Oral History of Forgottonia: The Red Brick School in Smithfield, IL – Part 3, Cooper & Sam Interview Nicole Thum
“I thought about leaving and then life happened and I stayed and I’m glad I did. I raised my kids here. I still teach here and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Nicole Thum
Mrs. Nicole Thum shows Cooper and Sam a picture of her elementary class at the Smithfield Red Brick School
ON THIS EPISODE
As part of our Oral History in Forgottonia series, Cuba High School juniors Cooper Leonard and Sam Thum continue their conversations about the history and impact of the Red Brick School in Smithfield, Illinois. Like many small towns, the school in Smithfield (known as the Red Brick School) closed decades previously and consolidated with Cuba which is located about 7 miles east of the town.
Part 3 of their project, they speak with Nicole Thum, a beloved teacher at Cuba Elementary and lifelong resident of Smithfield. Mrs. Thum holds a special connection to the Red Brick School as one of the last students to attend the 5th grade before it closed. She relives some of her favorite memories of the RBS with Cooper and Sam, as well as discussing along the way the importance that the building plays in Smithfield. Mrs. Thum also provides helpful advice for the students as they consider how they will answer the big question facing every rural student: “Will I stay, or will I go?”
Essential & Supporting Questions
What was it like to be a student at the Red Brick School?
What does the Red Brick school and its closing mean to Mrs. Thum and the entire Smithfield community?
Why is the Red Brick School so important to Smithfield even though it’s been closed for decades?
Why is it important to help preserve the history of our communities?
What advice do you have for young people growing up in a small town today?
“The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.”
Winston Churchill
Cooper Leonard & Sam Thum BIO
Cooper Aaron Eugene Leonard is a junior at Cuba High School and the son of Randy & Meghan Leonard. Cooper is involved with history club, drama club, track and field, dance, and he works as a student technology specialist for CHS. He enjoys soccer, baked potatoes, sleeping, hanging out with friends, and following his curiosity. After high school, Cooper is thinking about going to Bradley University to get a degree in computer science or engineering.
Samantha Marie Thum is a junior at Cuba High School and the daughter of Garrett and Karen Thum of Smithfield, IL. Sam is involved with student Council, National Honor Society, FCCLA, Scholastic Bowl, Volleyball, Dance, Softball, Track, Art Club. She enjoys listening to the Beatles and keeping herself busy. After high school, Sam plans on going to college and getting a degree in Aerospace Engineering or Astrophysics.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Our ORAL HISTORY of FORGOTTONIA series is part of the NCHE Rural Experience in America grant in partnership with the Western IL Museum, and the Western IL University Archives. In 2021, the National Council for History Education (NCHE) recruited teachers nationwide to participate in free and open professional development that occurred asynchronously and synchronously online, focusing on rural history and historical inquiry using Library of Congress sources. Teachers traveled to Norman, Oklahoma to collaborate with a community partner selected from their hometown to create a public history project.
These community-based, service-learning public history projects enable students to investigate their local and regional histories deeply and to connect their own histories to the larger human experience. A key purpose of this project is to link rural communities and their histories to national narratives and primary source collections, and the targeted focus of this proposal provides an avenue for such purposeful connections.
Our project, The Oral History of Forgottonia, is one of several throughout the country featured by the NCHE. To learn about other projects featured by this grant, check out this list and visit the links at the bottom of this post.
The Forgottonia Project 