGv?&??F?P??