Pioneer children's basic education centered on the “3 R’s” of “Readin’, (w)ritin’, and (a)rithmetic,” with little time for advanced subjects such as history or literature. One teacher often taught all eight grades, and older students helped younger ones with their lessons. In the 1800s, attending school was a privilege, and children who misbehaved were punished harshly. Before the 1920s, schools in Okemos and Haslett ended at the eighth grade, so students seeking further education had to travel to Mason or East Lansing. In 1920, the small rural one-room schools were consolidated into two central schools, and upper grades were added in both communities. The Randall School, built north of Fowlerville in 1883 in the typical rural one-room style, served farm children in Conway and Hardy Townships from first through eighth grades until 1975. After it was slated for demolition, the Friends of Historic Meridian rescued it in 1987 and moved it along Grand River Avenue to Central Park on a flat bed truck, where it continues to educate students about life in the 1800s. The Methodist Society of Okemos met in members’ homes or the local school until 1870, when it built a church at the corner of Okemos Road and Methodist Street. The congregation worshiped there until 1969, when the building was razed and replaced with a larger church for its growing membership. In 2008, a replica of the church was built in Central Park and now hosts weddings, concerts, and other events.