I had received some information saying Mrs. Lucile Altig had been a principal of Yarinacocha School, and might be a good source of information. I wrote to her and this is the response I received:

Dear Paul,

I was delighted to receive today your letter of March 20. I have been wondering what to do with the materials about the schools in Columbia and Peru that I have saved. Now I shall gladly turn them over to you.

I have annuals, photos and some papers from 1946 on. There are in storage, mixed in with unrelated materials, so it will take time for me to dig them out. Is there a deadline?

School began in Aguaytia in December, 1946, with 6 people in kindergarten and one in first grade. I planned the curriculum for kindergarten, and the first grader took Calvert by correspondence. It is possible that, in addition, Calvert was used some by Juanita Goodall and Mary Fast when they were in tribal locations.

Our first parent-teacher meeting was held in January of 1947. Our main decision at that meeting, in Aguaytia, was whether or not to teach the alphabet. We decided in the affirmetive for the kindergarten.

We met in the group store room. Later Elaine Townsend taught part time, meeting in the kitchen of the girls' dorm. Harry Price had by then entered first grade, and soon the enrollment grew.

Kindergarten then met in Altig's dining room and the other grades in the newly-constructed school building. Later kindergarten met with Dorthy (Dottie) Svendsen in various locations.

Marion Heaslip arrived, and from then on the school was managed by her and Lillian Ward. I continued teaching kindergarten and became principal.

The history from then on was highly varied, with music and athletics etc. developing.

Cooperatively, in our Lord
Lucile Altig

P.S.
I dont remember when the first school board was formed. Perhaps it was in 1948-1949. That could be designated as the official beginning of the school. I am willing to go along with that.

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