Arboga takes a step back in time

In its second installment to bring education outside the classroom walls, Arboga Elementary hosted a History Night last week.

The evening started off with a dinner for past alumni, teachers and administrators of the school and was followed by an evening where students and their families could learn about the history of their community and their school.

“The event turned out great, and we didn’t have an empty seat available during the dinner,” said Principal Eric Preston.

The school sold more than 75 tickets for the dinner and had more than 100 attendees during the history night that followed. Eight principals who had served the school were also on hand to help celebrate the ongoing legacy of the small education institution.

During dinner Sue Cejner-Moyers, a local historian, gave a presentation about the area’s history and brought along with her some plot maps that showed Plumas Lake when a lake actually existed. She stayed on after her presentation to answer questions from students, parents and alumni. The cafeteria was set up to allow for stations where students could walk along and find historical information about Yuba County and Arboga.

The school, which was established in 1913 and opened in its current building in 1957, has a rich history and Pete Jeffrey, a fifth grade teacher, came up with the idea of a History Night when he came upon old photos of the school to use in a school cookbook.

The pictures, which were blown up for the event, were featured as part of a historical gallery and welcomed the students and parents as they made their way into the cafeteria to explore the other interactive stations.

“The night was a success with quite a few alumni and old staff hanging around later into the evening and talking and reminiscing about their time here at Arboga,” said Preston.

The money that was raised at the dinner will be combined with sales of this year’s Arboga cookbook to put together a scholarship. The scholarship will be named in honor of Leslee Harlan, a 30-year teacher at Arboga Elementary and a lifetime resident of the area who died this summer.

The scholarship will be awarded to a graduating high school student from the Marysville Joint Unified School District who attended Arboga Elementary.

The newest edition of the Arboga cookbook will be available in mid-November and Principal Preston encourages parents and community residents to purchase a copy before they sell out.

Looking ahead, Arboga Elementary has the third installment of its educational evenings coming up on Nov. 19. The evening, which will be a reading night, encourages parents and children to come out to the school to enjoy the love of books.

For more information on the upcoming reading night or other events visit the schools website at www.arboga.mjusd.k12.ca.us/.

Plumas Lake Life correspondent Michele Perrault can be reached at 483-3664 or e-mail her at mperrault@plumaslakelife.com