School Days - The Good Old Days

Dave Bonner, a Powell High School alumnus from sister Judy's class, published this picture, along with a nostalgic writing about the Powell schools that no longer exist.  My siblings and I all have memories of these school buildings.  The old Eastside school was quite a building.  As you can see, the bell tower was prominent, and the ringing of the bell at the beginning of the school day and at the end of every recess was a signal that the children would line up at either the front doors, under the arch, or the east doors, which are not shown in this picture.  My first grade class was on the first floor,  with windows visible behind the merry-go-round.  My second grade was in the northwest corner at the back of the building, in a room where our mother also taught; third grade was upstairs at the top of the east stairs, and my fourth grade room was above my first grade room.  Louise also taught in this school, but I don't remember her room.  I spent my first four years of school in this building.

When you entered the building at the front entrance, there was a big staircase leading up to the second floor.  The wooden floors were polished.  Each first grade room had a "cloak" room, where our coats, overshoes,  and lunch boxes or sacks were stored.  Sometimes by noon, the smell of bologna or some other lunch box contents would become pretty pungent.  We didn't care - it all tasted good.  Some years, there was cafeteria service in the basement of the high school, and, no matter what the weather, we all donned our coats, etc, and were herded there.

I especially remember the playground equipment with fondness.  This was my first contact with anything but our rope and board swing at home in Penrose.  All you can see here is the slide (metal bottom, but I loved it), and the merry-go-round.  First and second grades had recess early, so the little kids would hurry to get on it before the older children got recess.  (They pushed too fast, and it made me dizzy.)  Sometimes the kids would get inside and make it go faster and faster.  The swings and monkey bars are not visible in this picture.  I loved the swings - we would swing high and then jump out, with the feeling like we were flying.  The monkey bars, I avoided - because girls were required to wear dresses (with long brown stockings), when you hung by your knees, your underwear showed, and I knew that wasn't the proper thing (Mother's teachings.)

The middle building was called The Middle School, with fifth and sixth grades on the first floor and seventh and eighth grades (Junior High) on the second floor.  (Another four years in this building.)  This building seemed more modern than the old Eastside building.  And the far building is a partial picture of the east side of the high school, creatively named Powell High School.  I went through four years of high school - some painful memories and some good memories, and then returned to teach for another three years in what was now the Junior High School.  My first year was spent teaching English (Language Arts) in what was Edith Harkins' English room when I was in high school.  The floors (still wood) creaked - the book storage room for the entire school was next door to my room, and I sometimes wondered if the floor could support all of that weight.  I taught three years in all in the old high school building, with the other two years being on the second floor, team teaching English, before I returned to Elementary School at Parkside.  Before I left Powell Schools, I had taught in Parkside, Westside and Southside.  There have been lots of changes since then!  But the above picture certainly brings back memories!  Thanks, Dave