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In reply to the discussion: Think back. what things, activities, procedures were in our classrooms ,--Elementary, JH or SeniorHigh. I went to a 3 [View all]rsdsharp
(9,289 posts)the wooden desks with unused ink wells in elementary school; the examples of how to write letters posted above the blackboard. When were started learning cursive, every kid had to purchase the same pen for $1, so that you learned the proper grip. It didnt take on me. Neither did cursive.
The junior high was two stories. Built in the 1920s, it had marble floors, walls and stairways. The auditorium had a full stage, a full fly system and an orchestra pit. The lunchrooms were in the basement. There was also a long, narrow room down there that had a hi-go where student council members played records at lunch, and kids could dance. It was always in long lines; boys on one side, girls on the other. That is how dances in my hometown looked for at least three generations.
My algebra II teacher the head football coach used metal chalk holders. When there was a test cheating scandal in the spring he fired that thing across the room. Fortunately, he didnt hit anyone.
My high school was different from most. It opened in 1961; my brothers class was the first to go all the way through. On the first day of classes, members of the sophomore through senior classes were bussed from what had been the combined junior/senior high to the new high school. Each student was given several books to carry, and thats how the library was moved.
The class rooms were laid out in three circles. The class rooms were around the outside of the circles, and were slightly wedge shaped. The study hall and library were in the center of the 500 circle, the art department and AV department were in the center of the 600 circle. The third circle, where I never went was band, orchestra and choir.
The entrance to the building opened into the cafeteria. Beyond that were the manual arts areas wood shop, metal shop, auto shop, etc. To the right was the gym. To the left was a wide hallway that led to the circles. About 50 feet down the hall was an area called the crossroads. The yearbooks were usually titled Crosswords.
The music circle was to the left, the 500 circle straight ahead, and the 600 circle to the right. In the center of the crossroads was a large, circular, multiple, water fountain called the bird bath.
The senior class president my sophomore year had been in a motorcycle accident the previous year resulting in an amputation of the lower part of one of his legs. He came back on crutches, and in a fit of temper, beat the hell out of the fountain with a crutch. During my entire three years in that building that fountain never worked.