Harmony Area Schools

Harmony’s first school, nicknamed the Little Red Schoolhouse, was a one-room structure built in 1864 in the village of Greenfield Prairie, a mile south of where Harmony would later be incorporated. The modest school, built by some of the area’s earliest immigrants, provided the foundation for what would become a thriving independent school district, a source of great pride, and a sign of prosperity for those living in and around Harmony for almost a century.

For two decades, Harmony area students attended classes at the Little Red Schoolhouse, but it was decided in 1884 that a larger school was needed to accommodate a growing population. A two-story frame structure went up along Main Street, with one spacious classroom on each floor. Because of the busy spring planting and lucrative fall harvest seasons, enrollment during the first few years fluctuated between 88 and 143 students.

When a larger four-classroom school was constructed in 1897, the first two-story school was converted into the Arlington Hotel, which operated for almost four decades. By 1900, Harmony’s school had 205 students. It was still considered an elementary school, but it no longer fit that definition because high school courses were being taught. Voters approved a bond, and Harmony Independent School District #228 was born.

In the spring of 1905, Harmony High School held its first graduation ceremony for four young men and five young women. The class flower was a white rose, and its colors were maroon and gold. “No Victory Without Labor” was the school’s original motto.

The white frame school was remodeled during the summer of 1902. The first floor went from two to four classrooms, accommodating the first through seventh grades; the second floor’s two rooms were opened up into one larger room for the eighth grade. A library boasting 700 books, science classrooms, and a recitation room were also added. Students participated in spelling bees, literary societies, and debate. Due to the school’s lack of a gymnasium or stage, spring graduation ceremonies and class plays were held in the Harmony Opera House.

By 1905, sports at Harmony High were already underway, with the most popular being baseball and basketball. The Harmony High School baseball team won the state championship in 1905 and the next four consecutive seasons. The school’s mascot was a red cardinal and its school song was a rendition of the University of Minnesota’s Rouser. Over time, Harmony’s sporting teams would win several conference and district titles, including Minnesota’s Class “C” Football Championship in 1984.

In 1910 yet another new school was built on the south side of the white frame school to house the growing student body, at a cost of $12,500. Upon its completion, the red brick building became the high school while the white frame structure housed the younger students.

In 1935, Harmony voters approved $142,756 for construction of a new building, which included a gymnasium with a stage. Graduation ceremonies and plays were no longer held at the Harmony Opera House. The white frame school was demolished and the new school dedicated December 4, 1936. Lower grades moved into the 1910 red brick school. Harmony High School’s first Junior-Senior Prom was held on June 3, 1937 and its first band was organized in 1940.

In 1959, the remaining one-room country schools in the surrounding area voted to merge with the Harmony School District. To meet this increased demand, a one-story fourteen-classroom elementary school was completed in 1960. By the fall of 1962, the high school had 839 students. Harmony voters passed bonding in 1966 for construction of a high school addition, which included new administrative offices, a kitchen and lunchroom, classrooms and a new gymnasium with upgraded locker rooms. The project was completed in 1968 at a cost of $945,000.

In the May 1993, the last Harmony High School graduation was held. In September, the Harmony High Independent School District #228 ceased to be upon consolidation with nearby Preston-Fountain Independent School District #233.