Images From Our Past
In coorporation with the Fort Osage Alumni Assocation, the distirct is collecting archives from our past including photos, newspapers, artifacts, etc. The goal is to create a virtual museum for the district and community.
We need help from former graduates, teachers and administrators to grow the museum with stories, pictures, issues of the Smoke Signals from 1955 to 1970 and memorabilia since the beginning of the District in 1949. For more information or to share how you can help in this project ; contact Mrs. Stephanie Smith - Public Relations Office, 650-7000 or Jerry D. Brown at jdb0945@msn.com
In the Beginning
On March 22, 1949, a tentative plan for consolidating the 83 school districts of Jackson County into 15 large districts was submitted in Independence to a meeting of county school board members, clerks, superintendents, and teachers. The plan included, among the 15, the districts of Independence, Raytown, Hickman Mills, Grandview, Center, Lee's Summit, Blue Springs, Sugar Creek, Buckner, Oak Grove, Grain Valley, Pleasant Valley, Boone, and Districts A & B.
On August 9, 1949, Jackson County voters approved a county-wide reorganization plan whereby the 83 districts were divided into 15 units. The district we know today was created from 16 rural districts and the Buckner and Levasy High School districts. The 16 rural schools had an enrollment of 246 children, Buckner had 238, and Levasy had 88.
On August 30, 1949, a special school election was held to elect six directors for Reorganized District No. 1 of Jackson County (Fort Osage School District's name). The first recorded meeting was held in the First State Bank of Buckner on September 2, 1949.
Timeline of Events
August 9, 1949 Voters approved the plan for reorganization
August 30, 1949 Special Election held at Levasy, Buckner, and Atherton to elect directors
September 20, 1949 First recorded meeting of the R-1 Board of Directors
March 1, 1951 Etna School District #19 becomes part of R-1 School District
March 19, 1951 Elm Grove School District #18 and Union School District #13 are added
May 7, 1952 Special Bond Election held and approved for building the high school and Blue Hills
November 4, 1952 Blue Hills Elementary School officially named in board minutes
January 5, 1954 The new high school was officialy named Fort Osage High School in board minutes
May 13, 1958 Board minutes recorded the official naming of the district as Fort Osage School
District R-1
July 22, 1958 Administrative & Board of Education offices moved into the Woodlawn School Building
1966 Cler-Mont Elementary School was opened
1968 The Vocational-Technical School was opened
1972 Courtney Elementary School District voted to be annexed by Fort Osage
1980 Fort Osage Middle School was opened