School History
Our Current School Building
Full (7min) Video Link - Building the Dream - Bouse Elementary School
The Bouse Elementary School building, at its current location, was built between 2003 and 204 and moved into officially during the summer of 2004.
All the playground equipment which at the time was located in the old school site, had to be dug up and moved to the new school building. Not an easy task considering that meant it was dug up from the cemented foundations in the old location, the cement removed using a sledge hammer and then relocated, reinstalled and cemented in its new location. Most of the furniture was also moved. All this had to be done over the school summer break from June to August 2004.
Add to that gravel placed all around the school and spread, cement poured and the final fittings done before the school welcomed returning students on schedule in August 2004.
Many more improvements have been made since then and in 2012 the school will have been a part of the Community in its current location for 8 years.
At One Time
Cited from Part history of Bouse, AZ and the surrounding area as I know it Vol 1 – the descendants - 1862-1940., pp 61 & 62 by Diana Mae Evan
At one time, Brayton, now known as Bouse had three mercantile establishments, several first class hotels, one ice-cream and confectionery parlor, two barbershops, blacksmith shop, several saloons, one grade school, starting from the first to eight grade.
Historical records indicate that in the 20’s it seems a larger school with water tank and a large bell existed. There is also a personal biography of a student in the forties going to a one room school building with a stage in the middle of the back of the room and a bathroom on each side of the stage. The front had two doors that opened up and one door on the left side of the building. The room had about 50 desks of different sizes and one teacher. Outside was a merry go round to play on and tamarack trees. There were no no swamp coolers then or electricity till 1952. the heat in winter came from an oil heater and sometimes we students were let out of school early in summer because of the heat factor.
