Star School, Mesa County, Colorado 1895 1953 Southeast corner 20 Road between K and L Roads Mesa Colorado USA https://www.google.com/maps/place/20+Rd,+Fruita,+CO+81521/@39.1732118,-108.684743,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x8746fc6c637bc04b Google Map link for 20 Road The Star School, named for the Starr family that settled the Starr District, was first established in a one-room schoolhouse northwest of Fruita, Colorado in 1895. It was administered by Star School District 27, which also formed in 1895. Three years later, it housed 56 students of all ages. An injured eagle that had been cared for by a student became the school's mascot upon its death. The eagle was mounted inside of the school. The school burnt down in 1905. After a box lunch fundraiser, a new school was built that same year. The new building had two classrooms and a library, with folding doors to separate the rooms that could be taken down and used as tables during events. That school building burnt down in 1917. A new school was built and open by the fall of 1917. It had a hallway where students left their coats, two classrooms, and a storage room. In 1925, it had Dorothy Tindall as its principal (on a salary of $90/month). Velma (Starr) Stutler of the Starr family also taught at the school around this time. Each room of the school house served roughly twenty students, with the earlier grades in one room and the older students in the other. The school ran from 9 am to 4 pm. By the time oral history interviewee John Collier taught at the school in the 1930s, the school employed two teachers. This school was the site of the first hot lunch program in the region, initiated by Tindall. Students brought a pint jar of one food item. The jars were placed in a wash boiler rack at 10:30. By 11:30, the hot food was ready to serve. The Star School District became part of Mesa County School District 51 in 1951 and closed in 1953. Children then went to school in Fruita. *Much of this history was adapted from In the Beginning... A History of the Districts and Schools that became Mesa County Valley School District Number 51 by Albert and Terry LaSalle. **Photograph of Star School circa 1922-23. yes yes Starr School