esrosedotblog

OLD SCHOOL TIES

My cousin in Pennsylvania sent me this today.

Barrett High School was once center of community, alum recalls

My cousin is the Alum in question. He is the town historian. Well, township. There were four small "towns".

This is the school that I went to when I was a kid. All twelve grades in one building. We didn't know any better. They formed a larger jointure district three years after I left. The history is here in this article more or less. Mostly less.

I sometimes dream about the school. Most often I am on the north side in the drive either in the playground or on the steps. Not much happens there but it is important. I suspect that is the door I went through the first day as the 1st grade room was just around the left corner.

I don't remember the last day.

I have never seen this photo with all the old buses. When my Dad was on the School Board, I remember a year they bought all new ones. All the bids came through the house. They didn't buy the ones that I wanted which were the sleeker Air-Stream type of bus which I never see anywhere (used to spy them in California but not now). I also wanted them to get the flag that popped out of the side so people would stop. They skipped that also and just got the flashing lights.

I did not ride the buses on a regular basis. I walked through Daniel's field either through the old rent-a-house next door to Elmer and Lela (and Roger for awhile and their wired hair terrier Trixie). Then through the back lot and into the field from the house we built and owned further back on the same street. Are you following me? No. You had to be there.

I went home for lunch and never ate in the cafeteria. I was sheltered. From Ray Jones food and the less savory society of other kids. More over protection from my mother. No wonder I am an introvert. It would have been a lot better had I been with the other kids. Too late now.

See what a little photo will do to an old man's thoughts?

We used to pretend shoot the WWI machine guns out in the lawn next to the flag pole which had the honor roll of who served. It was not allowed. Playing with the guns. But after hours, when Mr. Lewis couldn't see out of "the office" windows we fired away.

The Office. That was what it was called. Everyone knew what it meant and where it was.

You didn't want to be called to "the office".

I wonder if they ever took the asbestos out of the school. It was loaded with it. In the big mostly unused basement rooms next to the cafeteria and shop...north and south...there were exposed walls proudly labeled "asbestos" as was the old roll down curtain on the stage. Roll up. A scene of a waterfall on the front.

In the gym, one year, the basketball boys had broken the plaster wall under the stage. The teachers told us that it was the easter bunny who had come in to leave eggs.

I have seen a lot of schools in my time. The old BCS ranks as one of the finest. A great gym. Pretty good facilities.

My grandkids go to what look like office buildings. All of my kids went to a middle school in a modular building, open plan, in Plymouth, MA. No walls.

It had to be totally renovated. This was when they were trying everything new. New math. New this, new that. One son never learned how to do long division. He denies it but I know it is true. He learned it later.

I learned times tables and how to divide in, well maybe, fourth grade or something. Miss Bush had one board at the left where she would write names of miscreants. Penalties abounded. Cleaning the erasers for example. I loved cleaning the erasers. Clearly Miss Bush did not and thought it a punishment.

Her room was the second rank of windows from the right. I can see her peeking out at us. And there's Mr. Lewis too. Who I actually loved and was very good to me. He helped me get out of that town forever.

Labels: education, history, life