Chapter 12

The first school week was a short week as Labor Day fell on a Monday. So on Tuesday, September 2, 1958, I started my High School career. The previous Friday I had gone to the school office and picked up my class schedule, and paid my school fees.

These were for Biology and some poor frog I would have to cut up a Biology workbook, and two locks. The locks were for my coat locker and gym locker.

I also took the time to check out where my classrooms and homeroom were. Since my Middle School was attached to the High School I knew the building fairly well.

After that, I walked downtown to G.C. Murphy Five and Dime and bought a three-ring binder for my homework, pencils, paper, and a fountain pen. I splurged on the paper; they now had it in a green tint and with narrow lines instead of the boring white paper with wide lines. I soon regretted that purchase the first time my assignment was, “Write one full page on...”

The first day was taking attendance, getting seating assignments straight. Some teachers didn’t care where you sat. Others wanted you in alphabetical order. Books were handed out and we wrote our names on the pasted in book slip on the inside cover. I also got the soon to be famous, “What did you do on your summer vacation,” English assignment.

I ran into several kids I knew at lunchtime and it was amazing how much some of them had grown over the summer. The boys up, and the girls out. Well, many of the girls were taller, but that isn’t what I noticed. I was surprised when my growth got the most comments.

Not only my growing taller but by being in shape. My friend Tom Pew wanted to know what I had been doing. I went all mysterious to him and told him he would have to read about it in the newspaper like everyone else.

He laughed and moved on with a, “See you later alligator.”

I brilliantly rejoined with, “After while crocodile.”

He came back with, “Don’t get wise beady eyes.”

Then I gave the conversation topper, “Understand Rubber Band.” We were such wits.

My growth was really brought home to me in gym class. Coach Crowley gave us the rules of the road. We were told what type of shorts, shirts, and shoes we had to buy. It was made clear we had to shower after class, and to bring a clean towel from home. We might even want to buy a gym bag!

He then went around and talked to some of the freshmen. I knew this was to talk to the kids going out for sports. I was surprised when he came up to me and asked if I was going to try out for football.

The regular varsity team had been practicing for two weeks but they had freshman tryouts after the school year had started. They did this because of the growth spurts that teenagers had between the eighth and ninth grades.

“I never thought about it.”

“Did you grow a lot this summer?”

“I did, Coach.”

“I thought so, or I would’ve noticed you before. You are of a size you could be a running back or even a quarterback if you have the arm.”

“When are tryouts?’

“After school this Thursday, come on out to the football field if you are interested. We could really use some new players this year. We lost most of our first-string Varsity to graduation last year.”

“I will give it serious thought, I never thought I would be big enough to play so haven’t given it any thought.”

Coach laughed, “You know I teach one of the English classes. You might want to think about how many times you used “thought” in that sentence.”

“After I said it, I thought it might be a problem.”

Coach gave me a swat on the arm and moved on.

When I got home that afternoon about 3:45 I had brought all my school books with me, a first. My first duty was to wrap all my school books in book covers. I used the ones sold by the band club.

They were expensive at fifteen cents each but they were in the red and black school colors and had BHS with a bell on the front.

I then proceeded to get ahead. I read the first chapter in the English book. It was the start of diagraming sentences. It took about half an hour to read the lesson and diagram the practice sentences at the end of the chapter.

I found that the correct answers were at the back of the book and that I had them all right. I could see where this would work out well. I was going to English class tomorrow and would understand what Miss Bales was talking about.

She was known as a tough grader and I needed every break I could get to make an A in her class.

Algebra was easy after I got it through my head that subtracting a negative number turns that number to a positive. Does that mean two wrongs make a right? Anyway, it only took about twenty minutes to get the problems worked. The correct answers being in the back of the book sure helped.