Author to speak about one room schools

The Taylor County Historical Society is inviting community members to attend a Wisconsin History Tour author talk with author and educator Susan R. Apps-Bodilly. The event will take place on Tuesday, September 9, 6 p.m. at the Broadway Theatre. Author Apps-Bodilly will present on Wisconsin’s one-room school houses. With a large number of area residents who grew up going to rural one-room schools or who might have taught at those schools the topic is sure to bring back memories. The presentation returns people to a time when Wisconsin's rural children attended a one-room school with all eight grades in one room with one teacher. This interactive talk will celebrate the days when brothers and sisters went to school together; children put a jar of soup in a pot on the wood stove to warm for lunch, played recess games like anti-over, and practiced saying their 'piece' for the annual Christmas program. Apps-Bodilly will talk about how she researched and gathered stories for her book. She will also encourage the audience to think about ways to share their stories about the past with their family. This presentation is suitable for all ages with opportunities to interact and engage with the topic. Apps-Bodilly is a retired educator and writer. She taught elementary and middle school students for 34 years. She holds a Bachelor's in Elementary Education and a Master's in Curriculum and Instruction. When she is not reading or writing, Apps-Bodilly enjoys spending time with her family, hiking at the family cabin, kayaking, and trying new recipes with produce from her garden. Apps-Bodilly book “One Room Schools, Stories from the Days of 1 Room, 1 Teacher, 8 Grades” is enjoyed by children and adults who attended a one-room school or know someone who did. The book was a finalist for the 2013 Midwest Independent Publishers Association in the children’s non-fiction category. Apps-Bodilly and her father, Jerry Apps, collaborated on “Old Farm Country Cookbook, Recipes, Menus, and Memories.” This book was the topic of a PBS Wisconsin show titled “Jerry Apps, Food and Memories.” Other books include “Seeds in Soil, Planting a Garden, and Finding Your Roots” a unique gardening book that is a “Gold” level winner from the 2023 Midwest Independent Publishers Association in the children’s non-fiction category, and “Timber! A Northwoods Story of Lumberjacks, Logging, and the Land” which was co-written with Jerry Apps. This book for young readers describes the history of logging in the Midwest through the days of reforestation. The book also includes ways to appreciate and care for our forest lands today.