JArratt School Reforest Texas Educational Program
The Old One Room Classroom Gets a New Mission
The Auxiliary of Swinney Switch Inc (TASS Inc. is entering a new era of education and community service. The two acres surrounding the Old Jarratt School House are the staging area for Reforest Texas and Restorative Agriculture.
Remembering Our Founders
The women who initially started TASS Inc have gone to their reward, with several members passing recently. One thing the "Ladies" in the Ladies Auxiliary all shared was a love of organic gardening and improving the natural beauty of their surroundings. The new mission combines their love of growing things, taking care of the environment and supporting education.
Reforest Texas
In 2019 a student book club created Reforest Texas to address climate change, food insecurity and to add beauty to denuded landscapes. The program expanded and Reforest Texas was in 7 schools in South and Central Texas and planted more than 900 trees. Reforest Texas is rebooting this spring and plans to expand to more schools and districts in 2025-2026. The Jarratt School's 2 acres is an incubation center for growing the seedlings into young trees.
Restorative Agriculture
Restorative agriculture is rebuilding the quantity and quality of topsoil while restoring local biodiversity and watershed function. The focus is improving soil health and ecosystem resilience, by incorporating practices that align with natural systems.
Incubation and Guidance
As part of the new mission, TASS is developing a model for incubating new ideas and programs for the community.
Jarratt school
Jarratt History
Will Beauchamp tells a story of his mother having the last official event in the Jarratt School in the 1950' s when she attended her wedding shower. My memories of the school house are from 1973-74, when Will's cousin Thea Shieve (Skoruppa) and her family moved back to an old family farm house.
For whatever reason, her family started a clean up effort at the school. Essentially they cleaned enough to get into the door and look around. I remember being amazed at how cool the building was, even in the summer. The tall window's (mostly broken) were all on the side facing the southerly breeze.
The idea of having a community center as late as the 1950's without indoor plumbing was quit shocking. Yes I saw the two seater outhouse, and even had the opportunity to use one of the seats.
Nature took back over after this intrusion and soon the facility was hidden behind brush, thorny plants and whatever varmints chose to live there. Over the years others may have intruded into the facility, but for the most part it was largely ignored. Every once in a while someone would say "someone ought to do something with the old Jarratt..."
My Mom and other members of The Auxiliary Swinney Switch Incorporated decided to take on the challenge. After acquiring possession of the facility, the men and women of TASS Inc set to work. First thing was to clear a path to the building . Many hot sweaty hours of labor got the grounds cleared. There were stumps and thorny plants waiting to trip or attack you, but, you could get to the front door.
Of course, that just meant more work. The inside was some what scary,
Stay tuned for more information!