The first school near McConnell was located 1¼ miles east of town (now Orangeville Road) and was called Salem School. The school was started in 1849. It was replaced in 1857 by the Shippee School District. The reason the school was located out of town is not known. Perhaps it was located in a more central location for the population.
Other first schools near McConnell were Robey or Defiance school, located on Fisher Road, Richland Empire, located on Empire Road, Manny School located on Gooseneck Road, and Waddams Central located at the intersection of Flansburg and Rink Road.
The first school located in McConnell was in 1889 when the school was built next to the Salem on the east edge of town. They stayed there until 1926 when a new two story was built on the north end of town on the west side of Hulbert Road. The school remained open until 1967 when the population level and money forced its closure.
The schools that McConnell had were elementary schools. The early schools were one room with one teacher and level or grade was determined by knowledge, not age. Children went to school when there was no work to be done on the farm. During the early 1900's until the 1940's the train provided transportation for those students. Many of the elders in town today remember the daily trek.
In 1949 the State of Illinois mandated larger school districts. The district that evolved included Lena, Winslow, McConnell, Elroy and Waddams Grove. Only Lena and Winslow had High Schools. The two major prerequisites for a school district were population and revenue. Neither McConnell or Winslow had the population for a district. The name of the school district became Lena-Winslow District. It included 21 rural schools and the Lena and Winslow schools.
The next hurdle for the school district was finding a location for a new High School that would accommodate all the students. The next five years were a battle between Lena and Winslow because both wanted the High School in their town. McConnell gave their support to Winslow, while Waddams Grove and Elroy gave their support to Lena. McConnell wanted the High School to be located at the junction of IL Route 73 and McConnell Road due to its central location to the three towns, three to four miles from each town. The other towns did not agree.
Lena was chosen for the site of the new school in 1956. They also were to have a grade school with grades 1 through 8. Winslow was to have a grade school with grades 1 through 8 also. McConnell, Elroy and Waddams Grove each had a grade school with grades 1 through 6. The 7th and 8th graders from McConnell went to Winslow. The school year of 1959 was the beginning of the Lena-Winslow School District.
In 1967 the McConnell School was closed and all the students went to Winslow. In 1968 a new Junior High School was built across from the High School. The Junior High included graded 6, 7 and 8. Students from all towns in the district attended. In 1968 the Elroy and Waddams Grove schools closed with their students going to Lena. In 1985 the Winslow School was reduced to just 3rd grade. All students from the district were to attend 3rd garde in Winslow with the rest of the grade schoolers attending Lena. This system is still used today.
The students from McConnell have always contributed and benefitted academically and athletically from schools they attended. This can be seen in the various year books of schools. This competitive nature comes from the pride that the people of McConnell have in their town and their selves. One example of this is the many trophies displayed in the American Legion that McConnell has won during "Field Day". This is a competition that students from McConnell, Elroy and Waddams Grove held annually on a rotating basis at the participating schools. Some outstanding individuals include Elwyn and Duane Shippy who were members of the 1933 Stephenson County Championship Softball Team, Barbara Jacobs and Judy Rampenthal who are teachers in the Lena-Winslow School District, and Roger Russell a State's Attorney in Boone County, Illinois. Many others have succeeded in business and farming. The pride still remains!
(Excerpt from the McConnell Sesquicentennial History Album. Written by Steven W. Kohn .
1988)