TheBanyanTree: Class of '55

[bluenosr at ns.sympatico.ca]

Haven't been on the Tree for quite awhile, but someone suggested I 
send this, so here it is.


Class of '55

School daze?  High School daze?  Hmmmm....
C'mon, memory...let's see what we can did up.

Lessee...My Dad was my Principal and my Chemistry and Physics 
teacher.  Instant handicap, right?   Yes and no.

When we moved to A.R. (Annapolis Royal), I was in Grade 8.  First day 

of classes, the teacher (who was a really good teacher, a nice 
person, and who meant well) introduced me to the class as the 
Principal's daughter and proceeded to tell them how to treat me.  
What she said was a blur.  I was only 12 and embarrassed at being 
singled out, rather than indignant at what she said.  

Time passed, and I began to experience the effects of that teacher's 
lecture.  At times it was hard.  A pattern soon emerged where my 
'friend' would only ever come to my house after school before and 
after exams.  Seems she'd keep her eye open for Dad's exam questions 
and the marked papers.  It took Mom's skill in helping me to put this 

into perspective.  And groups of kids would stop talking as I neared 
them or walked by. But, you know, I have other memories.  

We lived right behind the school, Annapolis Royal Academy, so I 
didn't eat lunch in the cafeteria.  A high majority of the kids were 
bussed in.

I enjoyed most of my teachers.  Except Miss Douglas in Home Ec.  She 
always looked at me funny in class.  But I ignored her.  I was good 
at sewing and I got good help from Mom if I needed it.  We couldn't 
take our sewing home, but she'd answer my questions or show me 
something similar at home.  In Grade 11, the last year of Home Ed., I 

won the sewing prize for the Annapolis Valley West Students' Council. 

This covered half the Valley and included clubs and sports. 

I was lucky because there was an art class every Friday afternoon, 
all through Grades 9 to 11.  In Gr. 12, I had to take Physics and the 

lab was also on Friday afternoons, so I couldn't continue.  Mr. (Rip) 

Robinson was very talented in all media and a good teacher.  I really 

enjoyed those days.  I worked for the Yearbook, and ended up Art 
Editor in Grade 11 & 12.  This was in the days of Gestetner copiers 
and hand-drawing directly on the stencil with a stylus.  We printed 
every page except for the pictures and cover.  We collated the whole 
thing and the cover was attached to the body at the local printers.  
We were very proud of it, and rightfully so!  :)

We were also lucky to have a wonderful gym teacher, Mr. (Bobby) 
Potts.  He could get us interested is just about anything.  He and 
his wife were great dancers.  He taught us fox trot, waltz, rumba, 
cha cha, and jive.  And he'd dance with a lot of us girls at school 
dances.  

My Dad would also dance with as many of the girls as he could. He'd 
get the 'wall flowers' out on the dance floor to be seen and 'in 
circulation'.  He'd dance with me, too, of course, but one night he 
didn't.  When we got home I became very indignant at him - highly 
unusual for me!  He said he thought I might not want my Dad dancing 
with me in front of the kids.  But I told him I really DID want to 
dance with him.  I know that was a bit unusual for a girl that age, 
but he was a wonderful dancer...you know the kind where you're 
supported so well that you simply float through the dance?  

As for studies, I had to work hard at studying, so was home week 
nights.  When in GR. 12, in town there were only 2 of us in Gr. 12, 4 

in Gr. 11, 3 or 4 in Gr 10 and 9.  So, in my last year I was very 
lucky - again - to be asked along with Ronnie Grant to join the rest 
of the town kids on Friday or Saturday for jam sessions.  We lasted 
the whole year before any of us started going steady.  We just had 
fun as a group and danced to Glenn Miller, meeting in our different 
homes.  Good memories!  Good pictures!

Almost forgot....I was in the Drama club and the Glee Club.  And I 
had the lead in a one-act play one year.  Also played a bit of 
Intramural basketball and did some rifle shooting on year.  

We had several teachers who were 'characters'.  Mr. (Sandy) Saunders, 

the Math teacher, had a couple of quirks.  Besides being an excellent 

teacher, but one that a lot of the kids were afraid of, he had some 
'quaint' sayings with a 'South Shore' accent.*  One was, when he was 
getting exasperated with us, "My land I say, Grade 2!".  And he was a 

chocolate addict.  During exams or tests in his classroom, he'd be 
sitting at his desk marking papers or other paper work.  About half 
way through the session, I'd see him reach down VERY quietly, slowly 
pull open a drawer, put something in his lap, and then close the 
drawer.  Then, he'd slowly and carefully open a chocolate bar and eat 

it, bit my bit.  I was fascinated at the care he took not to make any 

noise.  There weren't many of us who knew he did this...most of those 

because I told them to watch!  Yeah, I passed me zams..barely.

* South Shore accent - very close to the 'Bahston States'. 

Then we had Dad's secretary, Mrs. Wetmore, who used to swear she
needed roller skates because she was always running around trying to 
find Dad.  He'd check into classrooms sporadically, so was sometimes 
hard to find.  

And Mr. Robinson who had a deadly whistle (with his own mouth) with 
which he'd clear the halls and cloakrooms in about 2 seconds!  

I suppose that my lack of many individual memories of my 
relationships with other students was related to the fact that I 
never saw them away from school - except for the few in town - and 
that my father was the principal.  I had piano lessons and some voice 

lessons and did my own thing a lot.  It may have contributed to my 
being somewhat introverted, as well.      
 
Carolyn

===

Carolyn A. Johnson
bluenosr at ns.sympatico.ca