ALL THOSE MEMORIES

Dedicated to The Class of '69

ALL THOSE MEMORYS THAT WILL NEVER DIE,
ARE THE TIMES WE HAD AT WOLCOTT JR. HIGH
CLIMBING THREE FLOORS, ON WOODEN STAIRS,
OPENING LARGE WINDOWS TO GET THE COOL AIR.

WHEN THE BELL WOULD RING IT CAME A GREAT RACE
YOUR DISTANCE DETERMINED AT WHAT KIND OF PACE.
THE CLASSROOMS WERE LARGE WITH CEILINGS QUITE HIGH,
THAT SOMETIMES GOT SPIT-BALLED FROM KIDS PASSING BY.

THE GIRLS WOULD WEAR DRESSES AND HUG ALL THEIR BOOKS,
WHILE BOYS WOULD WEAR DRESS PAINTS AND NO FAIRY HOOKS.
THE SCHOOL YARD HAD SWINGS WITH A VERY LARGE SLIDE
WHICH WERE USED WHILE WE WAITED, TO CATCH OUR BUS RIDE.

THOSE WERE THE DAYS WHEN TIME MOVED SO SLOW
WHEN WINTER WOULD COME, WE ALL PRAYED FOR SNOW.
MR. MANNS WOULD APPEAR AND DRAG OUT HIS MOP.
TO CLEAN UP THE FLOORS FROM OUR SLUDGE AND OUR SLOP.

THE ROOMS WERE STEAM HEATED, IT MADE THEM QUITE WARM,
FOR DRYING WET GLOVES WHICH WOULD SOMETIMES DEFORM.
BOYS MOSTLY LIKED IT AND SOME GIRLS AS WELL
USING THE FIRE ESCAPES, WHEN THEY TESTED THE BELL.

RECESS WAS A TIME WHEN OUR BRAINS GOT A BREAK,
WE COULD THEN BUY “GOOD HUMOR” TO HELP KEEP US AWAKE.
OUR GYM DOWN THE HALL WAS A PLACE TO COMPETE
LIKE DODGE BALL AND FOOT RACES OR WHATEVER THE FEAT.

HAVING DANCE IN GYM CLASS MADE YOU QUESTION YOUR RIGHTS,
TAUGHT BY MISS WECKERING WHO WALKED AROUND IN HER TIGHTS.
OUR SECOND FLOOR LIBRARY HAD ITS OWN KIND OF AIR-
RUN BY MRS. HIRSCH, BUT WHICH WAY DID SHE STARE?

MR. J. TAUGHT OUR ART CLASS. HE WAS A CARVER OF ROCK,
TOLD US OF TRIPADAROS THAT WE ALL KNEW WERE A CROCK.
OUR TEACHER FOR SCIENCE WHO HAD A NOTABLE HEAD,
WAS NAMED MR. HEITZ WHOM WE CALLED HEADA INSTEAD.

MATH TAUGHT BY MR. SCHWERIN COULD AT TIMES, BE A CHORE
HE WOULD GRADE ON A CURVE THAT HELPED WITH OUR SCORE.
SOCIAL STUDIES TAUGHT BY MR. URICH COVERED, OUR SOCIAL BATTLE.
HE WOULD HELP MR. VAN ITEN WHOM WAS QUITE GOOD WITH A PADDLE.

MRS. JACKSON TAUGHT US ENGLISH, HER WAY WAS ALWAYS TRUE
WE KEPT A DAILY DIARY TO EXPRSS OUR POINT OF VIEW.
MR. SAMPSONS’ CLASS WAS MUSIC HE DEVELOPED QUITE AN EAR
HE PLAYED US DIFFERENT MUSIC THAT AT THE TIME WAS NOT SO CLEAR.

DURING THOSE DAYS, BEFORE THE YEAR WOULD PASS,
THEY GATHERED US UP TOGETHER, TO MAKEUP ONE BIG CLASS.
WE WOULD TAKE A TRIP ON BUSES, THAT TURNED OUT SOMEWHAT LONG
BUT WOULD SEEM TO GO BY SWIFTLY WITH GOSSIP AND WITH SONG.

SO WHERE DID ALL THE YEARS GO WE WERE ALL ON THE SAME TEAM?
STANDING ON THE GYM BLEACHERS SINGING THEN, “THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM.”
LOOKING BACK IT WAS A GREAT TIME. IT WAS SAD TO SAY GOODBYE.
THEY TORE DOWN JUST THE SCHOOLHOUSE BUT OUR MEMORIES WON’T DIE.

……..THOMAS DREWENSKI

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