In 1895, this one-room school was built, and it remained in operation until 1909. Sam Arness then constructed the two-story building that is on the site today and painted it green and cream. It contained classes until 1951, when it was ceded to Kitsap County. A former Suquamish tribal leader suggested the name “Kola Kole,” a Salish word meaning “Place of Coming Together.” Kingston Cooperative Preschool currently occupies the space. The one-room school expanded to become the community center and now houses The Coffee Oasis.
Bertha Long prepares to drive kids home from school, circa 1920. Her preschool-age daughter, Lois, wears a dark stocking cap and sits second behind her mother. A teenage Sandy Thompson waves them goodbye at right. Bertha’s great granddaughters, Cindy Long Larson and Gayle Long, drive school buses today.