Pioneer School
Stay tuned for 2021 season details and COVID-19 updates.
Pioneer School is held at the Gainey-McCarthy Schoolhouse at our Rural Heritage Museum in St. Charles, Minnesota. Students (recommended age 7 - 12) explore life as a rural pioneer student with class lessons, games, crafts, and more. Pioneer School is taught by a licensed teacher in partnership with the Winona State University College of Education, with future teachers offering special lessons and activities. WSU was founded as the Winona Normal School, the first west of the Mississippi, opening in 1858. Teachers were trained there and were sent to the surrounding area schools in our rural region to teach the children of Winona County's early farmers. This partnership is a wonderful learning experience for future teachers, current students, and keeps WSU's heritage alive, as well as, the historic skills and ingenuity of rural life in Winona County.
Pioneer School is held at the Gainey-McCarthy Schoolhouse at our Rural Heritage Museum in St. Charles, Minnesota. Students (recommended age 7 - 12) explore life as a rural pioneer student with class lessons, games, crafts, and more. Pioneer School is taught by a licensed teacher in partnership with the Winona State University College of Education, with future teachers offering special lessons and activities. WSU was founded as the Winona Normal School, the first west of the Mississippi, opening in 1858. Teachers were trained there and were sent to the surrounding area schools in our rural region to teach the children of Winona County's early farmers. This partnership is a wonderful learning experience for future teachers, current students, and keeps WSU's heritage alive, as well as, the historic skills and ingenuity of rural life in Winona County.
