How Did Blair Oaks Gets Its Name?

Three individuals can be credited with the school name of Blair Oaks.  Prior to opening the school in 1966, Jack Schnieders (the District's first Superintendent), Chris Arand (teacher and future Superintendent), and Angelina Frank (elementary teacher at Osage Bend) worked on a committee that selected the school's name.  The name Blair was selected to honor the Blair family who were prominent in Cole County during this time.  James Blair was a former Missouri governor and Sam Blair was a former Cole County Circuit Judge.  The Oaks was derived from the plentiful oak trees on the property.  

Elementary students in the area were allowed to submit ideas for the school's mascot.  The result was the selection of the Falcon as the official Blair Oaks mascot.

The District selected Kelly Green and White as the official colors.

Upon creation of the Reorganized School District Number Two (Cole County R-II), the decision was made to build the school in the centrally located community of Wardsville.  The school was to serve the students of Osage Bend, Taos, St. Thomas, and Wardsville.  The final decision on the location to build the school was between Osage Bend and Wardsville.  Wardsville was ultimately selected and as they say, "The Rest is History."

Until 2005, the official name of the school district was Cole County R-II School District.  The buildings were named Blair Oaks High School and Blair Oaks Elementary School.  In 2005, the Board of Education voted to change the official school district name from Cole County R-II School District to Blair Oaks R-II School District.  The name change allowed the students of Blair Oaks to be recognized for successes equally across all areas of the comprehensive educational environment.

We are BLAIR OAKS!

The Blair Oaks R-II School community is committed to providing a positive learning environment that develops academic skills, self-confidence, and social responsibility.

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